The Dig

[viques]

What a treat. Carey Mulligan,Ralph Fiennes in a gentle lyrical retelling of the discovery of the Sutton Hoo burial site. Sounds as dry as a ditch but they somehow managed to weave it into a story of love, death, memory, legacy, history, the future, land , landscape and heritage, taking in privilege, snobbery and class distinction as a side order. When the British Museum reopens I will visit the Sutton Hoo treasure again and see it in a new light.

I had to jump in on this, I watched this on a bored whim yesterday and it was wonderful! Such a lovely story and really does highlight the significance of the find.

It was just very sad that after she donated it all to the British Museum they still couldn’t show her the courtesy to honour her request to name Basil Brown with the exhibits

I am glad they rectified it, but what a dreadful thing to have done. He must have been so hurt. I just found a site called Atlas of Wonders which traces all the locations used, that lovely house was actually in Surrey!

I watched it this evening, a really lovely film. I remember the last time I was at the British Museum (pre covid) we didn't bother going in! I won't take that for granted again

Dh and I have just finished watching it. We both enjoyed it very much. Thought it was excellent.

Watched it earlier - really enjoyed it. I admit to having a lump in my throat in some of the scenes towards the end. Really good film

I looked up Basil Brown out of curiosity and he seems to have been a pretty amazing man. He basically taught himself astronomy, geography and geology through correspondence courses, and wrote some very well-respected stuff on astronomy. He learnt Latin and fluent French using textbooks and radio broadcasts, also learning some Greek, German and Spanish. His archaeological knowledge was also self-taught, and he made a number of other significant discoveries besides Sutton Hoo. It's a real shame that the BM wasn't prepared to acknowledge him.

The programme makers are in trouble with DH. Apparently that was a Great Western Railway station they used when Edith travelled to London.

Nice film, watched it this pm.

Yes this was a treat! Beautiful film. Love anything though that Carey Mulligan is in. Ralph Fiennes plays the Basil Brown character so well. .

I'd forgotten about this!

Read the book & did feel for BB.

It did seem to be down to sheer snobbery!

I mostly loved it except for the Peggy Piggott storyline. She was an accomplished archaeologist in her own right- not a silly young thing-and that fling with Rory Lomax was completely fictional.a also wish they had shown us more of the treasures and explained their significance rather than focused on Peggy and Rory.

Thought it was absolutely beautiful and I cried buckets at the end. One of the best things I’ve watched in a long time. Agree it sounds dull on paper but I was gripped.

I didn't get this at all. I didn't like the Peggy storyline and I would have preferred to see more of the finds and the history of Sutton Hoo. And I didn't like how they messed about with the audio.

DH and I watched it yesterday. Perfect Saturday afternoon film!

@HangryPants

I didn't get this at all. I didn't like the Peggy storyline and I would have preferred to see more of the finds and the history of Sutton Hoo. And I didn't like how they messed about with the audio.

I did like the film very much, but I agree with you about the audio. They overdid it with the 'hearing the characters dialogue but simultaneously seeing them not actually saying it' thing!

Watched it last night and loved it. Was crying at the end, when the little boy was, basically saying goodbye to his Mum. I've visited Sutton Hoo a couple of times and it's impressive. Monica Dolan's accent was spot on but Ralph Fiennes not so and had me in hysterics a few times (Suffolk gal here).

I love Monica Dolan in everything. She can take a 5 minute role and make it shine

Agree with you @JazzyGeoff - would have loved to hear more about the history but maybe it'll create a spin-off film?

@HangryPants

I didn't get this at all. I didn't like the Peggy storyline and I would have preferred to see more of the finds and the history of Sutton Hoo. And I didn't like how they messed about with the audio.

If you log onto the BM site there is lots of information about the finds, eg they think the buried king was left handed because of the way the hilt of the sword shows wear. Fascinating stuff.

I loved it!

Again-apart from the Peggy & Rory story.

Although I am partial to Johnny Flynn!

Did I miss the "inquest" to decide who it belonged to?

Would have loved to have seen it all arrivng at the BM & being unpacked & displayed for example.

But the ending I thought was good.

Peggy seems to have had an interesting life.

It started off great I think but then midway through when Peggy arrived it was almost like, right, Lily’s here now let’s make it all about her.

I would have much preferred it to just focus on Basil and Mrs Pretty and the treasure instead of another dull thing about young ones shagging.

Haha, I though Jonny Flynn was just mumbling without moving his lips much!

@Frequentflier absolutely - Peggy Piggott was a respected archaeologist by the time Sutton Hoo came along and had been directing digs, no just digging. Yet another example of a woman being dumbed down to a pretty face rather than showing her as the professional person she actually was.

The whole Peggy thing annoyed me on multiple levels. The real Peggy was an experienced archaeologist by the time of Sutton Hoo, not a silly “oh gosh, don’t mind silly me in my mid-riff exposing shirts”. No evidence that her husband was gay or that she shagged the nephew. Irl she did not divorce till 1956 (the dig was in 1939).

Mostly Lily James does not have to appear in every period piece and it detracted from the story of the dig itself. If they were going to focus on people versus treasure, I’d have much preferred more on Basil and/or Mrs P. The Lily James bit was predictable, boring as shit, and didn’t add to the program.

I liked it very much till then.

I agree with you all on the Peggy storyline. Also apparently it was two women that took a lot of the photographs, not the invented Lomax character so they’ve been written out too.

Also agree that Monica Dolan is always brilliant.