The Ribald - Tales Of Canterbury 1985 Classic [best]

XI. Aftermath: The Morning Light

The film's framing device is deceptively simple. A group of noblemen and women are journeying across the picturesque British countryside en route to the holy city of Canterbury. To alleviate the boredom of the long road, the alluring "Hostess" (played by Hyapatia Lee) proposes a risque wager: each traveler will place a sum of twenty pence into a small pouch, and the one who can recount the most erotic tale upon reaching their destination will win the entire pot.

III. The Salty Mariner

At the king’s-head tavern, an oaken board bore a chalked list. Not a list of horses or cockfocks but of names—names of people nobody would expect to see enlisted: a country curate, a retired seaman with a crooked gold tooth, a seamstress who could mend any scandal as neatly as a hem, a young man who’d just returned from London with a city-sour mouth and a new appetite. For a crown, or merely for pride, each agreed to tell the crowd, in the manner of Chaucer turned sharp to modern edge, a ribald tale: bawdy, honest, sometimes cruel, always human.

The premise of the film closely mirrors the framing device of the original Chaucer tales. A group of travelers, adorned in period-appropriate attire, are making a journey to Canterbury. To alleviate the boredom of the long road, they decide to engage in a contest. the ribald tales of canterbury 1985 classic

Set in the 15th-century English countryside, the film follows a group of noblemen and women on a pilgrimage to Canterbury. To pass the time, the travelers engage in a contest proposed by their hostess: each puts 20 pence into a pouch, with the winner being whoever can tell the most erotic and "ribald" tale.

What elevates it above pure pornography is the wit of the background gags. In one scene, as the Friar tells his tale, a carving of a griffin on a wooden beam turns its head to watch. In another, a dog in the corner of an inn is drawn explicitly humping a table leg while the pilgrims ignore it. These small, deliberate details reward repeat viewings. To alleviate the boredom of the long road,

[The Pilgrimage] ➔ [The 20-Pence Wager] ➔ [The Anthological Tales] ➔ [The Winner]

—

A story involving a mother and daughter’s encounter with two students. The Gypsy and the Devil: