Another excellent but underrated Sword & Sandal film is director Kevin Macdonald's The Eagle:
Based on Rosemary Sutcliff's beloved historical adventure novel The Eagle of the Ninth (1954), which in turn is loosely based on the disappearance of the Legio IX Hispana (purportedly during a punitive expedition to Caledonia (modern day Scotland)), The Eagle takes place in 2nd century AD and follows Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young Roman officer who has come to Roman Britain to discover his father's fate (a senior officer with the Ninth Legion) and to restore his family's honor. Receiving an honorable discharge after successfully defending his fort, the appropriately named Aquila heads north with his slave Esca, son of the slain chief of the Brigantes, past Hadrian's Wall to search for the Aquila (the eagle-shaped military standard) of the Ninth Legion.
The story is part Heart of Darkness, journeying into the unknown to the edge of the Roman world, and part Mismatched Partners, with two very different people having to work together. It works for the most part- I felt the ending was a bit contrived. The film looks great, with beautiful shots of mountains, rivers, and the grime and grit of Iron Age living. Also, combat is appropriately desperate and deadly:
Director MacDonald's commitment to realism pays off in ways that working with green screen and computer graphics never could, painting a reasonably authentic picture of 140 AD Roman Britain: Roman values are different from modern values and The Eagle doesn't shy away from the uglier side of the empire. The film commitment to details also shines when it uses real Roman lingo and tactics like Testudo formation:
By comparison, the contemporary Centurion (2010) is very much a Hollywood action blockbuster.
A few things are still a bit off, though. For example, Marcus Aquila's father was Primus Pilus Centurion, so it's odd that he'd shoulder the blame for the loss of the Ninth Legion, as opposed to, say, the Legate.
Still, I quite enjoyed this under appreciated gem. If you like historical, thoughtful tales of honor and adventure into the unknown set in the Iron Age, The Eagle is well worth your time.
Based on Rosemary Sutcliff's beloved historical adventure novel The Eagle of the Ninth (1954), which in turn is loosely based on the disappearance of the Legio IX Hispana (purportedly during a punitive expedition to Caledonia (modern day Scotland)), The Eagle takes place in 2nd century AD and follows Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young Roman officer who has come to Roman Britain to discover his father's fate (a senior officer with the Ninth Legion) and to restore his family's honor. Receiving an honorable discharge after successfully defending his fort, the appropriately named Aquila heads north with his slave Esca, son of the slain chief of the Brigantes, past Hadrian's Wall to search for the Aquila (the eagle-shaped military standard) of the Ninth Legion.
The story is part Heart of Darkness, journeying into the unknown to the edge of the Roman world, and part Mismatched Partners, with two very different people having to work together. It works for the most part- I felt the ending was a bit contrived. The film looks great, with beautiful shots of mountains, rivers, and the grime and grit of Iron Age living. Also, combat is appropriately desperate and deadly:
Director MacDonald's commitment to realism pays off in ways that working with green screen and computer graphics never could, painting a reasonably authentic picture of 140 AD Roman Britain: Roman values are different from modern values and The Eagle doesn't shy away from the uglier side of the empire. The film commitment to details also shines when it uses real Roman lingo and tactics like Testudo formation:
By comparison, the contemporary Centurion (2010) is very much a Hollywood action blockbuster.
A few things are still a bit off, though. For example, Marcus Aquila's father was Primus Pilus Centurion, so it's odd that he'd shoulder the blame for the loss of the Ninth Legion, as opposed to, say, the Legate.
Still, I quite enjoyed this under appreciated gem. If you like historical, thoughtful tales of honor and adventure into the unknown set in the Iron Age, The Eagle is well worth your time.
SC's Parting Shot: 8 of 10
No comments:
Post a Comment