Month: January 2011

Rosemary Sutcliff and The Eagle of the Ninth interests Roman blogger Emperor Antoninus Pius

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Rosemary Sutcliff’s historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth was re-read in 2008 by the long deceased Roman emperor Antoninus Pius. Somewhat reincarnated, he is a vigorous blogger despite being 1924 years old.

… Above all, I was struck by Miss Sutcliff’s debt to Rudyard Kipling (which I had not noticed thirty years ago). Of course, in today’s world of web and wiki, it is easy to discover that she had a life-long interest in Kipling, culminating in the writing of a biography (long out of print). The most striking parallel for me is the little turf altar that Marcus builds in Chapter Eleven, because it is surely an echo of a scene sketched by Kipling in Puck of Pook’s Hill.

“Wait awhile,” said Pertinax, and he made a little altar of cut turf, and strewed heather-bloom atop, and laid upon it a letter from a girl in Gaul.
“What do you do, O my friend?” I said.
“I sacrifice to my dead youth,” he answered, and, when the flames had consumed the letter, he ground them out with his heel. Then we rode back to that Wall of which we were to be Captains. Read More »

Film from Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth The Eagle at Glasgow Film Festival Gala Nightgow

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The first public showing of The Eagle film, based upon Rosemary Sutcliff’s historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth, is in Glasgow at the end of February (Sunday, Feb  27th). The organisers write:

Oscar-winning, Glasgow-born director Kevin Macdonald is one of the most successful filmmakers that Scotland has ever produced with an uncanny ability to make intelligent, mainstream movies that delight, entertain and enthrall. The Eagle is one of the most keenly awaited movies of 2011 and it gives us immense pleasure to host the UK premiere as the closing night gala of the Festival. …. Macdonald has long been a fan of Rosemary Sutcliff’s classic novel The Eagle of the Ninth.  Read More »

Rosemary Sutcliff’s Simon | A novel of the English Civil War

Anthony Lawton1 Comment

Rosemary Sutcliff’s 1953 historical novel and children’s book Simon – the subject of a comment by Anne in an earlier post – is a story about competing loyalties in the midst of a civil war. The Washington Post and Times Herald on April 4th, 1954 said:

It is a colourful story … (and) Miss Sutcliff’s interest in character makes even the minor characters interesting … she is adept too at communicating a sense of the Devon countryside. Read More »

Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth (IX) film gets Super Bowl XLV Advert!

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Rosemary Sutcliff – eminent children’s literature and historical fiction author – and her historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth have never in my mind until now been connected with American Football and the Super Bowl. But production company Focus Features will ‘air’ at the coming Super Bowl  XLV – the big American football event of the year – an advertising TV ‘spot’ for The Eagle  film (out Feb. 11 in USA), based upon  Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth story.

Those of you intrigued by the American film and football industries might like to know that ‘so far, Hollywood’s spend on Super Bowl advertising this year is on par with 2010, if not up a bit’. Several film  studios are ‘bypassing’ the game itself and airing advertisements during the festivities before the games, when rates apparently are ‘substantially lower’. This is what Focus Features are doing. Those of you football fans who find your way here can find more about the book, film and author all over this site!

Source: The Hollywood Reporter.

Rosemary Sutcliff and Elzabeth Goudge | English Civil War Novels

Anthony Lawton1 Comment

Children’s writer and historical novelist Rosemary Sutcliff and Elizabeth Goudge were linked, ‘Anne’ comments in response to an earlier post:

Interestingly, Sutcliff and Goudge corresponded with each other, and Goudge wrote publicity comments to go with both Sword at Sunset and Rider on a White Horse.

To me Rider of the White Horse goes hand-in-hand with Elizabeth Goudge’s ‘White Witch’, another novel of the English Civil War which is also magically evocative. Read More »