Knight's Tale (DVD)

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Rufus Sewell plays the ignoble noble Count Adhemar with all the relish and flair of that chariot-racing Messala in "Ben-Hur." And like Messala, whose wheels were rigged with illegal spoke-shredding blades, the Count shows up to joust against Will/Ulrich with illegally tipped lances and trademark lances that have a clenched fist on the end. And that little anachronism ought to make "Top Secret!" fans laugh out loud, it looks so similar to the "anal intruder" gag from that film.

"A Knight's Tale" is fun and energetic, though the length works against the energy level at times, and so, frankly, does the repetition of jousting tournaments. It can get a bit old. But in the end, the populist theme and anachronisms save the day. It's a fun and funky romp.

Those of you wondering whether you need to upgrade to the Extended Cut have a tough decision. It would have been interesting to have been a fly on the wall during discussions between the director and Columbia marketing people, because the commentary that Helgeland and Bettany offered for the "Special Edition" release is missing here. So are two deleted scenes, with introductions from Helgeland and his producer—and that's because those deleted scenes were the ones added to make this Extended Cut. Note that they didn't call this the Director's Cut? Perhaps that's because in the intro to one scene, Helgeland tells how he really hated to cut it, while on the other one, he said they took out the introduction to Count Adhemar because it was comic and undercut the kind of menace they were trying to create for him. It's a shame that the intros to these deleted scenes are also missing on the new edition, because Helgeland appeared without a front tooth on them, explaining that Ledger accidentally whacked him in the face with a broom handle while they were trying to demonstrate how a scene should be shot, and that he was the only jousting casualty in the film. Also missing is an insert with production notes, the DVD-Rom screensaver, and filmographies from the first release.

Otherwise, there's the same 11 featurettes (all quite good, if short-short), the same HBO Making-of Special, and a music video of "We Are the Champions" by Robbie Williams and Queen. So there's actually a loss of features on the new release.

Video: For the Extended Cut version, Portuguese has been added on the subtitle options, as was the wording that the film was "Mastered in High Definition." Now, call me a skeptic, but it didn't say Remastered, and I frankly can't tell much of a difference in sharpness or color levels between the Special and Extended Cut editions. The first transfer was pretty darned good, and, for all I know, may have even been a high definition transfer.

Audio: The soundtrack is rockin', with thumping bass and great movement across the front main and center speakers. And what a great collection of tunes! Songs include Bachman-Turner Overdrive's "Takin' Care of Business," Rare Earth's "Get Ready," Thin Lizzy's "The Boy's Are Back in Town," War's "Low Rider," and David Bowie's "Golden Years." Positively medieval, right?

Extras: The 11 featurettes, for those who'd like to know, are: "The Rock Music Scene in 1370," "Sexy Armor & a Rock Band on Tour," "You Never Know What You'll Find in a Czech Prop House," "School of Hard Knocks," "Tournaments—a Cross Between Pro Football and Stock Car Racing," "The Marquee Event," "The World's 1st Sports Promoter," "Stories for the People," "The Rules of Love," "Heath Ledger Profile," and "A Director's Quest."

Bottom Line: This edition seems all about the addition of those two deleted scenes, neither of which, inserted, makes much of a difference. And only one of those scenes was regretfully cut by the director. If you don't already own "A Knight's Tale," this fun movie is worth adding to your collection. But if you've got the Special Edition, I see no reason to upgrade to the Extended Cut. "A Knight's Tale" is fresh and entertaining, but at 132 minutes it was already dragging a bit. Adding 12 minutes doesn't help.

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