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The Wing Commander movie club has successfully carried the One Ring to Mordor… or… half way there, at least. But we're not leaving 1978! This week, we will be watching The Song of Roland (1978), a French film about medieval knights which stars Klaus Kinski! It seems to be celebrated in France but almost completely unknown in the English speaking world. Color me intrigued! You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.
The Song of Roland is an 11th century French epic poem about the deeds of Roland, the leader of King Charlemagne's knights. You can read an English translation of the poem at Project Gutenberg. The poem is mentioned in the original Claw Marks, referenced by Paladin as one of the epic stories of knight-errantry that inspired him to join the fight against the Kilrathi. The unspoken implication is that it's also the source of his callsign, as Roland was the leader of Charlemagne's Paladins.
"The laddies coming out of the Academy think I was born old," says Major James Taggart, who is known as Paladin to the spacecrews. "But when I took my commission - not too long after we discovered the Empire of Kilrah - I was just a kid. I was charged up on stories of knight-errantry, on The Death of Arthur and The Song of Roland. So when we ran into the Kilrathi, I knew I was going to grab up a lance, hop into a cockpit, and change the course of history. Naturally," he jokes, "I did."
The novelization of the Wing Commander movie references the Claw Marks bio as Paladin seems fated to die following his torpedo run:
As the gray-and-white surface hurtled toward him, he told himself that he had lived a glorious life, that while he had never been an Arthur or a Roland, he rested assured that he had inspired a young heart or two. And he reasoned, by influencing just one soul, he had, in effect, changed the course of history. James Taggart had accomplished what he had set out to do. He had lived the warrior's life and would die the warrior's death. Nothing could be more fitting.And don't think we're off of swords, either! Roland's famous sword is named "Durendal" (not to be confused with Dundradal) and it was referenced in Wing Commander: False Colors! The Mjollnir's battle group includes a destroyer named Durendal which ultimately falls nobly in battle against the Kilrathi. Here's its introduction:
The other three skippers of the battle group's fighting ships sat between Galbraith and Camparelli. So far they were little more than names and faces to Bondarevsky. Forbes of the light cruiser Xenophon was a blonde giant with a faint accent that reminded Bondarevsky of one of his old comrades, Paladin. Miruts Bikina of the destroyer Durendal was his complete opposite, a wiry black soldier of fortune from the colonial world of Azania who had joined Kruger's navy only a few years back, but quickly established an impressive combat record that had earned him rapid advancement. His reputation for competency boded well, but Bondarevsky wondered if a mercenary could ever be trusted as much as someone actually defending his home and hearth.Where can I find a copy of the movie for the watch party?
The Song of Roland is not readily available to stream online with English subtitles. We have have placed a copy online here and a set of properly timed subtitles here. If you are not able to locate a copy please stop by the Discord and ping a CIC staff member before Friday's showing.
How do we watch the movie together?
It's pretty low tech! Simply join the Wing Commander CIC Discord on Friday and we will be chatting (in text) along with the film in the main channel. Everyone who wants to join in should bring their own copy and we will count down to play them together at 10 PM EST. Everyone is welcome and we encourage you to join in the conversation; sharing your thoughts helps make the experience better for everyone!
How can I help pick future movie club movies?
The movie club movies are voted on each week by the Wing Commander Discord. The poll is typically posted 24 hours before each week's screening and the next movie is announced at the end. The choices for the poll come from a master pool of Wing Commander-related movies. If you would like to suggest a film for inclusion in that pool you can post it to this thread.
