BBC Eagle of the Ninth

[leyna55]

Continuing on from a previous post, I though people might be interested in seeing some screen captures from the BBC 70s version of Eagle of the Ninth, including most of the main characters (complete with very 70s hair and facial hair!).

Comments

[carmarthen]

Sometimes I think I am the only person who imagines Marcus rather darker (although otherwise not at all like that actor). He doesn't quite have the Aquila Family Unibrow, either, but at least he has the nose, and his occulist disguise is awesomesauce

[bunn]

I think Esca looks younger in the DVD than in the screencaps, weirdly. I thought he looked too old until I started watching it, but I'm really kind of sold on him now.

CH *could* be Egyptian, I think - and oddly, Placidus looks VERY Egyptian, which I suppose works with him being a sort of Syrian Greek.

The hair is mad. It's like Britannia is the Island of Hair. :-D

[carmarthen]

IDK about Hieronimianus, but it is hard to tell from the tiny pictures. OTOH, he's the only Sutcliff character I have clear mental casting for, so if he's not Ghassan Massoud, I will always be disappointed.

Haircuts are a sign of Roman oppression!

[bunn]

Ghassan Massoud *would* be a better Hieronimianus, it's true. The guy they cast is too tubby. I can't see the Legate as tubby.

[leyna55]

I love Marcus' occulist diguise (his beard is a bit much for my taste even though it suits the disguise) and he has fun playing that part, too.

Checking with IMDB, Anthony Higgins was 30 when he played Marcus, though I would guess he is playing Marcus as early 20s. I suspect my filtering of the screencaps (to try to get rid of the video graininess) makes him look younger. Christian Rodska was apparently 31 or 32.

They did a lovely job with the location filming and the sets, but I think they just cast the secondary parts from their usual stock of actors. I've seen the Legate's actor in various other things as older male authority figures.

The 70s hair on the various celts is wonderfully OTT.