The murmur of the crowd hits you first, a rowdy bunch eager for the competition. You draw closer, and the smells fill your nose. The burnt scent of the mutton barely masks the musty odor of the horses, who bake in the heat under the ceremonial blankets they sport. And, just as the jousters ready their lances, the opening drum beats of Queen’s “”We Will Rock You”” rises up from the crowd, their feet stomping in rhythm. Welcome to Brian Helgeland’s visionary “”A Knight’s Tale.””
The knight in question, to a certain extent, is William Thatcher (Heath Ledger), a poor squire to an actual knight who borrows his recently deceased master’s identity to compete in a series of jousting tournaments. A natural talent, William goes on a winning streak, drawing the eyes of ruthless competitor Count Adhemar (Rufus Sewell) and fair maiden Jocelyn (newcomer Shannyn Sossamon). With the help of fellow squires Roland (Mark Addy) and Watt (Alan Tudyk), as well as the unexpected presence of wordsmith Geoffery Chaucer (Paul Bettany), William intends to snatch up the gauntlet thrown by Adhemar and win Jocelyn’s hand.Jousting doesn’t pack as much of a punch as, say, boxing, basketball or football, though “”Knight’s Tale”” still manages to borrow “”Rocky””-style cliches from various sports-hero dramas. The cast, cut from the MTV mold, perfectly fit the film’s flashy style and Bettany positively steals the show as the boisterous Chaucer. From it’s opening scenes, writer/director Helgeland’s “”A Knight’s Tale”” lets us know we should prepare for something different. His screenplay seamlessly blends the king’s Olde English with modern slang, as grungy classic rock chords grind in the background. When these modern touches shift to the foreground, as when William, Jocelyn and others begin dancing to David Bowie’s “”Golden Years,”” the film take on a surreal fantasy quality that’s energetic, original and enormous fun. Final Grade: BTHE EXTRASFor the “”A Knight’s Tale: Special Edition”” DVD, Columbia TriStar Home Video recruited Helgeland for various extras, including a feature-length audio commentary (that includes Bettany) and for introductions to a number of deleted scenes. Odd note: Helgeland, on the DVD, is missing several teeth due to a lance accident he suffered filming “”Tale.”” He had yet to go for dental surgery, so he’s sporting a gaping hole in his mouth during all of his video commentary segments. Talk about a labor of love.CTHV also has included 11 short Behind the Scenes features, an HBO “”Making Of”” featurette, a “”We Are the Champions”” music video that swaps Robbie Williams with Freddie Mercury (it’s just not the same), and assorted promotional pieces, production notes, filmographies and more.Final Grade: B