Category: General

Trawling the internet, researching libraries and databases, and occasionally from material sent to me, I discover things I did not know much about, or indeed at all! There can be more than one Discovery of the Day.

The Eagle of the Ninth film | International titles

Anthony LawtonLeave a comment

I was, of course, disappointed when the US film studio Focus Features decided to shorten the film title to The Eagle from The Eagle of the Ninth, the full and proper title of Rosemary Sutcliff‘s novel. I chose to believe that the studio knew its business and its market, although the subsequent relative failure of their marketing in the US might lead one to wonder a little more … (For those of you interested, the contract for the book rights – a standard 0ne  – gave those of us responsible for Rosemary Sutcliff’s book no veto or locus in the decision).

I have been tracking down the international titles of the film, and it is interesting that in much of Europe the title is still The Eagle of the Ninth (in translation). A shame we here in the UK have to go with the US title, which was chosen, it is said publicly by the director, partly because Amercians’ who were market tested were confused that this might be a film about golf – as in a bogie at the eighth! And I note that The Eagle in Russia (see  full title below) has knocked True Grit into a cocked hat in the money taken stakes.

Орел Девятого легиона Russia

Орелът Bulgaria

Örninn Iceland

9. legion Poland

A Águia da Nona Legião Portugal

A sas Hungary

Acvila legiunii a IX-a Romania

Der Adler der Neunten Legion Germany

Devintojo legiono erelis Lithuania

Dziewiaty legion Poland

El águila de la novena legión Spain

Erelis Lithuania

Kotka Finland

L’ Aigle de la Neuvième Légion France

O aetos tis aftokratorias Greece

Orao Croatia

More women than men follow Rosemary Sutcliff page on Facebook

Anthony LawtonLeave a comment

This is for any of you who are as intrigued as I am to watch the make-up of the increasing number of users of the Facebook page about Rosemary Sutcliff.

Male & female Facebook likers of Rosemary Sutcliff page on March 16th, 2011

‘It would seem that Sutcliff was right after all” | The Eagle and The Eagle of the Ninth | More on The Roman Ninth Legion’s mysterious loss | BBC News

Anthony Lawton1 Comment

Ninth Legion stampRosemary Sutcliff‘s The Eagle of the Ninth is grounded in a view about what happened to the ninth Roman legion. The fate of the legion continues to be debated, most recently on the BBC website, by Miles Russell of Bournemouth University.

The British problem was of deep concern to Roman central government. Thanks to a tombstone recovered from Ferentinum in Italy, we know that emergency reinforcements of over 3,000 men were rushed to the island on “the British Expedition”, early in Hadrian’s reign. The emperor himself visited the island in AD 122, in order to “correct many faults”, bringing with him a new legion, the Sixth.

The fact that they took up residence in the legionary fortress of York suggests that the “great losses” of personnel, alluded to by Fronto, had occurred within the ranks of the Ninth.

Archaeological evidence of the legion’s fate is scarce

It would seem that Sutcliff was right after all.

It was the Ninth, the most exposed and northerly of all legions in Britain, that had borne the brunt of the uprising, ending their days fighting insurgents in the turmoil of early 2nd Century Britain.

Source: BC News – The Roman Ninth Legion’s mysterious loss.

See also on this blog a post on The symbolism of The Eagle of the Ninth | What happened to the ninth legion: Part IX?

Live Webchat on The Eagle film over | TODAY March 11th

Anthony Lawton2 Comments

The Eagle stars faced interrogation today (March 11th) in a Webchat. As Empire  put it:

One got his start playing a ballet dancer in Billy Elliot; the other as a street dancer in Step Up. But there’ll be no twinkling of toes as Jamie Bell and Channing Tatum team up for Kevin MacDonald’s latest film, The Eagle. Set in Roman Britain, Tatum’s a young Centurion trying to redeem his family honour following his father’s disgrace, and Bell’s the British slave who may hold the key to sorting it out.  Join us, won’t you …..

I did! via Live Webchat | Empire | www.empireonline.com.

Jamie Bell, Channing Tatum at premiere March 9th and signing copies of The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff at Waterstone’s Piccadilly Branch 10th March

Anthony Lawton2 Comments

The Eagle Film Tie-In Leading stars in The Eagle film of The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff – Jamie Bell and Channing Tatum,– were at the premiere in Leicester Square on March 9th and signed books at the Piccadilly branch of Waterstone’s the next day. Details of the book signing here.

The rules of battle included:  “the queue will be restricted to the first 150 people who will be issued with a special wristband -wristbands will issued from 4pm on the day when people buy The Eagle film tie-in book from Waterstone’s Piccadilly, or when they bring a valid receipt with their copy”.