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 »
Rosemary Sutcliff’s imaginings – and those of the the film-making experts – for The Eagle of the Ninth are translated into costumes for the film The Eagle. Those involved speak about it here.
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 »
Rosemary Sutcliff’s The Eagle of the Ninth comes to life – as envisaged by writer Jeremy Brock, director Kevin Macdonald, producer Duncan Kenworthy and cinematographer Anthony Don Mantle – as video clips come thick and fast for film The Eagle (2011). This one includes (from about half way) some comments from star Channing Tatum, as well as producer Duncan Kenworthy, and director Kevin Macdonald as they speak of their love of The Eagle of the Ninth story and book, and filming of The Eagle.
Synopses of the story of The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff are now coming thick and fast in various languages, in the guise of summaries of the story of the film The Eagle. Here in Russian:
II век нашей эры. Молодой центурион Маркус Акила прибывает из Рима на Британские острова и отправляется в горы Шотландии на поиски пропавшего пятнадцать лет назад легендарного Девятого легиона, которым командовал его отец… В спутники Маркус берет кельта Эска, спасенного им из рабства. Дикие племена и непредсказуемые опасности стоят на пути героя, который во чтобы то ни стало должен найти след римских воинов и спасти главный символ легиона — Орла Девяти.
And here a Russian dubbed trailer!
ROSEMARY SUTCLIFF (1920-92) 