A Canterbury Tale

Set amid the tumult of the Second World War, the film follows three modern-day incarnations of Chaucer’s pilgrims – a melancholy ‘landgirl’, a plainspoken American GI, and a resourceful British sergeant – who are waylaid in the English countryside en route to the mythical town.

Forced to solve a bizarre village crime, the film builds to a majestic climax that ranks as one of the filmmaking duo’s finest achievements.

Short: 'The Grasshopper and the Ant', Lotte Reiniger, 1954, 9 mins

A grasshopper tries to get all his fellow creatures to dance to his music, but the ant would rather stock up for the winter. When winter comes, who had the better idea?

Image above: Detail from 'A Canterbury Tale'. Credit Carlton / source BFI