Perceval ou le Conte du Graal

2/22/2026

This is quite an interesting short documentary, centred around French poet Chrétien de Troyes’ own fifteenth century interpretation of the Arthurian legends from almost a millennium earlier across the channel in both what eventually became England and Wales. With the complete work of de Troyes now lost, this uses snippets from his work to illustrate just how things worked at the round table, focussing on two of it’s knights. Lancelot, it suggests, was not driven by any grand chivalric purpose - but more by his devotion to women in general and his queen Guinevere in particular. Perceval of Wales is also a knight who’s character isn’t rooted on chivalry either. Indeed this seeker of the Holy Grail came from a family who intentionally spurned that code for fear of the dangers it might bring t