The Dig (2021)

An archaeologist embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938.

Director:

Simon Stone

Writers:

Moira Buffini (screenplay), John Preston (novel)

Stars:

Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James

3 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Ralph Fiennes	...	Basil Brown
Stephen Worrall	...	Ferryman
Danny Webb	...	John Grateley
Carey Mulligan	...	Edith Pretty
Archie Barnes	...	Robert Pretty
Robert Wilfort	...	Billy Lyons
James Dryden	...	George Spooner
Joe Hurst	...	John Jacobs
Paul Ready	...	James Reid Moir
Peter McDonald	...	Guy Maynard
Christopher Godwin	...	Dr. Parry
Ellie Piercy	...	Mrs. Lyons
Bronwyn James	...	Ellen McKenzie
Desmond Kaliszewski	...	Barge Skipper
Monica Dolan	...	May Brown

Storyline

An archaeologist embarks on the historically important excavation of Sutton Hoo in 1938.

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Plot Keywords:

discovery | archeological dig | boat | oar | bicycle | 

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Taglines:

Nothing stays lost forever.

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for brief sensuality and partial nudity

Did You Know?

Trivia

The real Basil Brown got a wage of 30 shillings a week from Mrs. Pretty. In the movie this was written on the unseen letter.

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Goofs

Peggy Piggott's glasses are polarized with a finish not invented at the time. Seen with reflection around 1:12 in the movie.

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Quotes

Edith Pretty: I'm so sorry.
Basil Brown: I thought you'd be pleased with the veredict.
Edith Pretty: We die. We die and we decay. We don't live on.
Basil Brown: I'm not sure I agree. From the first human handprint on a cave wall, we're part of something continuous. So, we... don't really die.

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Soundtracks

After You've Gone
Written by Henry Creamer and Turner Layton
Published by Warner Chappell Music Limited & by Morley Music Co / Francis Day & Hunter Limited
Performed by Alder Valley Brass

User Reviews

There was no need for the distracting love triangle.

I was excited to see a film that portrays 1930's England, and Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan are proven actors that bring a unique presence to their films. Archeology might be a tough sell for the premise of a film and it was these actors that drew me in. The first half gets it so right, it's just about the time period and characters digging while becoming excited as they unearth the past, it's rather simple yet these actors have no trouble keeping you interested. In fact it was refreshing to see English people presented on screen becoming excited over finding evidence of their ancestors and past to this ancient land given the current hostile attitude towards the English and Celtic peoples by particular political groups and media companies who like to remind us we have little culture and heritage.

Then suddenly it's as if the writers thought viewers would become bored and in comes a new character, a rather modern-behaving "liberated" female with her controlling husband, inserted into the plot to remind us how women should really behave in the current age as if we needed reminding. The key characters become background noise, and you have this love triangle develop, the film takes on a different purpose, I'd rather see more character development between the man who discovered the relics and the museum trying to take credit from the little man.

Details

Official Sites:

Netflix Site Official Facebook

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

29 January 2021 (USA)

Also Known As:

The Dig

Filming Locations:

Shackleford, Surrey, England, UK

Box Office

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$693

Company Credits

Production Co:

Netflix, Magnolia Mae Films, Clerkenwell Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

112 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Atmos

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.00 : 1