Film review: ‘The Dig’ (2021)

Posted on by The Fake History Hunter

This article was originally a thread on social media, which is why it is formatted with lots of images and short responses.
The text is about the image below that paragraph.

Let’s go check out ‘The Dig’ on Netflix.
It’s about archaeology and is set in the late 1930s, my “favourite” era.
So I hope I won’t spot any annoying mistakes.
It’s about the finding of the famous Sutton Hoo cemeteries.

The trailer:

Achtung; spoilers ahead.

So far I’m loving the atmosphere.
The English countryside, the glory of nature, the clothes (looking good so far), no iffy hairstyles (yet).
And filmed in a delightful manner, I mean this shot is just delicious:

And I don’t want to be rude to modern day archaeologists, I love you, I know a lot of you follow me, honest, you do great work… but please, do me a favour and start dressing like this again.
Mind you, come to think of it, that goes for all men!
And yes that includes a pipe:

I love all the little hints at the dark shadows ahead, war is coming.
These soldiers look good, they’re young and have proper short 1930s haircuts.
They often get this detail wrong in films:

Some of my Facebook friends are just like me:

They choose a much younger actress to portray Edith Pretty.
Mrs. Pretty was 20 years older than the actress playing her when this story takes place.
I think an older actress would make change the dynamic, for the better, I think.
Frankly, I think this is pretty bad, if I was related to Pretty, I’d be offended.
The real Edith Pretty:

Just a very nice shot.
I spend some time in filmschool and did a bit of cinematography, so sometimes I can’t help just admiring the light, the camera position, etc:

Loving the scene were people are trying to rescue Mr. Brown but what a nightmare for the production team.
Some of those clothes are original, borrowed, need to be used many more times, are fragile… and now people are on their knees digging in the dirt:

I’m not seeing many stockings.
The most popular type were the rust brown ones, very thick, often silk, with a seam.
Bare legs were a bit peculiar.
Especially for a maid in a fancy house.

Although various methods of artificial respiration, including mouth to mouth, had been in use for centuries, in the 1930s most people only knew the pumping arms method.
Mouth to mouth didn’t really become widely known till the 1950s:

I wonder where the kid got this US magazine from, but at least it’s from the right year 🙂
February issue 1939, 20 dollar cent:

Also, just in case the owner is reading this, can I have that little wagon in the back please?
Yes for free please, cheers:

Ok, I know I’m a weirdo but this scene made me cry, literally.
The value and beauty of what we’re seeing but also sheer envy and jealousy.
Also feeling very frustrated that I wasn’t there when this happened in 1939.
It’s just unfair:

Bravo, lovely little detail.
Not sure if the chap who plays Mr. Spooner was just brought up properly or if they had a good consultant on board, but when you shake the hand of a lady, especially if she’s your employer, you take off your cap!
Mr. Brown forgot…

Me watching a horror movie where people are exploding, guts fly everywhere, death, gore, evil;
“Oh well”.

Me watching ‘The Dig’ when rain floods a trench;
“NOOOO NO NO NO!! Say it isn’t so! Woe is me, the humanity, the humanity!!”:

She looks a big scruffy for a lady with a manor, especially during a trip to London.
I can’t help but wonder if the ghost of Mrs. Pretty is mumbling something like “I wouldn’t be caught in that”:

What’s that box above the door?
Looks modern…:

Fantastic.
Looks amazing, very authentic, wonderful recreation of the original site.
Also, it’s lovely that some archaeologists trying to take over a dig is more exciting drama than most action films I’ve seen in a while:

This shot made me fear someone on the production team may know me and decided to put me in the movie.
This is very much me.
Dressed like an 1930s housewife, in a house with way too many books, talking to random archaeologists while pretending to know how to do kitchen stuff:

Nobody;…
Me; Yay they used a proper old fashioned matchbox in stead of one of those obvious modern ones with just a vintage label glued on!

You tell ‘m!!
Wise words:

Mr. Stuart Piggott could do with a hair cut.
Gentlemen back then had very, very short hair, it shouldn’t really touch your collar, that would make your clothes dirty, with all that Brylcreem and so on;

The real one is on the right here in 1939 with the white jacket;

I find the whole sub-plot about the Piggotts having a peculiar, perhaps trained relationship uninteresting and distracting.
Also not sure if this is based on real history or made up for dramatic effect, but if so, I disapprove.
Either way, who cares, back to the ship!

I call this the Titanic Complex.
There is a very dramatic real bit of history going on but the film makers think they need to make it more interesting by adding extra drama, like a couple having marital problems, affairs, etc.
I don’t find it very interesting, I want more ship!

This scene made me ridiculously jealous:

What did you call it?
Dark age?
HOW DARE YOU!!
Oh wait, it’s the 1930s, he’s still allowed to say it, never mind.
Sorry about that, I can’t help myself 😉

Just look at that, it’s amazing.
I love how they’re using moss/grass for the finds.
Archaeologists everywhere screaming at the screen:

Tssk tssk tssk gentlemen always go first when it comes to stairs:

Lovely detail, the Blackout is cover is being put up in the pub, another reminder of war coming:

I wouldn’t let her anywhere near my archaeological site dressed like that.
The real Peggy didn’t look like that and was also not a novice, she was a proper archaeologist.
Once more a woman is depicted in a way I’d find offensive.

On the right one confirmed and one possible photo of the real Peggy at the site in 1939.
Much more practical and conservative clothing, perhaps not sexy enough for Netflix?

There was also something wrong with her glasses, I thought they were modern and had to find out:

Yes, I’m so mad, I went full CSI on this:

The glasses were identified and oh I’m so annoyed, this is even worse than just a modern brand.
Surely everyone in the world who isn’t a child knows that James Dean is an 1950s icon, right? NINETEENFITIES!! This film is set in the 1930s…

I get that you sometimes have to improvise and don’t have enough time & budget to do things right, I’ve done props for film/tv.
BUT COME ON.
Did nobody notice?
Did nobody bring it up?
Did nobody know who James Dean was?
Had I been on the set there would have been a kerfuffle.

Should we call the police or something?
I’m rewatching it and it’s all I can see now.

Now what?
A plane crash? A pilot needs rescueing?
Now, I’m the first to jump in the water if there’s a dashing RAF flyboy who needs some assistance, looks like another example of the Titanic Complex, like the cave-in and all the romance nonsense:

Where on earth did our hippie get plastic, I mean cellophane wrapped flowers from?
Even I remember them almost always being wrapped in paper.
Must be some fancy flower shop they there:

Although blue jeans are technically not historically inaccurate, they’d be rather unusual in most of 1930s Europe.
Most people wouldn’t even have seen them till American sailors arrived during the war:

One day, I’ll have a car like that and a chauffeur who’ll be forced to wear an uniform like that:

Glory, glory, hallelujah!!
Light at last:

Blablabla wedding ending, oh drama, pretty young things finding love, handsome chap in uniform, blablabla… some hanky panky….who on earth thought this story needed any of that completely made up nonsense?

Hearing the declaration of war and scenes of people listening to it always gives me goosebumps and brings tears to my eyes:

Ok, so, conclusion.
Must say I’m disappointed.
It all looked great (except Peggy’s clothes & some uniforms), the dig looked fantastic, the relationship between Mr. Brown and Mrs. Pretty, the young child was sensitive and warm.
But the Titanic Complex came very close to ruining it.
The completely made up affairs (which would offend me if these people were my relatives) were totally uninteresting and distracting.
They could have left that all out and it would improved (and shortened) the film.
More about the ship, the finds, the real history please!
Can’t believe I said that, I’m a fool for handsome young chaps in WW2 RAF uniform, but in this story, no, there was no need for any of that.
Mr. Fiennes was phenomenal, fantastic acting.

I’m glad this film introduces the public to Mr. Brown and to some even the Sutten Hoo finds.

I hope I didn’t ruin the film for you, but that is what I do best.
To make up for that, here a few interesting articles on the film;

If you like reading my reviews, check out this long list of them:
https://fakehistoryhunter.net/2022/11/14/my-reviews/

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