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. The film had a limited release on 15 January 2021. Netflix released the film for streaming on 29 January 2021. [11] The film was the third-most watched title in its debut weekend, then finished seventh each of the following two weekends. [12] [13] [14] Reception [ edit ] Critical response [ edit ] Brueggemann, Tom (15 February 2021). " 'Croods 2′ and 'Wonder Woman 1984' Show VOD Rebound as 'Barb and Star' Makes Strong Debut". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 16 February 2021 . Retrieved 15 February 2021. A brilliantly realised account of the most famous archeological dig in British history, now a major motion picture starring Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan and Lily James.

Carey Mulligan (Edith Pretty) should be nominated except she has two Oscar worthy films, both with a deserved good chance to take home an Oscar. Her spotlight lead part in 'A Promising Young Woman' has much more Oscar potential which will negate her role in The Dig - Mulligan should get Actress of the Year for putting forth two such great performances in one year! Firstly, the acting was top notch. Fiennes, playing a subdued Indiana Jones, was superb as was Mulligan, amazing as a widowed, rich and dying single mother. The crescendo to the find was brilliantly done and the treasures within had so much potential, including the inquest. 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. Brueggemann, Tom (1 February 2021). "Tenacious 'Tenet' Still Soaring on VOD Charts as 'News of the World' Stays Strong". IndieWire. Archived from the original on 6 February 2021 . Retrieved 15 February 2021.to all involved in 'The Dig' - the film is a treat for the eyes - the acting superior - production execution excellent - it is 2020's Best Picture by classic film making standards, despite being the biggest Oscar snub of the 2021 Academy Awards. 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. A tale of rivalry, loss and thwarted love so absorbing that I read right through lunchtime one day, and it's not often I miss a meal' Nigella Lawson 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.

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. We just didn't have enough treasure shown to underpin the magnitude of their finds, a silly omission.The Dig (2021) was directed by Simon Stone. It stars Carey Mulligan as Edith Pretty. Mrs. Pretty is a widow who lives on a large estate. She is convinced that there's something of archeological significance on her property. She employ Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes) to excavate one of the burial mounds. Brown is a skilled and experienced excavator, but he has no formal academic training. The result of his efforts can now be seen in the British Museum. Rory was also the point of a love triangle between real life archeologists Stuart Piggott and his wife Peggy. In The Dig, this is portrayed as a May-September relationship between the young, fresh-out-of-grad school Peggy and the older, closeted gay man Stuart. Problem is, none of that is historically correct. Jeffers says, in fact, that it is “staggeringly slanderous.” Ronan found out that Niamh disappeared that night. Eventually, he received a prison sentence because everyone believed he murdered her and buried her body in the bog on the Callahan land.

WAGES. (Hansard, 5 June 1939)". api.parliament.uk. Archived from the original on 31 January 2021 . Retrieved 8 February 2021. This could have been a great movie, if director Stone had just worked with what actually happened. Naturally, staff of the local museum wanted to direct the excavation, as did staff of the British museum. There was an inquest to decide the ownership of the find. World War II was (literally) about to begin. A perfect 90-minute movie. However, it ended up being a less-than-perfect 105 minute movie. Ralph Fiennes plays the character beautifully and carries the movie for the first half. Alas, not enough to make it interesting. There’s also no evidence that Peggy left her husband or cast away her wedding ring at that time, although the couple was divorced decades later. At the end of the night (Oscar night), 'The Dig' could sweep up wins in the aforementioned major Oscar categories for 2020 - I certainly wouldn't bet against it happening (EDIT: Boy was I wrong 😑), and In terms of total Oscar nominations, this film sets up as the front contender for 2020. Then again, it could be a dodgy awards year - competition of last minute entries (is it going to get to the point where releases occur the day before the voting deadline?), and above-the-norm "agendas" abound in the industry these days [EDIT: Boy, was I correct about this (I am sorry to say)].The Dig is actually not a very earthy film, though there is intelligence and sensitivity and a good deal of English restraint and English charm, thoroughly embodied by the fine leading performers Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes. But the passions mostly stay buried, and the movie is disconcertingly structured in such a way that we are first asked to invest in these two intriguingly complex personalities, but then – just when their emotions might get disinterred – the focus shifts to a younger pair with more obvious romantic potential, played by Johnny Flynn and Lily James. Mulligan and Fiennes look like two characters who have been written out of their own soap opera. This doesn’t stop The Dig being engaging, and with a beautiful sense of landscape. The story of Mr. Brown and Mrs. Pretty, and the discovery, should not have been buried under all of the other stories that had nothing to do with the discovery. Stefan Gregory Scoring Simon Stone's Netflix Film 'The Dig' ". Film Music Reporter. 21 December 2020. Archived from the original on 30 January 2021 . Retrieved 21 December 2020.

In addition, at the start, Basil takes the ferry across the river to meet Edith for the first time. I hope he didn’t pay the ferryman until he gets you to the other side. We’ve all been warned about that. 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.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.”