Monday 1 February 2021

Hoo? What? When?

Hoo; Sutton Hoo,Suffolk What; Archaeological Dig When; 1938

Sutton Hoo, an estate near Woodbridge in Suffolk is the site of two 6th/7th century Anglo Saxon cemeteries. In 1926 the property was bought by Edith Pretty, a very wealthy woman and intelligent woman. At the age of 43 she had finally married Frank Pretty, of Ipswich,  with whom she had corresponded for 25 years. They dreamed of excavating the barrows/mounds on their land. In 1930, she gave birth to Robert, but Frank sadly died three years later.

Edith was not deterred from the dream - she employed Basil Brown, a local amateur archaeologist to excavate the mounds. War was looming, and there seemed ot be no 'official' finance available for the project. Then Brown unearthed a Saxon ship - and the British Museum stepped in and took over. Some fantastic treasures were discovered. 

If you have heard of Sutton Hoo already, you probably know that much. If you don't know about it, and you have Netflix, you should really watch "The Dig", which was released last Friday. I won't give away any more...

It is brilliant. The stellar cast is headed up by Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan - and RF has worked incredibly hard to get a totally believable Suffolk accent**. Oh please do watch it if you get the opportunity!


After you have watched the film, [or now if you  know you cannot  get to see it]  you may want to follow this link which explains the historical details

And Sutton Hoo is now owned by the National Trust - their website is also a mine of information about the property, the excavation, the characters, and the film. [here]

I'm a sucker for a film with an intelligent plotline, based on a true story, celebrating all the best values- love, friendship, commitment, honesty, respect for land and for history, sharing of knowledge with young and old, joy and peace, hard work and just reward, and hope for the future...especially at a time of sadness, separation, and anxiety about what lies ahead. 

The Dig - definitely *****

** watch how Mr Fiennes became Mr Brown - sounding like a Suffolk excavator, and not a Dorset pirate here after Charlie Haylock "Suffolk-ated" the script



13 comments:

  1. I loved the film and agree with everything you have said - can't wait to go and visit the site again!

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  2. There's been lots about this film on local BBC news and I'm glad they got Charlie in to teach RF proper Suffolk!
    I tried to read the book which this is based on when it first came out but didn't finish it for some reason.
    I'd like to go back to Sutton Hoo now they've built the viewing tower because its difficult to work out the site from ground level.

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    1. You never know, come the summer if it's all open again, I could drive down from Norfolk & pick you up on the way...

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  3. this was our Sunday afternoon watch , rather good it was

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    1. It does seem to be getting positive comments all round.

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  4. Watched the film at the weekend. Really enjoyed it and thought the acting was superb by all involved (wasn't Ken Stott a million miles removed from 'Rebus'?? and a rather snooty old devil at that!). What a feeling it must have been to unearth it all - as equally exciting as Carter and Tutankhamum, I should imagine.A gem of a film.

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    1. Yes, we thought KS's character was, as you say 'a million miles from Rebus'. Howard Carter grew up in Norfolk. East Anglia obviously produces fine archaeologists.

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  5. I was just notified that this had dropped on Netflix so I will be watching it at some point this week. Looking forward to it.

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  6. This sounds like a fascinating movie and I love Ralph Fiennes in anything! Thanks for the link, Angela.

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  7. I had heard about Sutton Hoo, but, don't have Netflix. Thank you for the links to the different sites, however. :)

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  8. I will give this a watch at some point. I learnt about it through my A level history course.

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  9. We watched it last night after your recommendation! It was excellent, really enjoyed it and just what we needed. X

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  10. I am so excited about The Dig. I have loved R. Fienned since the English patient. We're saving the Dig for when we will have watched the last episode of Designated Survivor's first series. I've told everyone I'll need a break before series 2, and it will need filled with just such loveliness as this!

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