The Song of Roland (2006)

Compiled in the 11th century, The Song of Roland is perhaps the world's most famous portrait of early European chivalry, piousness, and militarism. This beautifully produced program offers an abridged English version of the battlefield epic, combining richly textured medieval and Renaissance art images with scholarly summaries and interpretations of the work's major sections. Acknowledging the poem's historical inaccuracies, the video nevertheless underscores its importance for later European listeners: specifically, as a rallying cry mobilizing Christian forces to embark on the Crusades. An Old French recital of the song's first six lines begins the program