A Knight's Tale (2001) on Netflix
PG-1320012h 12mActionAdventureRomance
In 14th-century Europe, squire William Thatcher takes up his dead master's armor mid-tournament. Only nobles may compete, so a destitute writer forges him a patent of nobility.
- Netflix3.8/5
- IMDb7.0/10222,902 votes
- Rotten Tomatoes59%
Trailer
Plot summary
William Thatcher, Roland and Wat are squires to the knight Sir Ector, who dies of dysentery during a tournament with one pass still to ride. Destitute and hungry, William puts on Sir Ector's armor, finishes the match and collects the prize. Though tournaments are open only to nobles, he wants more of them, and he persuades his reluctant friends to stay and train him. On the road the three meet Geoffrey Chaucer, a writer with gambling debts who agrees to forge papers of noble genealogy. Under that name William enters the lists, goads Kate, a blacksmith, into repairing his ruined armor on credit, and draws the notice of Jocelyn and of his rival, Count Adhemar of Anjou.
Cast
- Leagh Conwellas Young William Thatcher
Show all 20 cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about A Knight's Tale (2001)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Newsweek revealed in June 2001 that print ads for at least four Columbia Pictures films, including A Knight's Tale, carried glowing comments from a film reviewer who did not exist. The fake critic, David Manning, was created by a Columbia employee in the advertising department.
- Lances were built to explode convincingly on impact without injuring the stunt riders: the body of each one was scored so it would break easily, the tips were made of balsa wood, and each was hollowed out and filled with balsa splinters and uncooked linguine.
- The film was shot entirely on location in the Czech Republic at Barrandov Studios in Prague during the summer of 2000, and it was there that Heath Ledger met Heather Graham while she was filming From Hell nearby.
- The film's VHS release was delayed by three days, from September 25 to September 28, 2001, when Sony took down a Spider-Man teaser trailer that was recalled because of the September 11 attacks.
- A musical adaptation of the movie had its world premiere at the Manchester Opera House on 11 April 2025, and the limited run ended on 10 May 2025 with a transfer to the West End anticipated at a later date.
