As a structural format, the anthology film was highly lucrative for independent distributors in the 1980s. The Ribald Tales of Canterbury maximizes this format by ensuring that if a particular vignette’s humor or pacing falters, a completely new set of characters and comedic stakes will arrive within fifteen minutes.
on 35mm film, providing a cinematic scope rarely seen in the genre at the time. Restoration:
A story of revenge involving two students and a dishonest miller. The Wife of Bath: the ribald tales of canterbury 1985 classic full
is a 1985 adult adventure-comedy film that serves as a lavish, "big-budget" interpretation of Geoffrey Chaucer’s classic literature. Directed by
The film replicates the classic story of the foolish, elderly carpenter, his beautiful young wife, and the two young clerks competing for her affections. The narrative retains the famous tropes of the original text, including the fabricated prediction of a second Great Flood used to trick the husband, and the infamous misdirected window kiss, all rendered with the explicit visual standards of 1980s adult cinema. As a structural format, the anthology film was
Many English-language VHS releases in the 1980s and 1990s trimmed the runtime significantly, removing either the explicit erotic sequences or the more extreme elements of toilet humor to secure an 'R' or '18' rating.
However, like many bad movies, it found a second life in the 1990s as a "cult classic." The rise of the internet and file-sharing forums turned the search for the into a Holy Grail quest for fans of "so bad it's good" cinema. Restoration: A story of revenge involving two students
| Feature | Ribald Tales (1985) | Pasolini’s Canterbury Tales (1972) | |--------|---------------------|-------------------------------------| | Format | Animated | Live-action | | Explicit | Hardcore simulated sex | Nudity, sexual situations (not hardcore by modern standards) | | "Classic" status | Cult adult animation | Art house classic (Cannes award) |
Following the narrative framework of the original source text, the movie tracks a traveling party of noblemen and commoners on a pilgrimage. To break the monotony of the long journey, the Hostess (played by Hyapatia Lee) proposes a playful wager: each traveler contributes 20 pence to a prize pouch, and the individual who can tell the most compelling, explicit, and erotic story wins the collective bounty.
Unusual musical numbers are integrated into the narrative, a trait sometimes found in independent genre films of that decade.
"Hark, gentle friend, and lend thine ear— For in the year of our Lord, not so long ago as to be dull, yet far enough to be naughty, a band of lusty pilgrims set forth from the Tabard Inn in Southwark. Their goal: the shrine of Saint Thomas à Becket in Canterbury. Their real goal: to swap tales of such staggering lewdness that even the fleas on their codpieces blushed."