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This curiously entertaining movie is a strange idea - combing an aauthentic 14th century setting with bombastic classic rock - yet it all kind of works. In fact, it works really well. The film enjoyed only medium commercial success in the theater, probably due to the terrible previews and the inexplicable use of "We Will Rock You" as the soundtrack to a jousting event. It's too bad, as I was very surprised how well the soundtrack fit its way into the film.

Anyway, A Knight's Tale is actually the first story in Geoffrey Chaucer's "Canterbury Tales," as writer, producer and director Brian Helgeland lets on during the included commentary. Chaucer ends up being one of the characters in the film, the young peasant, William (Heath Ledger). He tries his hand at fooling the nobility that he is a knight, a squire for a true knight that has passed away. So he takes his armor and enters a tournament and, performing well, he is positive that he and his merry men can go all the way.

Of course, during the tournament circuit he encounters the beautiful newcomer Shannyn Sossamon, who isn't that bad of an actress in that Angelina Jolie and Lisa Bonet sort of way. He also has a few run-ins with the most excellent Rufus Sewell, a rich, pompous and dangerous jouster. Helgeland, who also wrote LA Confidential and Payback, and directed the later, improves on his second time out. Even Heath Ledger is proving that he has some talent and could be a big star someday. His elevated diction and period dance skills are a bit wanting, but all that aside, his performance is perfect for the role. The story at the heart of A Knight's Tale itself isn't particularly original, but it hits on all the right notes and is highly enjoyable.

Video: How Does The Disc Look?

Columbia TriStar has put together a fantastic disc, and it starts with this terrific transfer, presented in 2.35;1 anamorphic widescreen. Blacks are perfect, with colors ravishingly crisp as they leap of the screen beautifully. Detail is very impressive, and the sense of three-dimensionality is up there with the best transfers. Shadow delineation is razor sharp with contrast level quite good. I didn't notice any edge enhancement and nary a speck or blemish on the print to be found. This transfer is very close to perfection.

Audio: How Does the Disc Sound?

Moving right along to the spectacular Dolby Digital 5.1 mix, this is a very aggressive track. Weighing in 448 kbps, all 6 channels are pretty much full on the whole way through. Directional effects abound, from near-transparent pans to fabulous front sound stage separation. In chapter 14, Count Adhemar (Sewell) is about to joust with William. The shot starts with an extreme close up of Adhemar's horse's eye and moves out from there, finishing with him shutting his helmet's visor. The mix is amazing here, and a terrific example of excellent separation between music, effects and dialogue. The .1 LFE is no slouch either, with considerable power that can wake the neighbors. And I haven't even mentioned the cool classic rock soundtrack, with many songs getting the full 5.1 treatment. Overall, this track is marvelous.

There is also a French Dolby 2.0 surround dub included, as well as English Closed Captions and English and French subtitles.

Supplements: What Goodies Are There?

Another fine special edition from Columbia, if you sit through all the supplements on this disc, you'll learn more than you ever wanted to know about A Knight's Tale. With over an hour of special features and a commentary to boot, this is a very comprehensive release.

The screen-specific audio commentary features writer, director, and producer Brian Helgeland and actor Paul Bettany. Bettany is annoying, but Helgeland is a wealth of knowledge, offering excellent tidbits and an impressive breadth of film knowledge. He also provides very intelligent analysis and deconstructions of the film's key action scenes, and he is definitely one to keep an eye on.

There are also no less than eleven behind the scenes featurettes. They resemble one long featurette cut up into too many pieces, perhaps only so that the marketing blurbs can proclaim "This disc includes ELEVEN featurettes!!!!" Most of them are under three minutes long and cover just about every aspect of the film, from the historical aspects to modern day production techniques. The highlights focus on working with the horses and a spotlight on Helgeland. All of the featurettes are selectable via a menu, though there is no "Play All" function. The 15-minute HBO First Look special is sort of like an unchopped version of the eleven featurettes, and largely promotional.

Next up is a feature that I usually dread, the deleted scenes. However, most of these six cut segments are actually quite good, and come complete with optional director and editor's introductions. The intro turns into commentary and then back into the live introduction towards the end. An extra cool extra.
Also on this disc is a music video of Robbie Williams and Queen performing "We are the Champions". It's just not the same as the one, the only, Freddie Mercury. Filmographies of the director and main characters are also included.

And finally, we have the theatrical trailers section. Here you can find an anamorphic 5.1 trailer for A Knight's Tale, in the tradition of the "long-actiony-gives-away-everything-loudly-summer-movie" trailer, which, now that I've seen the film, is in fact quite hip. Also in this section is an anamorphic 5.1 trailer for Final Fantasy: The Spirits Within. It's the longer one that's not as fun as the one on the Charlie's Angels disc, but it'll do.

Parting Thoughts