Cline, Rich (12 January 2021). "Female filmmakers lead nominees for the Critics' Circle Film Awards". The Critics' Circle. Archived from the original on 12 January 2021 . Retrieved 20 February 2021. Peggy was not an inexperienced sweet young thing who was chosen because she was small and petite,” he said. “She was an experienced archaeologist who had worked on previous digs and who was a postgrad archaeologist and published scholar. And as for her husband [who was only two years older]… I am aware of no evidence that Stuart was homosexual.” A film that can truly be loved by the whole family, themes that are a suitable for all, with a story and series of events I can imagine many enjoying. This movie started out well enough, with amazing performances by Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan, but unfortunately it gets bogged down by the introduction of various characters and unnecessary and excessive focus on their relationships. His former employers try unsuccessfully to persuade Brown to work on a Roman villa they deem more important. They ignore Brown, who left school aged 12, when he suggests the mounds could be Anglo-Saxon rather than the more common Viking era.

Complete with elegant camerawork, a beautiful score and impressively atmospheric direction that makes it an eye-catching watch from the first few moments, The Dig has enough confidence and depth to keep you engrossed even if its story isn't advancing apace, something that's a lot harder to pull off than you may think. 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.My advice to Stone is "Don't start something without completing it". My guess is there is extra footage on Peggy and perhaps a Director's-Cut extended version will be released at some point completing Peggy's story - I'd like to see that.

Townsend, Emily (21 September 2018). "Nicole Kidman could star in new film about Sutton Hoo". East Anglian Daily Times. Archived from the original on 30 August 2019 . Retrieved 15 November 2019. If I was an archeologist I would've loved The Dig. But I'm not, and while it is beautifully filmed, the movie is overstuffed with too many simultaneous character dramas, world events and museum intrigue. Metaphors supporting Themes abound in 'The Dig' - "life is fleeting", "the search for meaning in our lives", "our relevance in History", and "is this all there is". Classic themes for dramas that are the eternal questions within our lives. The film intertwines those themes within the central characters, each conducting their own search for answers. Such poetic filmmaking takes painstaking attention to detail in production to pull off at the level achieved in this film. Utilizing the beautiful cinematography of Mike Eley and deft touch of Film Editor Jon Harris, Director Simon Stone succeeds in elevating the The Dig to an elite level of film art.The film is directed by Simon Stone and based on a novel by John Preston. It fills in some reimagined holes in the historic excavation. Just like the ship that remained hidden for centuries, the insightful film is a study of characters who are also overlooked by others around them. It's a slow, steady exploration of people and things that disappear in time. An intriguing little piece of British history, The Dig tells a slow-burning story with understated and genuine drama throughout, turning what could have been a rather dry tale of archaeology into a genuinely gripping character drama. Its historical context takes a little while to become fully relevant, but ultimately, The Dig really proves itself as a captivating watch. Kermode, Mark (31 January 2021). "The Dig review – a quiet meeting of minds at Sutton Hoo". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021 . Retrieved 16 February 2021.