The Ribald Tales Of Canterbury 1985 - Classic Best Link

[Retro Review] The Ribald Tales of Canterbury (1985): The Crown Jewel of the Golden Age

If you think you know "classic" cinema, you haven't experienced the 1980s Golden Age of adult film.

There is a specific era in filmmaking history—roughly 1978 to 1986—where production values were high, scripts were taken seriously, and directors were trying to make real movies that just happened to be explicit. In 1985, director Cecil Howard released what many consider the final masterpiece of that era: The Ribald Tales of Canterbury.

It isn’t just a movie; it is a lavish, funny, and beautifully shot adaptation of Chaucer that stands shoulder-to-shoulder with mainstream productions of its time.

Here is why this 1985 classic remains the absolute best of its genre.

2. Cecil Howard’s Direction

Cecil Howard was arguably the most intellectual filmmaker in the industry during the 80s. He didn't just want to titillate; he wanted to entertain. the ribald tales of canterbury 1985 classic best

With Canterbury, Howard went all-in on production value. We are talking:

  • Authentic period costumes.
  • Location shooting (including stunning outdoor scenery).
  • A coherent script with dialogue the actors can actually deliver without cringing.

The film has a pacing and rhythm that mirrors a theatrical release. It creates a world you actually want to inhabit, rather than just a set you want to leave.

3. Plot Summary (Frame Story & Embedded Tales)

Opening – The Tabard Inn, Southwark
A raucous group of pilgrims—including a lusty Miller, a boisterous Wife of Bath, a corrupt Pardoner, a lecherous Friar, a naive Squire, and a cynical Reeve—gather in heavy rain. The innkeeper, Harry Bailly, proposes a storytelling contest: the best tale (i.e., the most arousing) wins a free dinner. Each “tale” is an extended erotic vignette.

The Tales (Order may vary by cut):

  1. The Miller’s Tale (Carpenter & the Scholar)
    A slapstick sex farce: A dumb carpenter is cuckolded by his young wife and a clever scholar. Highlights a “misplaced kiss” gag and a surprise anal encounter. Direct parody of Chaucer’s most famous ribald story.

  2. The Wife of Bath’s Tale
    A boisterous, gap-toothed woman (true to Chaucer) lectures on marital sovereignty. She recounts how she tamed her five husbands through sexual manipulation. The flashback includes group sex and a wedding-night power play.

  3. The Pardoner’s Tale (The Relics Scam)
    The Pardoner—presented as androgynous or effeminate (hinting at Chaucer’s ambiguous sexuality)—sells fake religious relics to a gullible country couple, then “rewards” them with a threesome in exchange for their savings. Darkly comic.

  4. The Friar’s Tale (The Summoner’s Revenge)
    A demonic pact: The Friar helps a corrupt summoner (church court officer) extort sex from villagers. When the summoner tries to cheat a widow, she curses him to hell—literally. The demon’s appearance is played for laughs with cheap special effects (smoke, red lights). [Retro Review] The Ribald Tales of Canterbury (1985):

Climax – The Journey Resumed
The pilgrims, aroused by the stories, pair off along the road. The film ends with a large orgy scene at a roadside grove, framed as the “Parson’s Tale” (though the Parson refuses to participate, in keeping with Chaucer’s virtuous character). Harry Bailly declares the Wife of Bath the winner.

A Literary Lark: Plot and Premise

The film borrows the framing device from Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. A group of weary travelers are making a pilgrimage to Canterbury and decide to pass the time by telling stories. However, unlike Chaucer’s insightful social commentary, the goal here is purely bawdy entertainment.

The narrative structure allows for an anthology format, which was a popular storytelling device in 1980s adult films. It allowed the filmmakers to segment different fantasies and scenarios without needing a singular, cohesive through-line. The film embraces the source material’s reputation for earthiness; after all, Chaucer’s original work was filled with fart jokes, affairs, and lusty characters. The Ribald Tales simply turns the subtext into text.

The script leans heavily into farce. In 1985, the industry had fully embraced the "sex comedy" aesthetic, moving away from the darker, more dramatic tones of the 70s. The dialogue is filled with double entendres, anachronistic gags, and the kind of lighthearted shenanigans that defined the decade. Authentic period costumes