A Knight’s Tale was on TV this evening, so I thought I’d watch it - not so much for the movie as a whole, but because various assorted performances and pieces within it are enjoyable.
But I was reminded of a detail that puzzles me every time I watch the movie - in the final jousting scene, William, somewhat inexplicably, yelling his own name, faces Count Adhemar and unhorses him in the jousting - Adhemar tumbles backward off his horse, landing face-up, minus his helmet, and for some reason floating or suspended a foot off the ground, then the camera switches to his view and William’s entourage appear one by one, looking down to deliver his own catchphrase back to him.
Then immediately afterward, we’re back to William and Adhemar charging at one another on horseback, William again yelling his own name; William unhorses Adhemar and he tumbles in a slightly different way, landing face-down in the sand, helmet still on. The crowd goes wild.
We clearly aren’t supposed to think these are two separate jousting charges, because being unhorsed loses you the contest; Adhemar is down, William is victorious. So what’s occurring here? Did they just film two different variations, then decide they were both too good to leave out? Is the first one supposed to be a dream sequence? I’m not sure if I am questioning the story or the production.
This is exactly right. It’s an impressionistic representation of the villain’s realization of his failure, because otherwise the contact-and-fall of the realistic joust would be fast and dramatically unsatisfying. This stretches it out for added audience enjoyment.
The fact that the fall itself is inconsistent between shots is immaterial. Lots of movies stitch together conflicting takes for aesthetic effect. One that leaps immediately to mind is the coffee cup crashing to the floor three different ways at the end of The Usual Suspects.
Movies are movies and operate by movie rules. That’s all it is.
My friend, dramatic licence allows for linear gaps and discontinuity. Plus this way we get to see the baddie get hit twice! Ha! POW! Smugly told off. Rewind, replay, POW!
I’m a simple man.
ETA: Also Adhemar NEEDS to be unhelmeted for long drawn out snark-fest to work. It would not be as juicy/cathartic if he was still masked with his powerful and intimidating helmet hiding his truly confused/scared face.
That said, the fact that, after that moment, the film seems to “back up” to the moment of contact, might be a bit confusing (as it apparently was to the OP), but from a filmmaking standpoint, was likely put in there to remind viewers of what had just happened.
Thanks - yeah, that makes sense. I suppose I sort of got it, but the scene seemed a bit too literal (William et al appearing from the side of frame rather than floating heads as for example the family members insulting Kevin in Home Alone).
The bright crossfade should have tipped me off. I missed that.
In the movie (which I think we can assume does not perfectly reflect history) it is stated as:
A match is three lances.
One point is given for breaking a lance between the waist and neck.
Two points for breaking on the helmet. It’s difficult - the helmet sweeps back. Most blows glance off.
Three points for bearing a rider to the ground.
Also, if you bear a rider to the ground, you win his horse.
I wonder what happens in that system where, in the first two lances, the black knight breaks a lance on the white knight’s helmet, then in the third lance, the white knight bears the black knight to the ground. Black knight: 4, white knight: 3-and-a-horse. Who is the winner?
You would have seen on the ensuing morning, Monday, squires and varlets in different parts of London, furbishing and making ready armour and horses for their masters who were to engage in the joust. In the afternoon, king Richard entered Smithfield magnificently accompanied by dukes, lords, and knights, for he was chief of the tenants of the lists. The queen took her station as on the preceding day, with her ladies, in the apartments that had been prepared for her. The count d’Ostrevant came next, with a large company of knights and squires fully armed for tilting; then the count de Saint Pol and the knights from France.
The tournament now began, and every one exerted himself to the utmost to excel: many were unhorsed, and more lost their helmets
If the white knight is still able to compete after not one, but two lance-shattering blows right in the face, he’s clearly a cheating superhuman, and doesn’t deserve to win.
