If you approach it expecting the eroticism of Fritz the Cat or the philosophical weight of Wizards , you will be disappointed. But if you want to experience a bizarre artifact of the Reagan era, where medieval literature was filtered through the lens of pornographic puns, cheap animation cels, and synthesizers, then the search for is a journey worth taking.
This article unpacks the history, the artistic merit, the controversy, and the legacy of this X-rated animated feature. Loosely—very loosely—based on Geoffrey Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales (1392), the 1985 film jettisons the religious allegory and social satire of the original in favor of bawdy slapstick, nudity, and sexual farce. The plot skeleton remains recognizable: A group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral to see the shrine of Thomas Becket decide to pass the time by telling stories. the ribald tales of canterbury 1985 classic full
However, in this version, the "tales" are essentially soft-core vignettes animated in the style of a Saturday morning cartoon—only featuring characters engaging in acts that would make a network censor faint. If you approach it expecting the eroticism of
The framing device is led by a lascivious innkeeper and a Miller who literally cannot keep his clothes on. The pilgrims include a lecherous knight, a "Wife of Bath" who is more 1980s glamour model than medieval matron, a Pardoner selling sexual favors instead of indulgences, and a Nun who has broken more vows than she can count. To understand The Ribald Tales of Canterbury , one must understand the context of 1985. This was the golden era of the "adult cartoon" boom—spearheaded by Ralph Bakshi ( Fritz the Cat , Heavy Traffic ) and quickly capitalized upon by lower-budget studios. While Bakshi pushed for mature, dramatic stories, studios like Alternative Films and The Camera One Workshop (the distributors of this print) focused on the "sexploitation" angle. The framing device is led by a lascivious