Top 10 Things The Dig Got Factually Right & Wrong

[@AndthenonedayIbecameanEXO-L]

5. As they said, it actually bothered me, when I looked her up, that she was much older irl. Carey is great in that role, but I'm sure there are plenty of older british actresses that would be able to carry the role well, but I guess for promo purposes we want to see young pretty actress to draw the viewers.

[@hupotasso4705]

In an interview, screenwriter Moira Buffini explained that Nicole Kidman had been cast as Edith Pretty but had to drop out about 2 weeks before filming was scheduled to commence. The producers needed to find a reasonably prominent actress who was available on very short notice and who wanted the part, which led to the casting of Mulligan.

[@Philinganes]

I enjoyed the film despite some inaccuracies. The book it is based on has many more inaccuracies than appear in the film and I could never understand why the author did that. The real, unvarnished, truth is just as exciting. It is a wonderful story. (Author, Basil Brown biography, co-author Edith Pretty biography)

[@glassdragonmedia]

Yes! Exactly! Thank you for saying that! I'm so so sick of forced romance in media.

[@kenbrunet6120]

I get it too. But if we're honest with ourselves. Until money isn't what makes the world go round. We're going to see everything created with the goal of gathering as many eyeballs as possible. Love stories and sexuality do that.

[@helenamcginty4920]

@@kenbrunet6120 I am a supremely unromantic person and from childhood waited impatiently for the love scenes in films and tv to be over.

[@maddisonmurphy2820]

I’ve been to Sutton Hoo and I can tell you it’s extraordinary!

[@maddisonmurphy2820]

@1993 Yeah that’s literally what it is, they also have a museum with all the artifacts they found.

[@sylviawatkins9137]

I suppose if there were no romance or a plane crash, not at many people would have watched , but now that this fun and informative movie has been made, a documentary would have a large audience. I LOVED IT. Hooray for Edith and Basil.

[@Sonar_125]

Why no one is saying anything about how ben chaplin played lily james dad in cinderella and here they are husband and wife. 😂

[@ingeborgsuckel8858]

I loved the movie. One little wrong detail for me is that when the excavators are working, their clothes look always clean

[@ShizukuSeiji]

I was actually impressed at how filthy they made the archaeologists look!

[@kenbrunet6120]

It's a widely known fact that excavators changed clothes every 10 minutes in order to look good for pictures. The movie is just being historically accurate.

[@anju04aa]

I truly agree that when filmmakers are making movies on true events they can portray only the real ones and true to the history....there’s no need to show or add any extra stuff for the sake of artistic license.....here not only there are many wrongs in the plot but also the age of Edith is wrongly shown .....they could have taken an age appropriate actress of 21 years older.....they did the same with Mank too where Mank is older than the real Mank....

[@joshsandford2264]

Its a movie, not a documentary. Its based on the events of history, not documenting them... So of course artistic liberties should be taken!

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Imagine the most cringeworthy episode of The Archers...? It still wouldn't be as mind numbingly awful as The Dig.

[@samg1879]

Well on the flip side, as someone who didn't have a clue about this, I thoroughly enjoyed it and will be reading up on the true events because of it. My mind was blown when I saw that this is where the Sutton Hoo helmet came from, not that I knew the name of the helmet before this movie. It's a great way of making people aware. If it were documentary I'd have probably have given it a miss and be none the wiser.

[@helenamcginty4920]

Have just read an article in my Current Archaeology magazine about this film and its writing out or down of the women involved. From the then expert Peggy Piggott, the photographers, Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff, Edith Pretty herself and an Anglo Saxon Queen buried in mound 14. Worth a read. Thankyou for this debunk.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Good point !!

[@ShizukuSeiji]

I thought the film was very well made. Yes there were clearly artistic episodes but the basic ideas of death/survival/permanence/fleeting life were very well treated. The poignancy of the coming war was also used to good effect.

[@jacquelinenix9035]

Great film even with the changes loved it

[@peanutbutter894]

I clicked on the notation so damn fast 🤣🤣🤣

[@justineves3588]

very very great list I like it a lot great job mis mojo one of my favorite list ever

[@henryahoy]

It is sooooo disappointing to learn they aged Edith Pretty down. That's just a slap in the face to every woman watching - you won't matter when you're over 50.

[@asahk7419]

people say it's because they wanted star power... no disrespect to Carey, she's amazing, but she's not the person I think of when I think "star power". lol in fact, Lily James has more star power. I can think of 20 actresses over 45 who could've played the character well and are bigger names than Carey.

[@Sonar_125]

They could have easily asked helen mirren or meryl streep right? As if these two arent star power.

[@kenbrunet6120]

Unfortunately the entire world values youth over age. It's not the fault of the movie industry. Its the fault of the human condition.

[@henryahoy]

@@kenbrunet6120 I think the Western world does, but even if you look at movies from 50, 60 and over years ago, it's quite shocking how old main characters are, men and women. And other cultures don't have the age attitudes we do. Middle aged and elderly people remain central to life, not side lined. I don't even think our culture particularly values youth, it's just been monetised/weaponised and used against people, young and old, for profit.

[@kenbrunet6120]

@@henryahoy At the root of the problem is the fact that humans inherently value youth over elderly though. Monetizing youth wouldnt' have any impact at all if our character didnt' allow it to work. And just because some cultures show more value to their elderly, doestn' mean their society isn't vulnerable to the same effect. It would only take one generation of greedy profit driven companies to change it. Much like your example of movies from the past.

[@M.W.K6996]

"Top 10 Greatest Brawlers in Anime".

[@garrieleepeck8753]

Amazing I can't stop watching .God yes bad times to come how basic things were back then

[@Sofia-qn6fs]

Dig dog is an amazing series 👏

[@reinadegrillos]

I loved the film only the love story in the subplot distracted. But the main story was marvelous.

[@5orgen51]

It's not a documentary, it's a movie based on real events.

[@jonpatterson7211]

Throughly enjoyed the film. The only problem I had with it was the scene where young Mr. Pretty rode his bike from Sutton Hoo to Diss to find Basil Brown. Sorry, I'm calling BS.

[@pandorapiam3374]

I was thinking the same thing. Any one who knows Suffolk would know that it would be a very long bike ride for a young child.

[@adamgorelick3714]

Sometimes it seems that film maker's "artistic license" should be revoked. The Enigma Machine, the Alan Turing story, was, likewise, riddled with Hollywoodisms to boost the drama. These narrative and character alterations are almost invariably unnecessary and, for those familiar with the actual history, emotionally deflating.

[@helenamcginty4920]

Why do film makers always have to lie.

[@markmaz56]

To be fair, the movie is based on the novel, not real events.

[@nickyweir2019]

Lemon drizzle cake served at the party. It wasn't invented until the 1960s.

[@timmylochhead7865]

Watched it last nite for Anzac Day weekend top movie

[@atlas-dominion305]

Number 11: W.F. Grimes was not a Pakistani Muslim with an English Accent, but instead a proud Welshmen

[@djf750]

Whenever I see "based on a true story" I run I'd rather watch a documentary about this

[@kenbrunet6120]

I like watching both actually.

[@amyfain9925]

Angelica Huston would have been perfection!

[@TheChuus]

Two marvelously accomplished women from history, not one but two, and from HISTORY!!! And they they play them both down, for what? Makeing the movie lesser?! Don't get me wrong its a damn good movie, but the shoehorned romance just gets my proverbial goat! And that they downgrade Peggy to make her, what, a sufferer of misogyne? that is oddly enough NOT HELPING!!! And it's not even done well.

[@bart234465]

Was Stuart Piggott gay?

[@kippwanderer]

Nope

[@hortensiapatino8000]

Me gusto esa class de peliculas originalr

[@cexodlogi7842]

Salut

[@anam.caballerowilson9421]

we just watched the dig and ngit pala ang characters

[@saudbintalib2567]

OK.

[@debbralehrman5957]

I liked the The Dig.

[@lenaklein9236]

Deeevon river 😂

[@klcpesan]

Came to say the same!

[@jonpatterson7211]

@@klcpesan Nope. You're both wrong. The river in question is the Deben. It flows through Melton and passed Sutton Hoo, although not as close as depicted in the film.

[@klcpesan]

@@jonpatterson7211 I wasn't saying it was the Devon river, just a wee giggle at how it was pronounced by the presenter (sounded like she said Deevon) in the vid.

[@pandorapiam3374]

@@jonpatterson7211 In the film it made it look as if the site was on the river but near the sea. In reality it is several miles down river.

[@jonpatterson7211]

@@klcpesan I got ya. My apologies. You might be interested to know that some of the film was shot on the River Alde, up near Snape. I kept seeing landmarks I knew, then when the boat slid passed Basil Brown while he was having a smoke on the river I knew where they were. The boat was the Cygnet that you see tied up at Snape. I've been back in the states for almost 30 years, but some places just stick in your mind. Suffolk was one such place. Have a great day.

[@2msvalkyrie529]

Try watching paint dry instead . More interesting.

[@thiagopena3258]

MsMojo will you please make a playlist of all of your top 10's from WatchMojo and MsMojo, so that I can post your top 10 in polls on Facebook.

[@najibhussein4524]

IF YOU WANT FOR FREE THIS MOVIE ASK ME

[@kenbrunet6120]

It's already free if you pay for a netflix subscription weirdo!

[@P14YCR]

Beautiful film, could of done without the gay relationship references...

[@kenbrunet6120]

Why?

[@Frugustin]

@@kenbrunet6120 Because embellishing that a real person was a homosexual and that's why his marriage fell apart is despicable and was exclusively done for half assed representation because you can't have a movie without LGBT caricatures in the current year.

[@johnwright9070]

You can’t describe dramatic elements added to a real story to make it a compelling movie as “wrong”. This movie is not meant to be a documentary. Movies are about story telling. And entertainment. And we don’t need your gratuitous opinion about the main female role not going to an older actress thrust down our throats. You’d be better off discussing how those dramatic elements add to the movie’s watchability rather than suggesting the writers somehow got it wrong.

[@sevn_f0rty_sevn726]

3rd

[@celestegimmelli7885]

Whaaaaaaat

[@celestegimmelli7885]

Yes

[@anam.caballerowilson9421]

Ha ha ha 😳