The Ribald Tales of Canterbury " (1985) is often cited by film historians as one of the last major "big budget" adult features shot on 35mm film before the industry almost entirely transitioned to cheaper home video.
Currently unavailable on mainstream platforms. May appear on cult DVD labels (e.g., Vinegar Syndrome, Something Weird Video) or vintage adult streaming sites. Often sold as part of “forgotten golden age” collections.
: Stars as "The Hostess" and a gypsy girl; she also penned the screenplay. Mike Horner : Featured as "The Knight". Colleen Brennan (Sharon Kelly) : Appears as "The Lady of Bath". Peter North The Ribald Tales Of Canterbury -1985- -Classic-
In the vast shadow of Geoffrey Chaucer’s 14th-century masterpiece, The Canterbury Tales, lies a peculiar, forgotten stepchild of the home video era: The Ribald Tales of Canterbury (1985). For decades, this title has languished in the dusty bins of “adult content” and cult obscurity. Yet, to dismiss it as mere pornography is to miss the point entirely. This film is a time capsule—a loving, hilarious, and surprisingly literary attempt to translate Chaucer’s bawdiest stories into a distinctly 1980s visual language.
The 1985 classic of "The Ribald Tales of Canterbury" features a range of tales that showcase Chaucer's mastery of storytelling. Some of the most notable tales include: The Ribald Tales of Canterbury " (1985) is
3. The Woman at the Center The standout performance is the actress playing the Wife of Bath. In 1985 feminist discourse, the Wife of Bath is a radical figure: a woman who has outlived five husbands and craves sovereignty over her own body. This film understands that. Unlike the submissive female archetypes of later 80s adult cinema, the Wife of Bath here is loud, fat, proud, and sexually dominant. She narrates her interlude directly to the camera (breaking the fourth wall) and declares, “I will have my husband both in bed and by the purse.” It is a surprisingly pro-female performance buried in a genre that rarely allowed for complexity.
1. Production Value Over Pixels Unlike the grainy, shot-on-video smut of the late 80s, this film was shot on 35mm celluloid. The sets, while obviously soundstages, are rich with tapestries, faux-stone walls, and genuine wooden mugs. The costumes are surprisingly accurate for a low-budget feature; the Wife of Bath wears a genuine-looking wimple and scarlet hose, signaling her vanity and wealth. This attention to texture gives the film a dreamlike, Playboy-feature quality that modern digital shoots lack. Often sold as part of “forgotten golden age” collections
The Miller’s Tale: The quintessential "ribald" story involving a jealous carpenter, his beautiful wife, and a clever clerk. It’s a comedy of errors involving misdirected kisses and branding irons that remains the centerpiece of any Chaucerian adaptation.
Unlike live-action pornography of the era, the film relied on cartoon absurdity to bypass obscenity laws. By being “just a cartoon,” it could depict acts that live actors couldn’t—or wouldn’t—perform. The animators used a limited cel technique, reusing backgrounds and character walks extensively, but compensated with manic energy and a punk-rock sense of humor.
