Starring Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes
In 1939, at Sutton Hoo, in Suffolk, Edith Pretty, hired Basil Brown to excavate one of the large burial mounds at her rural estate. He unearthed, not Viking, but an Anglo-Saxon ship, complete with a treasure trove and gold coins. Soon, news of her dig reached Cambridge archaeologist Charles Phillips played by Eric Stott, who declared the site to be 'of national importance' and took over the dig by Order of the Office of Works. Basil Brown was retained only to keep the site in order, but Edith soon stepped in and as she had hired him, on her land, he was soon reinstated and allowed to dig.
Going into the film blind, you’re given nothing at all about Mulligan’s character Edith Pretty, apart from the fact that she came from a wealthy family, living on an estate complete with household staff and she has a young son, Robert. Her son is highly imaginative and spends a lot of time with Basil, learning about ancient pasts, and archaeological digs, and Basil enjoys Robert’s company, as he and his wife were unable to have children of their own, and so Basil and Robert form a kind of close bond.
You’re aware that Edith’s husband is no longer around, and that she tends to his grave, but you’re unsure what he died of. But given that era, you’re aware that he probably died in military service somewhere, or at least connected to something military, given the sad glances at the soldiers walking through her village where they’re billeted, as she heads towards the railway station for her private appointments in London.
That being said, the film in general touched on a certain part of Edith's life, which was primarily about the Dig, and how much Basil meant to her son, and indeed her, during the whole excavation of the mound. At one point, you wonder if the two of them will actually get together. Set in the English countryside and with a moving soundtrack, it was a story without guns and without fighting, but it did have a tragic plane crash and a community working together to rescue the crashed pilot.
Despite the setting, the house, and the lady of the manor, as it were, the story wasn’t really about Edith, but Basil, the man who came to work on three of the 18 mounds on her estate, and despite his earlier thoughts on one of the smaller mounds, her persistence that he digs the largest one, eventually happened.
It was Edith’s determination regarding the unearthed ship, that kept Basil on the job when the Museum came begging for a piece of the action. With the ever-creeping War, the excavation of the burial mound would have to cease, so it was literally, as many hands-on decks as possible, to unearth the rest of the finds, and pack them away in a bunker somewhere safe, till after the War had ended.
Edith insisted that Basil’s name be mentioned alongside everyone who was at the dig, reminding them, that he was the one who had unearthed the find in the first place. However, his name did not feature anywhere in the credits of the dig. It was only when the items were put together for an exhibition at the Royal Museum in London, many years later, that Basil's name was added, posthumously. Which seems terribly unfair, because if it hadn't been for Basil, who unearthed the find, the Museum would have nothing to show of a bygone era.
The underdogs always go unnoticed.
What you discover, when you do a little research.
As much as I know that Carey Mulligan is a wonderful actress, and going in blind for this film, you see a woman completely in control of who she hires, and you see how much her health is debilitating her, and confining her to her bed more than out in the fields, watching over the dig, with her son, you’re fooled into thinking that Edith was a young woman when she was mother to son, Robert. Truth be known, Edith was 47 when she gave birth, which is quite an age really, and for there to be no complications either, as is often the way of the world nowadays. So, during the time of the dig, Edith would be in her 60th year, as young Robert, as far as I could tell from the film was about thirteen. So, Carey was much too young, I feel to play such a role.
Also, I was led to believe that her husband had been killed in battle. It turned out, that after the First World War, Frank Pretty, remained within the Suffolk regiment obtaining rank of Lieutenant Colonel and Commander of the 4th Battalion, and died at the age of 56 from stomach cancer.
If it’s the only quarrel I have with the film, it’s a small one.
For everything else, this film, is a wonderful look back at a bygone era, where life seemed far less fraught as it is today. Summers seemed to stretch out for months, and the premise was relaxing and easy on the mind. I could rewatch this film countless times over and not be disappointed. Except perhaps only with the less than credible casting, and then only because I did my research. Curses!
Carey Mulligan wasn’t the only Doctor Who actor in the film, Danny Webb (Impossible Planet) was the butler, Arsher Ali (Before the Flood/Under the Lake) also starred and Chris Wilson (Torchwood 2006 – 2011), who was involved with the Museum crowd – which means I’ll have to watch it again!!!
The Dig was a 2021 film directed by Simon Stone and based on the novel by John Preston. The book was published in 2007, and I might just look that one out. The film is currently streaming on Netflix. Book yourself a seat on the sofa, with popcorn and maybe some ginger beer!
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