There was a specific sub-genre of "historical romps" in the 80s that has mostly disappeared. This film stands as a primary example of that lost style of adult-themed comedy. Comparing it to the Source Material
The film takes the framing device of Chaucer’s original work—a group of pilgrims traveling to Canterbury Cathedral—and strips away the theological weight in favor of bawdy humor and slapstick. In this version, the pilgrims compete to see who can tell the most scandalous story to pass the time on the road.
The climax of the film—narratively, at least—is not a sex scene. It is a storytelling competition between the Nun and the Pardoner. The Nun (a doe-eyed young woman with braces, which she keeps hidden behind a wimple) tells a pious, boring tale about a saint who turns down a demon’s offer of a magic goat. The pilgrims boo. The Pardoner then tells a wild, incoherent story about a fake relic—a jar containing “the last fart of the Angel Gabriel”—that causes a village to riot. It is absurdist, surreal, and ends with the Pardoner himself laughing so hard he forgets his lines and simply points at the camera and says, “Ah, hell, you get it.” The Ribald Tales Of Canterbury -1985- -Classic-
To call it a “Classic” is to use the term loosely. To call it “Ribald” is an understatement. And to call it a product of 1985 is to understand that 1985 was a very, very weird year. But for those who have seen it—who have heard the Pardoner’s fart joke or watched the Wife of Bath pin a knight to a hay bale—it remains a dirty, beautiful, and oddly sacred text. The tape is probably moldering in a landfill now. But in the hearts of a few dozen Gen-Xers, the pilgrims still ride, telling their filthy tales, laughing all the way to a cathedral that was never there.
The 80s aesthetic is on full display in her performance and appearance. The era favored natural bodies, voluminous hair, and a softer, more romantic lighting style compared to the harsh, high-definition clarity of modern adult content. Lee represents the epitome of this There was a specific sub-genre of "historical romps"
4 out of 5 (bawdy) beavers. Where to watch: Available on grainy VHS rips, obscure “Retro Smut” streaming services, and the occasional boutique Blu-ray release with a commentary track that is funnier than the film itself.
While many view it as a classic, some viewers have noted drawbacks: Source Material Fidelity : While it follows the general framework of the Canterbury Tales , it takes significant creative liberties with the actual stories to fit its explicit genre. In this version, the pilgrims compete to see
It was the summer of 1985, and the world was caught between two eras. The polished synth-pop of MTV was wrestling with the gritty, untamed spirit of midnight cable. In a small, dusty video rental store called "The Reel Joint," nestled between a laundromat and a pawn shop in Schenectady, New York, a single VHS tape sat on the top shelf of the "Adult Classics" section. Its box was worn, its cardboard edges softened by countless sweaty palms. The cover art was a masterpiece of low-budget ambition: a crude but colorful painting of Geoffrey Chaucer—looking suspiciously like a bloated, lecherous Brian Blessed—lifting the skirts of a buxom, modernized Wife of Bath who held a neon-pink boom box. The title arched above them in golden, faux-illuminated manuscript letters: . Below that, in stark white block print: 1985 - CLASSIC - .