There’s always something unnerving about movies based on true events like The Dig. Especially when the genres of the film is along the lines of thriller, horror, supernatural and crime. The evils of society portrayed in modern movies have elevated in action, drama and suspense. This surely does reflect the things going on in today’s world but when it comes to filming a series of true events filmmakers are challenged with the idea of authenticity and the methods to carry out that sense of realism through their directions.
This all boils down to the events relating to the based-on content, whether it resonates with the certain target audience or the current ongoing socio-political matters. The message of the events should be well dictated in order to deliver a well written film. Films based on true events or novels should do justice to the original plot and character development or make an attempt to pronounce a story from another perspective as this can be especially personal for people who have relations to the event or know the novel well.
Such true story films do leave audiences in awe and curious for the end catharsis. Examples of the most popular true story films are
- The Pursuit of Happyness (2006)
- Julie & Julia (2009)
- Catch me if you can (2002)
- A beautiful mind (2001)
- 12 years a slave (2013)
Some of the more recent ones are,
- Judas and the Black Messiah (2021)
- Minari (2021)
- Nomadland (2021)
- The Dig (2021)
Speaking of the dig movie, let’s look at everything the film has to offer as a recently released British drama film in 2021
Highlights of The Dig
The Dig is directed by Simon Stone and is based on 2007 The Dig by John Preston and views the dig true story as a reimagined version of the 1939 excavation of Sutton Hoo.
It was produced by Gabrielle Tana, Ellie Wood, Carolyn Marks Blackwood and Murray Ferguson. The film had a limited release on January 15, 2021 and was later streamed on Netflix on January 29, 2021.
Plot
In the late 1930s, Edith Pretty, who is a wealthy landowner hires amateur archaeologist Basil Brown to overlook an investigation. Brown is instructed to investigate the mounds of the property located in England. He and his team later discovers a ship from the Dark Ages, little did they know they dug up a burial ground.
To know more about the dig true story take a look at the trailers released in online social media platforms such as YouTube, Facebook, Instagram and so on.
Cast & Roles
For the dig cast there are a list of actors who fit the role of the characters depicted in the novel. It is important to identify key personality factors and traits in the cast members to reflect the character sketch from the novel. This can be altered by the director though, if the plot relies on the changes the dig actors may appear slightly modified to fit the narrative of the director’s take on the story.
Main Characters and Cast
- Edith Pretty is played by Carey Mulligan
- Basil Brown is played by Ralph Fiennes
- Peggy Piggott is played by Lily James
- Rory Lomax is played by Johnny Flynn
- Stuart Piggott is played by Ben Chaplin
- Charles Phillips is played by Ken Stott
- Robert Pretty is played by Archie Barnes
- May Brown is played by Monica Dolan
The director chose the dig cast as a collective representative of the characters depicted from the novel by John Preston.
Production
This project was launched in 2006 when the producer Ellie Wood first read the manuscript. Later it was developed to make the novel into a film. It was later announced in September 2018 that famous actors Nicole Kidman and Ralph Fiennes were in negotiations to star in the film. But Kidman was no longer involved in the project in August 2019 and Carey Mulligan replaced the role instead.
The rights of the film also shifted from BBC Films to Netflix then, in September Lily James entered the negotiation to join the cast. In October 2019, the rest of the cast members joined to act in the film. In Surrey, October 2019 the principal photography started its run at Shackleford. There Norney Grange was being used as Pretty’s house at Sutton Hoo—nearby the original discovery site. The production team conducted their research at the British Museum on the Sutton Hoo archives and galleries.
Ratings
The film the dig review were positive from critics and even received five nominations for the British Academy Film Rewards and for Outstanding British Film.
- Rotten Tomatoes : 7.2/10
- Metacritic : 73/100
- The Times : 5/5
- The Guardian : 3/5
Popular Streaming Platform
Netflix
Interested people can watch the dig netflix through signing up for a paid subscription plan in the platform. Netflix is a great option for movie streaming because,
- You can cancel your subscription any time
- Low prices
- No ads or extra fees
Each plan varies according to the categories—monthly price, video quality, resolution and devices compatibility.
Lastly, users will need to set up their accounts for a personalised content management system, the dig netflix has grown to be a popular film as soon as it had been released.
Takeaway
Movies have become such an intricate part of human society that it shapes and forms generations of what we call as culture. Young people are more susceptible to exposure and what is the best way to do so? Through films! Because it stimulates both the sight and the sound. The messages and scenes depicted on the screen affect the current state of mind and thinking of easily influenced minds.
Through films like The Dig, we see that filmmaker’s try time and again to create cinematic experiences based on different types of forms, be it a novel, a game, a simple tale and so on.
