Rosemary Sutcliff’s book The Eagle of the Ninth is the basis for The Eagle film (2011) which will be released on February 11th in the USA and March 25th, 2011, in the UK. For more and the film posters.
The director Kevin Macdonald has spoken of The Eagle of the Ninth as ‘a Western‘. world-renowned Rosemary Sutcliff loved the genre, although Kevin was not aware of this until I told him during filming.
Duncan Kenworthy (the producer) and I shared memories of the book The Eagle of the Ninth as one of our favourite childhood novels. I pleaded with him to let me do it, and he finally gave in. There has been this glut of huge-scale sword and sandal movies, but we want to do this in a very gutsy, visceral way. I see it as a Western – it’s ‘The Searchers’ meets ‘Apocalypto‘ set in Scotland, where the landscape is the dominant production value.
- More on The Eagle of the Ninth film and book here on this blog
- Trailer for the film The Eagle here
- Focus Features microsite on The Eagle film
Posters for the film …
And also …
ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-92) 
Thanks for directing me to your Rosemary Sutcliff blog, Anthony! I love historical fiction (having published two medieval novels of my own), and I am so excited to have discovered this wonderful new (to me!) author. I had no idea they were making a movie out of any of her books! I haven’t read Eagle of the Ninth yet, but if it’s coming out in February, I’d better get a copy and bump it *way* up on my TBR list!
I’m looking forward to exploring your blog!
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I’m glad you have found your way to Rosemary’s wonderful story-telling. (The Eagle of the Ninth is already available and indeed has been continuously in print since first published in 1953)
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the most memorable movie quote that i could think of is the one on Forest Gump ‘.*
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Just looked at the trailer and it seems to bear no resemblance to the book. When did marcus become a slave?
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To mark what would have been the release date of the film (September 24) I’ve re-blogged a report from the site (with photos) sent to me by a local.
http://allthingsfoe.blogspot.com/2010/09/eagle-of-ninth-re-blog-to-mark-original.html
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Thanks for posting this.
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I will also link this and Sarah’s through to my blog. Hope this is OK.
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To my utter, utter, shame I have not read the book as yet althought I recommended it to someone as part of my guiding at The Roman Army Museum (Vindolanda Trust). I must read it and will put this to rights over the next few weeks.
I came via Sarah Cuthbertson’s blog and will be back for more.
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If you have put the matter to rights, perhaps you would post a review at the You Write tab? And anyone else …
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