Month: February 2011

Atli Orvarsson’s music score for movie The Eagle evokes ‘true majesty’

Anthony LawtonLeave a comment

The music of The Eagle film of Rosemary Sutcliff‘s historical novel for children and young adults The Eagle of the Ninth came in for praise in a review in Boston in the US. The reviewer commented that Atli Orvarsson‘s score for The Eagle “evokes true majesty” and “brings us into the film’s world”.

Although perhaps not quite a household name within soundtrack circles, Icelandic composer Atli Orvarsson has a lot of sonic potential lurking under his belt, with his score for director Kevin MacDonald’s The Eagle serving as his best offering to date.Read More »

The Eagle is Not Your ‘Average Gone with the Wind’ Film

Anthony Lawton2 Comments

Goodness knows how it feels actually to make a film like The Eagle and put it out there, for critics and viewers to have their say – an ever more public say, with the internet. I find myself fiercely protective of the film (which I have seen once at a preview – and loved it, not just because I have to!) And of the film-makers, although they need no protection from me. At times they get criticised for what, to me, is actually all part of capturing the essence of Rosemary’s story and feel for it so well. But this concluding sentence of one broadly supportive New York review, with its comment that Rosemary Sutcliff‘s wonderful, beautifully told story was ‘tired’ , definitely got me going about the book, let alone the film!

The film won’t be taking home any big awards but it deserves credit for being enjoyable and for trying to make a tired story be a little more original. (Rating: Three out of five stars).

via The Eagle is Not Your Average Gone with the Wind – Film & Television – AllMediaNY.

Boys Rule Boys Read! goes WOW about The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutclliff

Anthony Lawton1 Comment

Over there (from here in England) at Charlotte Mecklenburg Library they work very energetically to encourage boys to read, and they are really, really enthusiastic about Rosemary Sutcliff‘s The Eagle of the Ninth

Wow.Wow …. Have you ever sat in a theatre after a movie was over, stunned and unable to get up because the movie was so great? Doesn’t happen often, does it? Well, books as great as The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff don’t come along that often either. And just like a great movie, this book left me sitting there going, “Wow.”The whole purpose of this blog is to tell you about terrific books, so I’m going to tell you guys right now that his is one terrific book!
Source: Boys Rule Boys Read!: The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutclliff.

And the in their view the book is excellent for group discussions: Read More »

Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth in at least 15 languages

Anthony LawtonLeave a comment

Rosemary Sutcliff is, as the readers and commenters on this blog attest, an internationally read and respected writer for children aged 8 to 88, of historical novels and other stories. As well as being published in English for the UK and Eire, Australia, New Zealand, South Africa, US and Canada, and readers of English everywhere, I believe The Eagle of the Ninth or some of the so-styled ‘trilogy’ (The Silver Branch, The Lantern Bearers) are published or about-to-be published internationally in these languages:

Brazillian Portuguese – Editora Record
Dutch – Facet
French – Gallimard
German – Verlag Freis Geistesleben
Greek – Aiora
Italian – Mondadori
Japan – Iwanami
Korean – Sigongsa
Portuguese – Gradiva
Romanian – Litera
Russian – Azbooka
Spanish – Plataforma
Swedish – Forlaget Barnstenen
Turkish – Ithaki

“As The Eagle film dramatises ancient tale, the 2,000 year riddle of Rome’s lost Ninth Legion is solved” | Mail Online

Anthony Lawton5 Comments

Rosemary Sutcliff‘s imagined fate of the ninth legion, as told in her historical novel for young adults The Eagle of the Ninth, which is the basis for the new film The Eagle, is about to receive support from a new documentary by UK producer-director Phil Hirst. According to the UK Daily Mail:

For centuries, historians have puzzled over the disappearance of a legion of 5,000 battle-hardened Roman soldiers in northern Britain around 108 AD.The ancient riddle, which has captivated storytellers, has just been dramatised by Hollywood in The Eagle, starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell. Now, experts have revealed that the children’s book on which the film is based is more fact than fiction …

The dramatic new evidence hinges on a single gravestone tribute and was brought to light by historian and film-maker Phil Hirst, whose documentary Rome’s Lost Legion will be screened next month.

I know this is going to be controversial, not least from various conversations and comments on this blog! But it is good publicity for Phil Hirst’s documentary, the film The Eagle, and let us hope also, the book The Eagle of the Ninth. (The documentary Rome’s Lost Legion is on the History Channel on March 18. The Eagle opens in UK cinemas on March 25. The book has been available since 1954 …)

Source: As a Hollywood film dramatises ancient tale, the 2,000 year riddle of Rome’s lost Ninth Legion is solved at last | Mail Online.