n the workaday world, the stars of In Service to the Dream are engineers, actors, architects and teachers who, for the most part, don't seem at all out of place in contemporary culture. Yet each weekend, in the mythical Kingdom of Caid, these ordinary individuals—all members of the Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA)—don antiquated garb and adopt exotic names such as Abd al Hakim ibn abd al Raman Shadad al Tomuki (T.S. Morgan), Styrbjorn Ulfhamr (Skip Wilder), Ivan the Illustrated (Tony Settlemeyer) and Cara Michelle du Valier (Carolyn Zitny). In an affectionate yet forthright
documentary, husband-and-wife filmmakers Tina Cardinale and Christopher Burns introduce the people within this vibrant Southern California sovereignty, focusing not only on the participants' desire for historical accuracy, but also their shared passion for chivalry, honor and artistic flair.
Following a short overview of the SCA, the video explores the group's varied activities. Exhaustive interviews with dozens of members reveal that the organization is far more than simply a gathering of folks interested in knights, damsels and bawdy drinking songs. Players are required to research
their characters extensively, and the association maintains a strict social hierarchy that's largely upheld through valor exhibited both on the field of battle and in individual competitions. At the same time, the society encourages a deep devotion to time-honored arts and sciences, and actively sustains a family atmosphere, welcoming women and children (where appropriate) into many arenas, including combat.
Shot over the course of almost a full year, the picture showcases both grand events—a colossal war between Caid and three other kingdoms—and tender moments, like the emotional coronation of new monarchs. The producers also present a few players and their spouses talking in "mundane" (non-SCA)
settings, allowing viewers to more fully appreciate the rewards reaped by these couples from their common experiences within the group.
Revelry, rivalry and camaraderie
On the surface, it's easy to assume that In Service to the Dream is simply a medieval version of the Star Trek documentary Trekkies. There are certainly similarities: both productions deal with folks who spend an inordinate amount of time wearing strange clothes and practicing odd social customs, and each movie spotlights at least a few individuals who perhaps are a mite too immersed in their respective make-believe worlds. However, there's a key difference. The subjects of this film acknowledge that they depict "the Middle Ages as it should have been, instead of as it actually was," and they collectively maintain an air of civility and dignity that's far more prominent than is generally evident in comparable clubs based upon altogether imaginary SF and fantasy
scenarios.
A strong sense of pride is clearly communicated throughout the video. In an enlightening, cinema verite-style conversation, Wilhelm Carlson (Bill Stephens) and two other noblemen discuss how being elevated to knighthood is as much about personal integrity and responsibility as combative skill.
Meanwhile, Zitny and her family acknowledge that they learned more about honor from their involvement with the SCA than by participating in Little League. But the documentary isn't entirely flattering. A handful of people openly gripe about internal politics and the fact that, despite copious claims to the contrary, within the association gallantry and chivalry are at times lacking.
The film is a bit overlong, with a number of superfluous scenes (Burns and Cardinale are reportedly already working on a shorter version). Nonetheless, the picture solidly conveys the idea that for most participants the SCA is, as one player pithily points out, "just part of a fulfilled life, rather than being that which fulfills a life." By shedding light on this often misunderstood organization, In Service to the Dream shows that, at least within the Kingdom of Caid, dreams really do come true.
