In Service to the Dream

Among my halcyon memories of life on the distant planet of Iowa City in the ‘70s are recollections of the antics of local madcaps from the Society for Creative Anachronism, a group whose lifestyles, motivations, and methods are chronicled here as members reenact a tournament from the Golden Age of Chivalry. Started during the 1960s in Berkeley, the SCA today boasts chapters across the country dedicated to life as it was lived several centuries ago, and while many participants manifest an academic interest in anthropology and the study of history as it relates to the people rather than the battles and conquests of the powerful, the similarity to role-playing games here cannot be denied. Several interviewees describe how they decided upon their calling (knight, artisan, Viking), and discuss the depth of their commitment (great care is taken in the design and production of historically accurate costumes and the creation of individual personae). A technically solid, comprehensive production, this rather long and narrowly focused program is recommended, overall, for libraries with area SCA chapters or other pertinent reenactment groups, such as Renaissance fair enthusiasts. Aud: C, P. (M. Tribby)