The Canterbury Tales - The Nun's Priest's Tale |
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Last Update: 03 May 2000 (You need a browser capable of viewing tables to see this page properly) |
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Six of Chaucer's Canterbury Tales were made into animated films for the BBC by a team that has won awards for its animated adaptations of Shakespeare. Seven directors from Russia, England and Wales collaborated on the project, and a scriptwriter from the UK TV series The Bill was brought in to give Chaucer a modern appeal. A cast of well-known names provided the English voice-overs for the characters, including Sean Bean as the Nun's Priest and Billie Whitelaw as the Wife of Bath. The programs - two of half an hour each - were also broadcast in Welsh and in Middle English with subtitles. The series was aimed primarily at 10- to 14-year-olds. The team's animated Shakespeare has proved a successful teaching aid in secondary schools. Chris Grace, executive producer of the programme with the Welsh channel S4C, said he hoped the new adaptations would open up Chaucer's works to a wider audience, making them as accessible as they were in the 14th century. "This isn't Disney, it's a completely different medium. We have worked with talented animators in Russia, where animation became very sophisticated during the Soviet era." Each tale was animated by a different director. "Several use three-dimensional models, like Wallace and Gromit, although it's ultimately nothing like that." The six Canterbury Tales which were animated were The Nun's Priest's, The Wife of Bath's, The Knight's, The Merchant's, The Pardoner's and The Franklin's. The two half hour films, which took three years to produce at a cost of £1.5 million, were broadcast by the BBC in December 1998. This radical and fresh approach to a much-studied but sometimes daunting classic recreates the journey to Canterbury Cathedral in the heart of the English countryside. In a sometimes contemporary, sometimes street-English script, the tale-telling pilgrims are brought to life as much as the characters from the tales, with every speech taken from Chaucer's original but reordered into a filmic structure that Chaucer himself could never have envisioned. Click here to view The Nun's Priest's Tale on the BBC website (requires Real Video). |
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The Canterbury Tales has been honoured with the following awards: Best Animation (Penelope Middelboe) Outstanding Individual Achievement in
Animation Animated Epics: The Canterbury Tales:
Leaving London • Wife of Bath's Tale. • Animated Epics: The Canterbury Tales:
Leaving London • Wife of Bath's Tale. • Best Short Animated Film
The Canterbury Tales was also nominated for an Academy Award in the Short Film - Animated category See the Oscars website at http://www.oscars.com and the Canterbury Tales Oscar Nominee
page at: Congratulations to everyone involved in the production of The Canterbury Tales! |
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The Nun's Priest The Nun's Priest tells the story of a rooster, hen and fox - Chaunticleer, Lady Pertelote, and Daun Russel, respectively. Chaunticleer and Pertelote discuss whether or not the rooster should fear his dreams. Chaunticleer recounts a dream he had involving a beast that looked and acted like a fox. Pertelote tells him that dreams have no meaning, and that he should take a laxative. Chaunticleer presses on, telling several stories that seem to affect Pertelote. Thinking that perhaps he was too harsh, Chaunticleer compliments Pertelote on her appearance, telling her, "Woman is man's sole joy and bliss." The Nun's Priest then moves to Daun Russel,
the fox. Following a butterfly, Chaunticleer notices the fox.
Before the rooster has a chance to run, the fox begins to flatter
Chaunticleer, telling him that he only wants to hear him sing.
Displaying vanity at its strongest, the rooster breaks into song,
at which time Daun Russel grabs Chaunticleer by the neck and
begins to run. With |
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THE VOICES: The Canterbury Tales - Part 1 Leaving London (Modern English) The Nun's Priest Tale The Knights Tale The Wife of Bath's Tale |
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Robert Lindsay |
Harry Bailey The Nun's Priest The Knight The Wife of Bath The Merchant The Pardoner Saturn The Prioress The Miller The Squire Chanticleer Pertelote The Summoner The Hag The Friar The Cook Venus |
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| PRODUCTION CREDITS: | |
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Executive Producer |
Chris Grace S4C (Welsh Television) / BBC The Pilgrims - Christmas Films, Moscow |
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Produced in Cardiff, London & Moscow by Christmas Films, Beryl Productions aka Pizazz & Right Angle for S4C in association with NNC Wales and Home Box Office. UK Series Transmission Date ..December 21, 22, 23, 1998 (BBC2) |
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