This award-winning animated version of the Tales is a winsome telling of Chaucer's story. A series of acclaimed English actors voice Chaucer's pilgrims, including the hilarious Bill Nighy as the Merchant. It was nominated for an Academy Award for best short film, and it won a bunch of prizes in Britain.
This live-action BBC miniseries recasts the Tales in a modern setting. The six episodes tell the tales from the Miller, the Wife of Bath, the Knight, the Sea Captain, the Pardoner, and the Man of Law. A great cast and clever dialogue bring Chaucer's story to life, a mere 600 years later.
The late, great Heath Ledger starred in this film version of Chaucer's "The Knight's Tale." It's a loose adaptation of the Canterbury Tales story, with an emphasis on loose - don't watch this instead of reading the book. Still, it's fun to watch - and to imagine that everyone in the Middle Ages was as hot as Heath Ledger or Shannyn Sossamon.
This documentary focuses on Geoffrey Chaucer and the world he lived in. It's a fascinating look into the Middle Ages, as well as the complex world of royal politics and patronage in which Chaucer moved.
This is the film version of poet T.S. Eliot's play about the murder of Thomas Becket. Becket's assassination does not actually appear in Chaucer's poem, but his shrine is the central focus of the pilgrim's trip. Fun fact: T.S. Eliot provides the off-screen voice of the Fourth Tempter.
King Edward II was the father of King Edward III, the first king whom Chaucer served. This film is based on Christopher Marlowe's 1592 play about the monarch. It focuses on Edward II's rumored homosexuality and his affair with advisor Piers Gaveston. It offers a period look at Chaucer's era.