A Knight's Tale [Special Edition]

Director: Brian Helgeland Brian Helgeland

Overview

"Brian Helgeland rocked the medieval world with this knightly tale that combined jousting and romance with a modern music score. Presented in Anamorphic widescreen and Dolby Digital 5.1 audio, this DVD captures the snap, crackle, and pop of each lancing blow. The story of a squire ""changing his stars"" by impersonating a nobleman so he could compete in tournaments was one that brewed in Helgeland's head for a number of years before he finally put it to paper in one month's time. His years of research then allowed him to do the unlikely -- give tiny, enhancing details to a big-scale film. These facts and more can be found on the DVD, a disc that not only provides great insight into Helgeland's method and process, but allows fans to take a closer look at one of the things that made this such an entertaining film: the action and jousting sequences. (Who imagined there was pasta inside those lances to make them splinter especially well?) Features include commentary by Helgeland and his good friend, the oft-naked Paul Bettany, as well as 11 behind-the-scenes featurettes, six deleted scenes with the filmmaker's introduction (check out the one with Chaucer's wife), an HBO ""making of"" special, Queen and Robbie Williams' ""We Are the Champions"" video, filmographies, and theatrical trailers for A Knight's Tale and Final Fantasy."

Product Details

Release Date:	06/04/2002
UPC:	0043396061439
Original Release:	2001
Rating:	PG-13
Source:	SONY PICTURES HOME ENTERTAINMT
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:12:00
Sales rank:	6,090

Special Features

Digitally mastered audio & anamorphic video; Widescreen presentation; Audio: English 5.1 (Dolby Digital), French; Subtitles: English, French; Brian Helgeland and Paul Bettany commentary; HBO making-of special; 11 behind-the-scenes featurettes; Deleted scenes with filmmaker's intros; Music video; Website link; Theatrical trailers; Filmographies; Animated menus; Production notes; Scene selections; DVD-ROM includes exclusive "Knight's Tale" 3-D screensaver

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Heath Ledger	William
Rufus Sewell	Count Adhemar
Shannyn Sossamon	Jocelyn,Actor
Paul Bettany	Chaucer
Mark Addy	Roland
Alan Tudyk	Wat
Scott Handy	Germaine
James Purefoy	Edward, the Black Prince
Leagh Conwell	Young William
Christopher Cazenove	John Thatcher
Steve O'Donnell	Simon,Actor
Jonathan Slinger	Peter
Nick Brimble	Sir Ector
Laura Fraser	Kate
Karel Dobry	Flanders King of Arms
Philip Lenkowsky	Rouen King of Arms
Roger Ashton-Griffiths	Old Bishop
Petr Meissel	Sword Official
Mathew Mills	Colville's Herald,Colville's Herald
Daniel Rous	Local Earl Lagny
Vladimir Kulhavy	Fence
Miroslav Mokos	French Squire
Noel Le Bon	French Squire
Scott Bellefeuille	French Squire
David Schneider	Relic Seller
Rudolf Kubik	Paris Master of Arms
David Fisher	London Master of Arms
David Sterne	Retired Knight
Alice Connor	Lone Girl
Alice Vese	Spy
Berwick Kaler	Man in Stocks
Howie Lotker	Lagny Master at Arms,Lagny Master at Arms
Jan Kuzelka	Smithee
Vaclav Krejci	Smithee
Bérénice Bejo	Christiana
Jan Nemejovsky	Smithee
Vladimír Kulhavý	Fence
Rudolf Kubík	Paris Master of Arms
Václav Krejcí	Smithee
Jakob Schwarz	Blackbird Knight
Václav Krej¿í	Smithee
Karel Dobrý	Flanders King of Arms
Scott Bellefeville	French Squire
Alice Bendová	Spy
Jan Nemejovský	Smithee
Olivia Williams	Philippa Chaucer
Carter Burwell	Composer

Technical Credits

Brian Helgeland

Brian Helgeland	Director,Screenwriter,Producer
Todd Black	Producer
Tim Burke	Special Effects
Terry Glass	Special Effects
Allan Graf	Stunts
Francine Maisler	Casting
Tim Van Rellim	Producer
Patrice Cossonneau	Stunts
Bill W. Benton	Sound Effects
Keith Bilderbeck	Sound Effects
Lane Burch	Sound Effects
Tomas Cervenka	Sound Effects
Linda Di Franco	Sound Effects

Scene Index

	Introduction	vii
	The Shooting Script	1
	The Color Photographs	84
	Credits	129

Editorial Reviews

The summer of 2001 saw the birth of an unusual new hybrid -- the period film featuring modern-day music, ideas, and catch phrases. In both instances (director Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge [2001] and this medieval fantasy from writer/director Brian Helgeland), the device works. That's probably because both filmmakers fought the powers that be to make it so, relying on the courage of their convictions that they could make it as giddily cool as they envisioned it being. Cool it is, especially in the case of Helgeland's fun-filled frolic, a goofball mishmash of influences ranging from Braveheart (1995) to baseball, Rob Roy (1995) to the rock & roll of AM radio in the 1970s. Sure, the sudden, jarring appearance of "the wave" during a jousting tournament or David Bowie's "Golden Years" during a medieval ball requires some rewiring of one's mental circuitry, and there will be those who can't make the required intellectual leap. There may even be many who don't want to spend a feature-length film's running time with their disbelief fully disengaged. What's groundbreaking or fresh in art or entertainment, however, is often pleasing to those expecting the status quo. It's also often a trail mix of familiar elements jumbled into an inventive new combination, and A Knight's Tale meets that basic requirement. Performances here are not really the point, but Heath Ledger, newcomer Shannyn Sossamon, and the glowering Rufus Sewell are perfectly acceptable, cheekbone-blessed leads. The real standout here is Paul Bettany as the naked, addictive, and fiendishly talented Geoffrey Chaucer, a mirthfully kick-in-the-pants comic character similar to the one that made Rhys Ifans a minor star after Notting Hill (1999). Embracing anachronism is an artistic philosophy that isn't likely to work in most cases, and it will doubtlessly be imitated endlessly, and disastrously so. In 2001, however, it was the "new thing" in Hollywood cinema and an enjoyable development in a summer of particularly boring junk.

Purists be damned. You won't be able to wipe the grin off your face. —Rolling Stone

Peter Travers

Adult/High School-Heartthrob Heath Ledger staring grimly from the book's cover, along with the promise of a 24-page photo album within, will insure the popularity of this selection about the popular movie. Those who actually read more than the captions will find an amusing fairy tale of a fearless peasant pretending to be a noble in order to compete in tournaments. The introduction by the film's screenwriter and director provides an interesting story of its conception, and the changes made in the script as it was shot and edited. Film students will pay special attention to the differences between the film released in theaters and the shooting script itself. An entertaining addition to the library shelves.-Jane S. Drabkin, Chinn Park Regional Library, Prince William, VA Copyright 2001 Cahners Business Information.

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