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Complete with elegant camerawork, a beautiful score and impressively atmospheric direction that makes it an eye-catching watch from the first few moments, The Dig has enough confidence and depth to keep you engrossed even if its story isn't advancing apace, something that's a lot harder to pull off than you may think. I've been to see the Sutton Hoo treasures many times and have seen the story told on TV from Blue Peter to Horizon so I was looking forward to this... but also slightly worried about it. Films on subjects like this can be either dry or trivial or triumphalist or worthy or just bad. The Dig (2021) was directed by Simon Stone. It stars Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty. Mrs. Pretty is a widow who lives on a large estate. She is convinced that there's something of archeological significance on her property. She employ Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to excavate one of the burial mounds. Brown is a skilled and experienced excavator, but he has no formal academic training. The result of his efforts can now be seen in the British Museum.
Did Ralph Fiennes put a cotton ball under his lower lip or something? Every time he spoke, I was completely distracted, trying to figure out what was going on with his mouth. Don't get me wrong...I still love him as an actor. The Dig DVD is about an archaeologist who embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938. Such poetic filmmaking takes painstaking attention to detail in production to pull off at the level achieved in this film. Utilizing the beautiful cinematography of Mike Eley and deft touch of Film Editor Jon Harris, Director Simon Stone succeeds in elevating the The Dig to an elite level of film art.If I was an archeologist I would've loved The Dig. But I'm not, and while it is beautifully filmed, the movie is overstuffed with too many simultaneous character dramas, world events and museum intrigue. Also, the discovery itself ended up being very disappointing, and felt like it didn't need a movie made about it at all. A lot of the camerawork looks like it's hand-held because so many scenes are shot up close and personal, a good choice. Lily James doesn't show up in the movie until almost a full hour into it. I absolutely adored Lily James in the live remake of CINDERELLA. She was PERFECT in it. In that movie, she played the daughter of Ben Chaplin, so it was SUPER weird seeing her kiss him as his wife in this film. I wanted to see more of her story in the movie.
But actually, in that vulgar figurative sense, he pretty much does leave Mrs Pretty’s mounds alone. Her tentative offer of dinner is complicated by the fact that Basil is married to a woman called May, shrewdly played by Monica Dolan, and there is also a secret sadness and vulnerability in Edith’s own heart that would appear to preclude any such developments, though Mrs Pretty’s young son Robert (Archie Barnes) might well be seeing Basil as a father figure.
Armstrong, Neil (27 January 2021). "The buried ship found on an English estate". BBC. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021 . Retrieved 31 January 2021.
Times Staff (19 November 2020). "Yes, Virginia, there are movies this holiday season. Here's where to find them". The Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020 . Retrieved 19 November 2020.
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The acting was comprehensive and Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan were really quite brilliant(and I not a fan of the latter after that terrible body part movie, Never Let Me Go). I'm not sure I was left convinced by the formal interactions, and the ever-so clipped accents, we were in 1939, and serfdom disappeared some years ago! Whilst good there is no Oscar here as neither provided sufficient range within their roles. I'm not particularly well-versed in archaeology, and I didn't know about this discovery before watching this film. I think that might be the case for many other people, but the great thing about The Dig is that it's primarily a character-driven drama, and one that uses emotional intrigue to bring you closer to the story at hand and allow you to appreciate its importance. a b c Bridge, Mark (29 January 2021). "Netflix drama The Dig unfair on Sutton Hoo archaeologist Peggy Piggott". The Times. Archived from the original on 29 January 2021 . Retrieved 29 January 2021.
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