Category: Media

Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth was on BBC TV in 1977 | Getting DvD or download

Anthony Lawton100 Comments

TV ProgrammeRosemary Sutcliff‘s historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth, which by 2011 had sold more than a million copies since its appearance in 1954 (according to publisher OUP), was made into a BBC TV series shot in Aberdeenshire in the 1970s.

Rosemary  Sutcliff adored the portrayal of Marcus, the hero. As I have posted before, I thought ” I probably had” old old video tapes of hers in the attic. I do not, I find now on moving house.

Some readers here and ‘likers’ of the Facebook page have lobbied for a re-release or at least DVD.  I have tried.  Meanwhile John has been doing sterling work respondng to requests for DvDs (see below). And now there is some action about downloading  with torrents (and I have managed to dowlaod the whole series and am loving it – I last watched it I think with Rosemary).

The TV series was broadcast in six episodes.

  1. Frontier Fort (4 September 1977)
  2. Esca (11 September 1977)
  3. Across the Frontier (18 September 1977)
  4. The Lost Legion (25 September 1977)
  5. The Wild Hunt (2 October 1977)
  6. Valedictory (9 October 1977)

Very tiny excerpts here.

(Revised 3/2/14)

Rosemary Sutcliff early book research in University of Southern Mississippi de Grummond Collection

Anthony Lawton3 Comments

Before my mother stopped her (to keep all her papers in one place), Rosemary Sutcliff happily responded ad hoc to speculative letters asking for research notes and other papers connected with her historical novels and children’s books. So this collection at the University of Southern Mississippi includes notes in her trademark red notebooks. Interestingly the reference refers not only to The Lantern Bearers, but to notes for books called The Red Dragon and The Amber Dolphin, as well as notes on several other topics. There never were published books with those titles. The collection also contains a manuscript and two typescripts for the radio play The New Laird. The programme was taped on April 4, 1966, and broadcast from Edinburgh on May 17, 1966 as part of the Stories from Scottish History series. (I note that the library has not bothered with making accurate and up-to-date their brief paragraphs on her life … )

Source: USM de Grummond Collection- Rosemary Sutcliff papers

Japanese film maker Hayao Miyazaki loves Rosemary Sutcliff books

Anthony Lawton1 Comment

Rosemary Sutcliff‘s books are loved by Hayao Miyazaki, who is one of Japan’s foremost living fantasy film-makers. In the 1980s and 90s his animations were huge hits at the Japanese box-office. Princess Mononoke was the biggest-earning Japanese film ever. Miyazaki is on record as a fan of the historical novels of Rosemary Sutcliff. Miyazaki’s films have been noted for their strong, self-reliant heroines, so I dream of him adapting Song for a Dark Queen!

Author Rosemary Sutcliff contributes to Super Bowl XLV !

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As I posted a while back, Rosemary Sutcliff – eminent writer of children’s literature and historical fiction – and her novel The Eagle of the Ninth have never until now, to my knowledge, been connected with American Football and the Super Bowl. But at Sunday coming’s Super Bowl  XLV – the big American football event of the year – a TV advertisement  for The Eagle film (out Feb. 11 in USA, 25th March in UK) will be broadcast. The film is  based upon  Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth story, indeed in several European countries, but not in the UK sadly, the film entitled The Eagle of the Ninth (in French, German or whatever …)

Some film  studios are bypassing the game itself and air advertisements during the festivities before the games, when the cost is 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’s The Eagle of the Ninth as a BBC TV drama 1977

Anthony Lawton6 Comments

Rosemary Sutcliff’s historical novel The Eagle of the Ninth was made into a BBC TV drama series in 1977.  (It is now about to be a film or movie, The Eagle). Made  by BBC Scotland, the TV series was  broadcast between 4th September and 9th  October 1977. Rosemary Sutcliff loved the series, and she kept a photo of Marcus (Anthony Higgins) by her writing desk in Sussex. Here is some detail: Read More »