We interrupt this transmission...
...of Navy Boy fangirling to bring you a ranty film review.
As daughter has gone to stay with her gran, partner and I took the opportunity to go to the cinema *faints* This is probably the 5th time I have gone to the cinema since daughter was born and she is 5 now.
We went to see the The Eagle and if you plan to read this rant you should know that partner is a Celtic Studies grad and I spent a sizable chunk of time working as archaeologist specialising in the Iron Age of North West Briton. I also read The Eagle of the Ninth when I was 12 and fell in love with Marcus and Esca but haven't read the book since <3
So, we both thought it was a fairly decent film. I had never seen the lead actor before (which is probably a good thing) and I didn't find him too annoying. The mix of American and British accents didn't bother me as the Roman legions occupying Britain came from all over the shop (though not the US admittedly ;) The material culture was spot on most of the time. I've excavated Roman forts and Romano British settlements north of Hadrian's Wall and they would have looked a lot like that. Ditto the Caledonian's settlements. Partner thought the Seal People were a bit far fetched but I worked on a later Iron Age site in the Western Isles which had a central hearth surrounded by stone lined pits filled with seal claws so that kind of totemic device is not beyond the bounds of possibility. The bits that were filmed in Scotland looked authentically Scottish and I loved the way it rained continually!
The real problem though was the language. Gaelic. *headdesk* We have no conclusive proof what language the Picts and Northern tribes spoke but it's highly unlikely to have been q-celtic (the Goidelic languages e.g. Irish and Scottish Gaelic) and highly likely to have been a form of p-celtic (the Brythonic languages e.g. Welsh, Breton, Cornish). So really both Esca and those seal skin dudes should have been speaking something akin to Welsh not bloody Gaelic! Although I should add that when Jamie Bell and some of the more obviously non-Scottish cast spoke Gaelic it actually sounded authentically weird. However there were a few blokes there that sounded like they'd just rolled out of the Park Bar in Glasgow on a Friday night.
Then there was the music. Uilleann pipes. Guaranteed to make partner spit feathers. They're Irish and were invented in the 18th century as a parlour instrument. Only the final tune was played on small pipes which probably were around in some shape or form at this time. I have to confess I didn't recognise the variation in the pipes but I did recognise the tune which is a Scottish air that probably dates to the 18th century again.
All that aside one thing the film did get right was Marcus and Esca's relationship. You really can't miss it. Partner even suggested that we wait till after the credits rolled in case there was a sneaky shot of them snogging at the end. Remind me to ask him to return my slash goggles.
All in all not a bad film and a thoroughly enjoyable evening spent nit picking! (And enjoying teh slash ;).
Now were were we? Ah yes Navy Boys....
As daughter has gone to stay with her gran, partner and I took the opportunity to go to the cinema *faints* This is probably the 5th time I have gone to the cinema since daughter was born and she is 5 now.
We went to see the The Eagle and if you plan to read this rant you should know that partner is a Celtic Studies grad and I spent a sizable chunk of time working as archaeologist specialising in the Iron Age of North West Briton. I also read The Eagle of the Ninth when I was 12 and fell in love with Marcus and Esca but haven't read the book since <3
So, we both thought it was a fairly decent film. I had never seen the lead actor before (which is probably a good thing) and I didn't find him too annoying. The mix of American and British accents didn't bother me as the Roman legions occupying Britain came from all over the shop (though not the US admittedly ;) The material culture was spot on most of the time. I've excavated Roman forts and Romano British settlements north of Hadrian's Wall and they would have looked a lot like that. Ditto the Caledonian's settlements. Partner thought the Seal People were a bit far fetched but I worked on a later Iron Age site in the Western Isles which had a central hearth surrounded by stone lined pits filled with seal claws so that kind of totemic device is not beyond the bounds of possibility. The bits that were filmed in Scotland looked authentically Scottish and I loved the way it rained continually!
The real problem though was the language. Gaelic. *headdesk* We have no conclusive proof what language the Picts and Northern tribes spoke but it's highly unlikely to have been q-celtic (the Goidelic languages e.g. Irish and Scottish Gaelic) and highly likely to have been a form of p-celtic (the Brythonic languages e.g. Welsh, Breton, Cornish). So really both Esca and those seal skin dudes should have been speaking something akin to Welsh not bloody Gaelic! Although I should add that when Jamie Bell and some of the more obviously non-Scottish cast spoke Gaelic it actually sounded authentically weird. However there were a few blokes there that sounded like they'd just rolled out of the Park Bar in Glasgow on a Friday night.
Then there was the music. Uilleann pipes. Guaranteed to make partner spit feathers. They're Irish and were invented in the 18th century as a parlour instrument. Only the final tune was played on small pipes which probably were around in some shape or form at this time. I have to confess I didn't recognise the variation in the pipes but I did recognise the tune which is a Scottish air that probably dates to the 18th century again.
All that aside one thing the film did get right was Marcus and Esca's relationship. You really can't miss it. Partner even suggested that we wait till after the credits rolled in case there was a sneaky shot of them snogging at the end. Remind me to ask him to return my slash goggles.
All in all not a bad film and a thoroughly enjoyable evening spent nit picking! (And enjoying teh slash ;).
Now were were we? Ah yes Navy Boys....