Two knights, two horses, two pieces of lumber. Oh, and there’s a girl, too.
That, in a nutshell, is A Knight’s Tale. The medieval comedy/adventure stars Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, an English peasant who gets a chance to fulfill his childhood dream and become a knight.
The story begins at a small-time tournament in France, where William’s master, the down-on-his-luck Sir Hector, dies suddenly, only minutes from victory. His three starving squires, William, Wat and Rowland, freak out, but
William comes up with the idea of impersonating his master.
Sir Hector has enough of a lead that all he has to do is not get knocked from his horse by one last adversary, and he’ll win. Though he takes a lance in the faceplate, the courageous William manages to stay in saddle and secure victory,while avoiding discovery by the nobles.
William’s first taste of knighthood seems to have damaged his brain, since he decides that getting whacked with a big stick from horseback is cool, and is the ticket to fame and glory. He convinces his comrades to help him continue the masquerade.
They spend a month training in the woods before heading for the big leagues.
Along the way, they meet Geoff, an all around scoundrel who volunteers to be William’s herald.
Arriving at his first tournament, William, aka Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein, amazes everyone by doing well. He wins the sword-fighting competition, but is easily defeated at jousting by the incredibly arrogant and suitably annoying
Count Adhemar.
Declaring that he’ll be “Grand Champion, or nothing,” William decides to no longer compete in sword-fighting, and concentrate on the joust.
A Knight’s Tale’s love story is pretty forgetable, though it does provide an excuse for some amusing scenes, such as when an amorous William follows the lovely Lady Jocelyn into church… on his horse. Or the bit where she says that if he truly loves her, he’ll lose the tournament. So William sits in his saddle
and takes hit after unanswered, bone-crunching hit for her. How sweet.
Speaking of hits, they are the highlight of this film. Lances explode into showers of splinters as knights reel in the saddle from the impact. Blows to the head look particularly painful, and you’ll no doubt find yourself wincing in sympathy on more than one occasion.
A Knight’s Tale is a silly movie that never takes itself too seriously. And as long as you don’t take it seriously, you’ll have a good time. If the line-ups for Pearl Harbour and Shrek are too long for your liking, A Knight’s Tale will not disappoint.
That, in a nutshell, is A Knight’s Tale. The medieval comedy/adventure stars Heath Ledger as William Thatcher, an English peasant who gets a chance to fulfill his childhood dream and become a knight.
The story begins at a small-time tournament in France, where William’s master, the down-on-his-luck Sir Hector, dies suddenly, only minutes from victory. His three starving squires, William, Wat and Rowland, freak out, but
William comes up with the idea of impersonating his master.
Sir Hector has enough of a lead that all he has to do is not get knocked from his horse by one last adversary, and he’ll win. Though he takes a lance in the faceplate, the courageous William manages to stay in saddle and secure victory,while avoiding discovery by the nobles.
William’s first taste of knighthood seems to have damaged his brain, since he decides that getting whacked with a big stick from horseback is cool, and is the ticket to fame and glory. He convinces his comrades to help him continue the masquerade.
They spend a month training in the woods before heading for the big leagues.
Along the way, they meet Geoff, an all around scoundrel who volunteers to be William’s herald.
Arriving at his first tournament, William, aka Sir Ulrich von Lichtenstein, amazes everyone by doing well. He wins the sword-fighting competition, but is easily defeated at jousting by the incredibly arrogant and suitably annoying
Count Adhemar.
Declaring that he’ll be “Grand Champion, or nothing,” William decides to no longer compete in sword-fighting, and concentrate on the joust.
A Knight’s Tale’s love story is pretty forgetable, though it does provide an excuse for some amusing scenes, such as when an amorous William follows the lovely Lady Jocelyn into church… on his horse. Or the bit where she says that if he truly loves her, he’ll lose the tournament. So William sits in his saddle
and takes hit after unanswered, bone-crunching hit for her. How sweet.
Speaking of hits, they are the highlight of this film. Lances explode into showers of splinters as knights reel in the saddle from the impact. Blows to the head look particularly painful, and you’ll no doubt find yourself wincing in sympathy on more than one occasion.
A Knight’s Tale is a silly movie that never takes itself too seriously. And as long as you don’t take it seriously, you’ll have a good time. If the line-ups for Pearl Harbour and Shrek are too long for your liking, A Knight’s Tale will not disappoint.
