Movie Breakdown: The Dig
Pre-Screening Stance:
Everything about The Dig looks immensely British, but that’s fine by me – mainly because I’ll watch just about anything that stars a trio as fine as Ralph Fiennes, Carey Mulligan and Lily James.
Post-Screening Ramble:
The Dig had me in the first half. Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) is a wealthy widower who wants some strange mounds on her property explored, so she hires Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes), a self-described excavator, to dig them up. Pretty is not in good health but she’s got plenty of spunk, and Brown, who is not a traditionally trained archeologist, has more than a few opinions of his own to add to things, which means that the somewhat-oddball pair really are a delight when they’re on the screen together. This goes doubly for when the duo excitingly discover that what’s beneath the dirt on Pretty’s property is an Anglo-Saxon burial ship (for more info on the real find, see this Sutton Hoo entry).
Then, for whatever reason, The Dig largely shelves the kinetic (but not romantic) connection between Pretty and Brown in favor of all sorts of other narratives. Charles Phillips (Ken Stott), who is sent by the British Museum to oversee the historical site, spends too much time being a total snob about Brown being self-taught. A young lady named Peggy (Lily James) is brought in for what she thinks is an opportunity get valuable field experience, but she’s actually only considered because she’s so thin (and will be able to walk around the site easier). Also, she’s in a loveless marriage and eventually finds herself interested in another man, Pretty’s cousin Rory (Johnny Flynn). There’s also concern about the impending start of World War II.
In other words, this isn’t a film that just covers the Sutton Hoo discovery, it also tries to explore class issues of the time and deliver some romance (that doesn’t come form Pretty and Brown), but the former could have been handled via just Brown and the latter never feels necessary. As it stands, The Dig looks nice and it tackles an interesting discovery, but unfortunately its story bloats to a point where it loses momentum and starts to feel long. Your mileage may vary when the film lands on Netflix this Friday, January 29.
One Last Thought:
It was a little weird seeing Carey Mulligan back in a period-type role again so soon after her whirlwind turn in Promising Young Woman. She’s certainly a fit for those types of movies – obviously, just look at her whole career – but I hope she continues to star in edgier, modern films, too.
