One of the most popular Netflix movies is “The Dig”, that has also gained many award nominations, and positive reviews.
- The Dig is a 2021 British drama film.
- It was directed by Simon Stone.
- “The Dig” was based on the 2007 novel of the same name by John Preston.
- It reimagines the events of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo.
- It stars Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott, Archie Barnes, and Monica Dolan.
- It had a limited release on 15 January 2021.
- It followed by streaming on Netflix on 29 January 2021.
- The film received positive reviews from critics.
- It has received five nominations for the British Academy Film Awards, including for Outstanding British Film.
- The project began in 2006.
- It was then that the producer Ellie Wood read the manuscript of The Dig by John Preston, ahead of its 2007 publication, and optioned the novel in order to adapt it for the screen.
- It was announced in September 2018 that Nicole Kidman and Ralph Fiennes were in negotiations to star in the film.
- However by August 2019, Kidman was no longer involved with the project, with Carey Mulligan cast to replace her.
- The film’s rights also moved from BBC Films to Netflix.
- Lily James entered negotiations to join the cast in September.
- In October 2019, Johnny Flynn, Ben Chaplin, Ken Stott and Monica Dolan joined the cast of the film.
- Principal photography began at Shackleford in Surrey in October 2019.
- Norney Grange there being used to stand in as Pretty’s house at Sutton Hoo, with location filming taking place in Suffolk near to the original discovery site.
- he film was the third-most watched title in its debut weekend.
- Then finished seventh each of the following two weekends.
- Suffolk, England is the site of two early medieval cemeteries that date from the 6th to 7th centuries. One cemetery had an undisturbed ship burial with a wealth of Anglo-Saxon artifacts. Most of these objects are now held by the British Museum
- Ralph Fiennes actually helped establish an archaeological field school based in Cheshire with his brother. The Poulton Research Project is a multi-period site with a significant medieval cemetery that archaeology students and volunteers help excavate every spring/summer
- 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.
- Rory Lomax is fictional. The true photographers of the dig site were Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff.
- Although Carey Mulligan was 34 when the film was made, the real Edith Pretty was 56 when the excavation at Sutton Hoo began in 1939.
- Ralph Fiennes is 23 years older than Carey Mulligan, while in real life Basil Brown was actually 5 years younger than Edith Pretty (their respective characters).1
- Ralph Fiennes was born in Ipswich, the county town of Suffolk whose museum features heavily in The Dig and which is seen to be lobbying hard to become the permanent home for the treasures discovered at Sutton Hoo.His character, Basil Brown, was also an erstwhile employee of Ipswich Museum. Ipswich is the closest big town to the Sutton Hoo site.
- Cate Blanchett was attached to play Edith Pretty back in 2013.
- The brass band featured in the garden party scene are Alder Valley Brass, based in Farnham Surrey. The band used to be called Aldershot Brass Ensemble and appeared in the famous Two Ronnies Brass Band musical sketch in the 1970’s and starred in The BBC comedy “Oh Happy Band” in the 1980s written by David Croft and Jeremy Lloyd
- The Dig, together with gentle TV comedy The Detectorists, is at the heart of a loose new genre of Essex/Suffolk-based archeologically themed productions. The two shows are also linked by Johnny Flynn, who stars in The Dig and performs the folk-tinged theme to The Detectorists.
