Every now and again, something catches me off guard.

About 3 weeks ago, I received a phone message on my machine from a producer named Todd Black, saying something to the degree that Brian Helgeland was requesting that I come visit the set of A KNIGHT’S TALE in Prague, Czech Republic.

A KNIGHT’S TALE? All I have heard about that film was that Heath Ledger was in it and that Brian Helgeland had written it and was directing it. He's the fella responsible for writing L.A. CONFIDENTIAL and writing and directing PAYBACK (but that story is complicated). He's someone to watch, but first I needed to know more.

Well, before I returned that call, there was research to be had. So I went to the extended search area of the site, typed in “A Knight’s Tale” with the quotation marks, and up popped a list of seven updates that held information about the film.

The first four were all Elston Gunn info from WEEKLY RECAPS... here they fall:

* Brian Helgeland will direct his script A KNIGHT'S TALE for Sony. The story follows a peasant who loves to joust, but knows he'll never wear armor. When his master dies, he assumes the identity of the dead knight and gets Chaucer to help him forge his genealogy papers (as Chaucer has fallen on hard times before THE CANTERBURY TALES.)

* Heath Ledger may star in A KNIGHT'S TALE for writer/director Brian Helgeland and Columbia Pictures about a peasant who becomes a knight by stealing his master's identity after his untimely demise.

* Stax Flixburg has some script reviews of A KNIGHT'S TALE and GET CARTER over at FLIXBURG!

* Todd Black will be producing A KNIGHT'S TALE with Brian Helgeland directing his own script. Heath Ledger stars as a jouster.

At this point I decided to check out Stax’s script review to see what he thought (Click here to read his take on the script)

Much to my disappointment, I found a review of A KNIGHT’S TALE that was quite lackluster. Not the review itself, but rather Stax’s disappointment in Helgeland’s script. This meant that I would need to read the script before agreeing to visit this set in far off Prague or talking with this Todd Black fellow.

So I contacted the librarian at the AICN Script Vault, Mr. Rio, and said... Could you send me one A KNIGHT’S TALE please? Within a flash, it was here at my house. (amazing, sometimes flashes can last 48 hours, but I didn’t notice... it was real fast)

I sat down and read the script through. Now... I don’t know Stax’s personal taste all that much, nor his background. But in the realm of fantasy and knights in armor and jousting and beggars and peasants and thieves and such.... Well, I spent about 8 years working at TEXAS RENAISSANCE FAIR outside of Magnolia, Texas... in the Houston area.

My first job was locking up people I caught wearing purple or gold (the king’s colors) in the stocks.... I would then offer to beat them with a wooden sword if someone paid me, and I would only stop if someone else paid me. For a 5 year old, this was an excellent way to earn a living. Beating adults in stockades while belittling them... so my first job could be classified as a Paid Sadist. Hmmmm....

In the following years, I apprenticed with the Royal Falconer John, who would have me bring him great birds upon my tiny arm. I carried a Golden Eagle, nearly the size of me at the time, and red tailed falcons and a Raven that was trained to open a mechanical wooden safe. Then I worked for the Bellydancing troupe, helping them into costumes, and bringing a sword out on stage, I would be a sight gag. Cute little kid having big breasted women shake their boobies around my head while I balanced the sword upon my noggin. I gave that job up to be a magician’s apprentice and to play juvenile roles in the Shakespeare group. Mainly the Magician’s Apprentice... which I did for about 4 years, learning tricks, being levitated and stabbed and part of the patter.

As a result of attending countless jousts and mud battles, and prancing in royal parades as the King’s adopted prince.... I love this period.

In addition, my parents fueled my fanaticism by showing me THE ADVENTURES OF ROBIN HOOD, THE BLACK SWAN, all versions of THE THREE MUSKETEERS, THE ADVENTURES OF DON JUAN, THE KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE, IVANHOE, EXCALIBUR, THE DUELLISTS, etc... As well as giving me all the ARTHUR LEGEND books, CANTERBURY TALES, CRUSADES, etc to read.

I was a regular Texan in King Arthur’s Court.

Also when Stax was doing his intro into the review he wrote:

A KNIGHT'S TALE is a whimsical, medieval romantic-adventure movie; it is purely escapist fare. Don't expect to see much of the drudgery and horror of life in fourteenth century Western Europe depicted in this colorful romp. As a medieval adventure film, A KNIGHT'S TALE is not going to topple EXCALIBUR and as a period comedy it won't rival MONTHY PYTHON AND THE HOLY GRAIL.

And in the whole piece, he references films like EVER AFTER, CINDERELLA and THE KARATE KID. But nowhere does he speak of PRINCE VALIANT or IVANHOE or KNIGHTS OF THE ROUND TABLE... The three foremost staples of the Knights in Joust style films. Heck, PRINCE VALIANT even has a squire attempting to impersonate his knight, Sir Gawain so that he can win the hand of Janet Leigh back in 1954.

In all due respect to Stax, no review of A KNIGHT’S TALE can be complete without mentioning Prince Valiant, as it is obviously the closest parallel.

Now admittedly, most film fans hopping around the internet, probably are versed in the same films that Stax was when reading A KNIGHT’S TALE, and as a result... Stax probably represents more of your thoughts had you read the script in his stead.

If you are reading it and thinking of EXCALIBUR and MONTY PYTHON well... I have no doubt at all you would come away from the script being disappointed.

However, there is a different style of Knights in Armor film that you have to go back to the mid-forties and fifties to experience. These films starred folks like Robert Wagner and Sterling Hayden and James Mason and Robert Taylor and Janet Leigh and Elizabeth Taylor.

They were a Technicolor splendor. They were storybook fantasies. “Once upon a time” tales. This wasn’t about hack and slice or yuk yuk yuks.... It was a time when men in armor fought in mostly bloodless combat for the hand of a fair maiden upon the field of honor.

Now... if you want a plot breakdown, check out Stax’s review, he does an excellent job. But to me, this film isn’t a comedy and doesn’t set out to be one. This is a story about transforming your destiny, becoming a knight and all that that entails. This is about love and rising above one’s station in life.

It’s about sonnets and magical moments.

Stax complains about repetitive jousts. Actually, the jousting and how Heath Ledger’s character of William holds himself is absolutely instrumental in watching him transform from common peasant and servants... to nobility... not of the inherited kind, but of the soul.

Throughout the film, Ledger’s character exhibits valiantry, bravery, humility, kindness, strength, etc. William isn’t merely putting on armor and fighting. He is becoming the ideal of what makes a knight.

The manner in which his wooing of his lady fair... through letters and poems and sonnets... Well, call me a sucker, but... well I do that stuff as well. I love that mushy stuff.

In addition, the script takes a page from LIST OF SEVEN. You know in that book/script, that Arthur Conan Doyle hooks up with an adventurer that becomes the basis for SHERLOCK HOLMES... well in this script, Geoffrey Chaucer (to be played by Paul Bettany) hooks up with a faux Knight on his quest to be everything his armor signifies and takes it as inspiration on his CANTERBURY TALES.

Now as a story device I like this, because Chaucer becomes our Greek Chorus in a manner... commenting and noting various moments for us. It’s a showy role for Paul Bettany, we’ll see how he plays it.

In all I really fell for the script, as Agent Clock in chat said I would. HOWEVER.... There is one aspect of the script that I just... well...

Stax noted it in his review. From time to time, there are modern era songs. The rest of the script is so on for being a classic PRINCE VALIANT-styled tale of love and honor and knightship... that I can’t help but ponder.... what the hell is Brian Helgeland trying here?

Thus the reason I am going to Prague. Why? Is he shooting the film so that it can go with or without the songs? What is his thoughts in doing this?

I really really don’t think it’s to be funny as Stax surmises.

My honest take on it is that it’s some sort of metaphor between the present and the past. For example... there is a scene that takes place that begins in period music of the 1300’s with flute, pipe and tabor.... but as the dancing becomes more intense it suddenly becomes music like that of K.C. & THE SUNSHINE BAND... the dance steps work in both eras (at least that’s what he’s trying)... but... it doesn’t stop there... as we go to another character it becomes discordant nonharmonic noise driving him to leave.

Now... either this is a terrible idea or it’s brilliant. My perception is that Brian is trying to show us how music is sometimes perceived... from cool and groovy to the ears of the acoustic lover, to nasty noise to a tone deaf character.

Or to put it another way... you know the type of music that you don’t like, well imagine what it’s like to be that person you know that loves it. It’s hard... you hear noise and rabble.... but they hear something pleasing. It’s a cross century reflection upon music.

The other insertions of odd music choices seem similarly daring. BUT I FULLY ACKNOWLEDGE that this concept and execution could be a disaster. Otherwise.... I am quite fond of the script, but here is something daring and dangerous stylistically... and so I will travel to Prague at Helgeland’s behest and treat and try to see if the man be mad or if he be sharp.

I met Brian at an Austin Film Festival a year or so back, and had a few words with him about the crime against humanity that was the raping of his first film at the non-lubricated fist of the studio. I’m talking about PAYBACK, his original cut was a brilliant 70’s crime film. The cut everyone saw was as different as you could possibly imagine. You ever see Universal’s cut of BRAZIL that is in that incredible DVD set? The happy ending to BRAZIL, radically different editing and meanings? Same thing here... only Brian didn’t win his fight, Paramount did. Hopefully, some day, Brian’s cut will see the light of day. One can hope.... perhaps Criterion or Anchor Bay?

For you readers in PRAGUE.... I will be arriving in Prague Wednesday.... EMAIL ME ASAP if you want to possibly hook up while I’m out there. There’s a chance that I’m going to finagle something pretty friggin cool whilst in the land of Kafka and the Golem.

I will soon enter a world of black and white with stark contrast elongated shadows cast on giant walls as I walk along cobblestone streets. I am.... excited.

I’m taking my supercomputer with me to type upon... but in my stay, Father Geek, Moriarty, Tom Joad, Quint, Robogeek and El Cosmico will be working away.

I’ll be back Sunday!

Over at the SONY official website, they have someone keeping an online journal of the events transpiring during the shoot. As well as at least one QUICKTIME camera spin to show you one of the Jousting fields. There will be many in the film. There are pictures and interviews from the set.