The: Ribald Tales Of Canterbury 1985 Classic Full

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.

Just remember: Unlike the pilgrims in the story, you do not have to tell a tale to get to the end. You just have to survive it. the ribald tales of canterbury 1985 classic full, adult animation 1985, cult classic Canterbury, X-rated cartoons 80s, John Seeman animation, lost adult films. the ribald tales of canterbury 1985 classic full

Character designs are exaggerated to the point of caricature: men have jutting chins and hooked noses; women have impossibly narrow waists, ballooning chests, and eyelashes that seem to have a life of their own. The backgrounds, however, are surprisingly beautiful. The scenes of the Canterbury countryside—rolling green hills, ancient stone roads, misty abbeys—are rendered in a soft, pastel watercolor style that clashes gloriously with the crass, ink-pen characters moving across them. Upon its release in 1985, The Ribald Tales of Canterbury was not a hit. It played in a handful of drive-in theaters and "adult only" cinemas before disappearing into the VHS netherworld. Critics despised it. The Los Angeles Times called it "a depraved slog through the worst impulses of low-budget animation," while Variety famously wrote: "Chaucer is rolling in his grave. So might you, from laughter or nausea—it’s a coin toss." If you approach it expecting the eroticism of

However, like many bad movies, it found a second life in the 1990s as a "cult classic." The rise of the internet and file-sharing forums turned the search for the into a Holy Grail quest for fans of "so bad it's good" cinema. You just have to survive it

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.

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.