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The premise remains faithful to the spirit of the original The Canterbury Tales : a group of travelers en route to Canterbury engage in a storytelling contest to pass the time. However, in this version, the "Hostess" (played by Hyapatia Lee) proposes a wager where each traveler chips in 20 pence, with the best erotic tale winning the pot.
4.5/5
In the mid-80s, adult films still attempted narrative and satire. The Ribald Tales of Canterbury is a low-budget example of the “literary porno” subgenre (others: Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical , The Little French Maid ). Its cult status comes from sheer audacity—combining high school English class with smut.
The standout performance is the actress playing the Wife of Bath. In 1985 feminist discourse, the Wife of Bath is a radical figure: a woman who has outlived five husbands and craves sovereignty over her own body. This film understands that. Unlike the submissive female archetypes of later 80s adult cinema, the Wife of Bath here is loud, fat, proud, and sexually dominant. She narrates her interlude directly to the camera (breaking the fourth wall) and declares, “I will have my husband both in bed and by the purse.” It is a surprisingly pro-female performance buried in a genre that rarely allowed for complexity.
Most adult films treat plot as a necessary annoyance. Ribald Tales treats the plot as the main event. One segment, a direct parody of The Miller’s Tale (the story of the carpenter, his young wife, and the clerk Absolon), plays out as pure farce. The infamous scene involving a “kiss” through a window—which in Chaucer involves a bare backside—is translated to screen with a slapstick timing that Buster Keaton would appreciate. The actors commit to the physical comedy before the physical intimacy, making the explicitness feel like the punchline to a very old joke.
For collectors of classic adult cinema, scholars of intertextual parody, and fans of pre-internet erotic humor, The Ribald Tales of Canterbury is not just a film; it is a hilarious, costumed, and unapologetically smutty piece of art.
Would you like to know more about Chaucer's Canterbury Tales or this film in particular?
The premise remains faithful to the spirit of the original The Canterbury Tales : a group of travelers en route to Canterbury engage in a storytelling contest to pass the time. However, in this version, the "Hostess" (played by Hyapatia Lee) proposes a wager where each traveler chips in 20 pence, with the best erotic tale winning the pot.
4.5/5
In the mid-80s, adult films still attempted narrative and satire. The Ribald Tales of Canterbury is a low-budget example of the “literary porno” subgenre (others: Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical , The Little French Maid ). Its cult status comes from sheer audacity—combining high school English class with smut. The Ribald Tales Of Canterbury -1985- -Classic-
The standout performance is the actress playing the Wife of Bath. In 1985 feminist discourse, the Wife of Bath is a radical figure: a woman who has outlived five husbands and craves sovereignty over her own body. This film understands that. Unlike the submissive female archetypes of later 80s adult cinema, the Wife of Bath here is loud, fat, proud, and sexually dominant. She narrates her interlude directly to the camera (breaking the fourth wall) and declares, “I will have my husband both in bed and by the purse.” It is a surprisingly pro-female performance buried in a genre that rarely allowed for complexity. The premise remains faithful to the spirit of
Most adult films treat plot as a necessary annoyance. Ribald Tales treats the plot as the main event. One segment, a direct parody of The Miller’s Tale (the story of the carpenter, his young wife, and the clerk Absolon), plays out as pure farce. The infamous scene involving a “kiss” through a window—which in Chaucer involves a bare backside—is translated to screen with a slapstick timing that Buster Keaton would appreciate. The actors commit to the physical comedy before the physical intimacy, making the explicitness feel like the punchline to a very old joke. The Ribald Tales of Canterbury is a low-budget
For collectors of classic adult cinema, scholars of intertextual parody, and fans of pre-internet erotic humor, The Ribald Tales of Canterbury is not just a film; it is a hilarious, costumed, and unapologetically smutty piece of art.
Would you like to know more about Chaucer's Canterbury Tales or this film in particular?
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