The Excavation is available on Netflix. If you want to know if The Dig is inspired by a true story, read on! The Excavation is the account of the events surrounding the discovery of the Sutton Hoo burial site. In this historical fiction film, Mrs. Edith Pretty hires self-taught archaeologist Basil Brown to unearth mounds in one of his fields. As Europe prepares for World War II. You are about to discover some of the most important historical artifacts that will redefine the history of England. If you’re wondering if The Excavation is based on a true story, we’re here to help you dispel those doubts!
Is The Excavation Based On A Real Story?
Yes, The Excavation is based on a true story. It is based on the homonymous novel by John Preston. The author of the novel is the nephew of Peggy Piggott, who was one of the people involved in the excavation. However, John Preston admitted that he had used a degree of literary license for the book’s dramatic effect. Therefore, it is not an accurate account of the actual events. The book presents events through the eyes of different people. This means that it necessarily has an impact on the chronology and knowledge of the archaeological site and the people involved in the project.
John Preston was not aware of his family’s involvement in the Sutton Hoo excavations until 2004. When a distant cousin accidentally slipped him into their conversation. Preston never met his aunt, Peggy, because she did not get along with John’s father. Peggy was the first person to find gold at the site and kept a journal, which John Preston eventually obtained from his stepsister, who grew up with Peggy. Describe the social environment of the time and the excavation. As the team unearthed the “remnants of a lost civilization,” civilization itself was about to rush into World War II.
As for the real events, the book is far from reality. Which means the movie does too. The book and the film merge the excavations into one. The actual excavations took place in 1938 and 1939. The first three burial mounds were excavated and then the famous ship burial was discovered between May 8 and September 3, 1939. Even the dramatic incident of the detachment is perhaps situated in the narrative of a different phase of excavation.
The original site of the Edith Pretty property consisted of eighteen low mounds, located 500 meters from the main house. Edith had a great interest in history and archeology and she was interested in mounds for a long time. In July 1937, her Edith met a local historian, Vincent Redstone. And she talked about the mounds on her property. Redstone wrote to the Ipswich Museum, after which the museum’s curator, Guy Maynard, visited the Sutton Hoo estate. It was then that the museum appointed Basil Brown to begin excavating the site.
Another important difference from the historical facts is that the film shows Mrs. Edith Pretty as a young widow, but she was actually about 56 years old when the 1939 excavations took place. Although Mrs. Pretty is much younger than Basil Brown in the movie was actually five years older than him. The relationship between the two was completely platonic.
Rory Lomax is a fictional character in both the novel and the movie. The real key photographers on the site are Mercie Lack and Barbara Wagstaff. Therefore, the romance between Rory and Peggy is not based on real events. In fact, at the time, Peggy was married to her first husband, Stuart Piggot. Although the book indicates that she had to interrupt her honeymoon to join the dig, she and Stuart had been married since 1936.
These scenes were shot for the movie in Cromer, Norfolk. But they were eventually cut from the final cut of the film. The Excavation shows the failure of her marriage to Stuart, which actually occurred many years later, and they divorced in 1956. Thus, although The Excavation may present some mismatches in the chronology and finer details. The Excavation is based on a true story.
