When I first saw the trailer for The Dig, I was immediately intrigued as I love historical drama, even if it I’m not familiar with the Sutton Hoo excavation of 1939 that shed light into the early Anglo-Saxon period. The film begins with archaeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes, sporting a Suffolk accent) visits the home of Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan), who has been curious about what’s underneath eighteen ancient mounds on her Sutton Hoo estate. Though Brown is considered an amateur archeologist, he’s been working as a paid excavation employee for a provincial museum and has experience uncovering Roman remains.
It’s not clear how long the process took for Basil to discover that something really important has been buried under the ancient mounds for centuries, but it doesn’t seem to have taken him a long time. It’s remarkable given he’s only got two young guys helping him out. The discovery reminds me a bit of when archeologists found the skeletons of Richard III in 2012 under a Leicester parking lot of all places! Now I thought they’d make a film of that by now. Well, the the Plantagenet king’s reign in the late 1400s seems relatively modern compared to the 7th-century Anglo-Saxon ship burial, a period that lacks historical documentation.
Now, the story of excavation itself is pretty simple and perhaps would’ve been better served as a documentary. Filmmaker Simon Stone and screenwriter Moira Buffini based the film out of John Preston’s 2007 novel of the same name and focused on the characters affected by the dig, as much as the excavation project itself. If you’re expecting plenty of action scenes a la Indiana Jones however, well you won’t find much here. In fact, the film moves at an un-hurried yet assured pace.
Like many British period dramas, this film also deals with social class system as well as romance, though handled in a pretty subtle way here. Even though Brown was the one who made the discovery, the professional archaeologists promptly take over the project and he was practically cast aside. He almost quit entirely if it wasn’t for Edith’s young son Robert (Archie Barnes). Interestingly, the two main characters were also seemingly taken over by the new group of characters working on the dig: Charles Phillips (Ken Stott), husband + wife archeological team Stuart (Ben Chaplin) + Peggy (Lily James) and Edith’s cousin Rory (Johnny Flynn). I have to say it was quite distracting at first seeing Chaplin and James as a married couple, given they played father/daughter in Cinderella.
There’s not one but two tentative romance the film tread on. Though there are interesting societal themes being presented here, specifically in the relationship between Stuart and Peggy, it’s all a bit undercooked. I feel like the filmmakers aren’t as invested in them as they are in Edith and Basil’s story. As Edith’s health quickly deteriorates, I can’t help but wishing she’d get a last chance at happiness after being a widow for so long. But ultimately, it’s the blooming friendship and affecting mother-son relationship that brings a sense of joy and hope. Both Fiennes and Mulligan are two of the finest actors working today and they convincingly embody the characters they’re playing. It’s a restrained but effective performance depicting the slow-burn nature of their relationship. I don’t think I’ve ever seen the usually buttoned-up Fiennes so muddy and disheveled, but he’s one of those actors who can disappear into any roles. Young newcomer Archie Barnes is wonderful to watch and provides some of the most emotional scenes of the film.
One thing I noticed about the film’s editor deliberately separates the dialog from the scenes of actors conversing with one another. At first it seemed like an odd technique but it actually adds unexpected dynamic to an otherwise ordinary, even tedious scenes. The filmmaker’s authentic depiction the Suffolk climate and the damp pastoral landscape of the excavation pretty well. It’s as if you can feel the mud, dirt and even smell the sodden grass, which really transport you to that time. The expansive cinematography by Mike Eley showcases the English pastoral countryside beautifully.
Now, one criticism I have is that despite the dig being regarded as one of the most important archaeological discoveries of all time, the film lacks a real genuine suspense nor even excitement overall. There’s also not a strong payoff in the end, other than the text explaining what’s become of the discovery and the people involved. Now, I personally enjoy gentle, slow-paced period pieces, those that some might call ‘painfully polite’ dramas, but I think some might find this movie a bit dull. For those who have the patience, I think there are quite a few gems to appreciate here, and the fascinating historical significance also compels me to read more about Sutton Hoo excavation.
Have you seen THE DIG? Well, what did you think?
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I’m interested in seeing this based on an interview Ralph Fiennes did with Mark Kermode a few weeks ago as he just seemed like he had a good time making that film and was so tranquilo during the interview where he was in a room with a radiator behind him. He’s cool.
Oh yeah! I think I saw the same interview as he had a radiator heater behind him. I thought that’s so sweet to see an actor of his caliber in such a humble surrounding, not in a swanky room or library, just a simple room with a heater to keep him warm. It made me love him even more!!
Agreed. Usually, they’re interviewed in a nice hotel room or a studio or whatever. To see someone like Ralph Fiennes in his own home, relaxed, and showing that he doesn’t live like a rich movie star just makes him even cooler.
Exactly! He seems like a down to earth bloke who doesn’t seem to care about maintaining an ‘image’ of some kind. He obviously is a successful actor, but nice to see that they live like regular guys.
Enjoyed reading your thoughts on this film! I’m keen to see it as the cast is good and I enjoy slower, period drama type films. Also I live near Suffolk so it’s nice to have a film set nearby! They shot some scenes on location in Cromer, Norfolk but I think I read they were cut out, which is a shame as Cromer’s a lovely seaside town!
Hi Rhiannon, this one is definitely worth a watch. I quite like this one as I do enjoy British period dramas. That’s so cool that you lived near Suffolk, did you happen to be near the are when they were filming? That’s a bummer some scenes were cut out. I love a good seaside town, in fact a feature I’m hoping to develop into a feature is set in an English seaside town in West Sussex.
Yeah I wasn’t far away but sadly never saw any! Lily James was one of the actors in Cromer and I think the scenes that were cut were honeymoon scenes.
That’s really cool, picturesque seaside towns are definitely great places to film!
Oh I love Lily James, would’ve been cool to see her. So you live in Cromer then? I looked it up… wow such a beautiful town, I wish I could visit one day. Btw there’s a typo in my reply, I meant to say a SHORT film I was hoping to develop into a feature that takes place in West Susex. It’s about 4+ hours south from Cromer, a town called Chichester, have you ever been there? I’ve actually never been there but hopefully I can visit once we can actually travel again.
I don’t live in Cromer itself but I’m not far away 🙂 Ah yes I know Chichester, I was in that area on holiday a few years ago. I remember it was really nice although it did rain a lot of the time!
Oooh so you have been to Chichester, so jealous!! I think even in rainy days that place is still so enchanting.
Not sure if it’s something I want to invest my time in watching. I remember when I saw the trailer, it looked interesting, maybe when I run out of things to watch on Netflix, I’ll watch it.
I don’t know if this is the kind of movie you’d like Ted, though if you like history you might enjoy the archaeological aspect.
Nice review! Sounds…. Fine. Not something I’ll rush to see but will check out at some point. 🙂
Yeah, not something you should rush to see it, though it you like the two leads and don’t mind a slower period piece, it’s still well worth your time.
Well, I watched it anyway as had nothing else to watch this morning. It was good & I liked the characters. It’s pretty much what I expected. 🙂
Hello! Glad you like it and yes the lead characters are lovely, I like the tentative relationship between Basil and Edith (those are two VERY English names, ahah).
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Great review, Ruth, and yes – we do have similar thoughts. Your summary ‘the film moves at an un-hurried yet assured pace’ is very accurate. That didn’t both me, but I think it irritated quite a few others going by what I’ve seen on Twitter.
Interesting that you thought the separation of dialogue added a new dynamic – I didn’t like that one bit! 😀
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