A Knight's Tale - 2001

Plot: After his master dies, a peasant squire, fueled by his desire for food and glory, creates a new identity for himself as a knight.

Story: Inspired by "The Canterbury Tales," as well as the story of Ulrich von Lichtenstein, this is the story of William, a young squire with a gift for jousting. After his master dies suddenly, the squire hits the road with his cohorts Roland and Wat. On the journey, they stumble across an unknown writer, Chaucer. William, lacking a proper pedigree, convinces Chaucer to forge genealogy documents that will pass him off as a knight. With his newly-minted history in hand, the young man sets out to prove himself a worthy knight at the country's jousting competition, and finds romance along the way.

Did you know: When first introducing Sir Ulrich at the joust we hear Chaucer (Bettany) make a point of including the lower classes attending the tournament by saying "And everyone else here not sitting on a cushion". This is a reference to The Beatles' Royal Commend performance in 1963 when John Lennon introduced the last song by saying "The people in the cheaper seats clap your hands. And the rest of you, if you'd just rattle your jewelry".