The Eagle of the Ninth is an intensely memorable children’s classic, full of marsh mist, hurt pride and high courage; fans will be excited to hear that a film adaptation, The Eagle, is released this week. Animated by author Rosemary Sutcliff, the average schoolchild’s bare-bones knowledge of life in the Roman legions acquires fascinating flesh as Marcus undertakes his desperate journey. Read More »
Author: Anthony Lawton
Chair, Sussex Dolphin, family company which looks after the work of eminent children’s & historical fiction author Rosemary Sutcliff (1920-92). Formerly CEO, chair & trustee of various charity, cultural & educational enterprises in UK. Sometimes a consultant.
A great film in its own right but … | BBC4’s Front Row reviews The Eagle with girlish hope
Rosemary Sutcliff’s book The Eagle of the Ninth was much loved by Rachel Cooke, writer for The Guardian and The Observer, which left her with “girlish hope in her heart” as she went to see the film, The Eagle. She spoke of the film on BBC 4 in the UK, on the review programme Front Row, with Mark Lawson.
I went to see this with so much girlish hope in my heart because it was one of my favourite books, and what I feel about it is its a great film on its own terms, but if you were a Rosemary Sutcliff fan I think you might be disappointed by it. It’s not as nuanced as the book, it’s not as tender or as lyrical as the book. It’s a very angry frenetic film, it’s very one note, there’s not much light and shade. It’s a buddy film with axes and bearskins.
Source: Listen at 1.05 minutes here
Are you a Rosemary Sutcliff fan, and what did you think of the film? Do post your reactions and reflections in the comments here; or a longer review at the You Write tab (see at the top of the page) … And if you are not someone who has up to now read Rosemary Sutcliff, I do hope the film leads you to the book, and indeed to The Silver Branch and The Lantern Bearers, two books in a trilogy of Roman novels, all published by Oxford University Press in film tie-in versions.
Kevin Macdonald, director of The Eagle “I didn’t understand Hollywood”
Why do the Romans in The Eagle film of Rosemary Sutcliff‘s great historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth speak with American accents? In a lengthy interview in The Guardian newspaper the director Kevin MacDonald explains:
In a reversal of the age-old Hollywood convention, the Romans are played by Americans, and the British by British actors. “To me it makes more sense in every way,” says Macdonald. “When you look at any classical Hollywood film from the 1930s onwards, Brits are always playing the Romans. It was easy to understand. Britain had an empire. Britain was the ex-colonial power. But Americans are the superpower of the world now. America is the empire. They’re the dominant occupying power in Iraq and Afghanistan.” He cites Robert Aldrich’s Ulzana’s Raid, an indictment of the Vietnam war disguised as a western, as a precedent. “It seemed to me you could do something similar today, reflecting on the modern world by telling an ancient story.”
Source: Kevin Macdonald: “I didn’t understand Hollywood” | The Guardian.
- More on The Eagle of the Ninth film and book on this blog
- Trailer for the film The Eagle
- Focus Features microsite on The Eagle film
Manda Scott in The Independent newspaper on the ‘power and pleasure of epic fiction’
Anne, a regular reader and commenter of this blog, as well as Google, has pointed me towards n a fascinating article which builds upon the impact on her of the work of Rosemary Sutcliff, Manda Scott (who has been hailed by The Times as ‘one of Britain’s most important crime writers’; and who like Rosemary Sutcliff has written of Romans and Boudica) reflects in The Independent newspaper on the ‘power and pleasure of epic fiction’.
I was eight years old when I read The Eagle of the Ninth, but it opened doors that have never closed. I was captivated not so much by Marcus Aquila and his quest for the lost eagle of his father’s legion, but by Esca, the captured Briton, and the barbarian tribes that lived north of Hadrian’s Wall. They were wild, savage and magical; they spoke to seals, to horses, to hounds and conducted shamanic ceremonies that were closed to outsiders. I was an outsider and hated being so.
Source: Rome recast for today as Eagle of the Ninth is adapted for big screen | The Independent.
The Sunday Mirror newspaper (UK) loves The Eagle (of the Ninth) film
A stylishly brooding Roman adventure, The Eagle is a thrilling journey into the heart of darkness (well, Scotland). Gritty and moody, bloody and brutal, this tough and exciting Roman epic is a classic tale that is very well made … along with all the talk of ‘honour’, this Roman adventure film is driven by some beautifully staged fight scenes and succeeds in being an enjoyable Roman romp.
ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-92) 