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For a movie that's nearly three hours long, Amadeus remains pretty compelling! This week, we will continue to ignore democracy in favor of the law of birthday boy choices. And our next birthday boy is none other than my wife Patterned! She has chosen Baz Luhrmann's highly stylized modern-day adaptation of Shakespere's Romeo and Juliet, Romeo + Juliet (1996)! You can join us this Friday via Discord to watch along.
Romeo and Juliet is referenced in the shooting script and the novelization of the Wing Commander movie! Paladin quotes the play as his 'last words' in act 2 as he expects to be killed after torpedoing the Kilrathi battleship. Then, at the last minute, Blair tractors him aboard. That's all cut from the final version of the movie but it was shot and you can watch the scene below. And hey, the 1996 adaptation might not be traditional but it WOULD have been in the zeitgeist exactly as Chris Roberts was putting together the WIng Commander movie…
Here is the entire speech, from Act I, Scene IV of the play:
I fear too early, for my mind misgives
Some consequence yet hanging in the stars
Shall bitterly begin his fearful date
With this night’s revels, and expire the term
Of a despisèd life closed in my breast
By some vile forfeit of untimely death.
But he that hath the steerage of my course
Direct my sail. On, lusty gentlemen.Where can I find a copy of the movie for the watch party?
Romeo + Juliet is available for rent or purchase on all of the standard streaming services. If you would like a physical copy, it was released on BluRay in the US in 2015 and remains in print around the world. 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.
