Directed by Simon Stone. Reviewed by Paul Sorrell

As a sometime scholar of Anglo-Saxon literature and Beowulf aficionado, I have long been fascinated by the Sutton Hoo hoard — an early-seventh-century ship burial in eastern England containing fabulous gold-and-garnet treasures made by local craftsmen, as well as objects from as far away as the Byzantine Empire.

Based on the novel by John Preston, The Dig tells the story of self-described excavator and amateur archaeologist Basil Brown (Ralph Fiennes), retained by English landowner Edith Pretty (Carey Mulligan) to excavate some ancient grave mounds on her property in rural Suffolk in 1939. While the film tells the complex story of the treasure’s recovery, it also plots Brown’s efforts to be recognised by the archaeological establishment and his developing friendship with Mrs Pretty — a young widow with a deteriorating heart condition — and her son Robert, an adventurous youngster whom Brown takes under his wing.

As more people turn up to help with the dig, the characters and their interactions multiply. One willing helper is Edith’s cousin Rory Lomax, who is about to join the Royal Air Force as the prospect of a European war turns into reality. (The melodramatic scene where he pulls a drowning trainee pilot from his sinking aircraft provides the only dud note in the film.) Then there are the men from the local Ipswich Museum, who want to lure Brown back to work on an important project, and the British Museum team which takes over the dig and looks set to dispense with Brown’s services altogether.

The British Museum contingent includes famous archaeologist Stuart Piggott (Ben Chaplin) and his wife, Peggy (Lily James), who throw themselves into the excavation work. Their story becomes a major subplot as the couple drift apart and the handsome Rory, dashing in his brand-new RAF uniform, enters the scene.

There’s a lot to like about The Dig. Despite the big-name actors, the film has an understated ambiance, a subtle emotional current that runs through it, a quality mirrored in the flat but quietly beautiful Suffolk countryside. And while the filmmakers have been criticised for inventing some characters, taking liberties with others and changing people’s ages (the real Mrs Pretty was approaching 60), there is a warmth and tenderness in the personal relationships depicted, especially between Basil Brown, Edith and Robert, that marks The Dig (available on Netflix) as a film that this reviewer, for one, will return to.

Tui Motu Magazine. Issue 269 April 2022: 28