Kindred spirits Carey Mulligan and Ralph Fiennes preside over the discovery of the Anglo-Saxon ship burial in this gently understated period drama
This bittersweet tale of the unearthing of the Sutton Hoo treasures on the eve of the second world war has gentle charm to spare. Adapted by screenwriter Moira Buffini from the historical novel by John Preston, it’s a melancholy whimsy about common purpose, new friendship and the persistence of the past, bogged down occasionally by a somewhat superfluous romantic subplot but buoyed up by Mike Eley’s lush cinematography, which beautifully captures the lonely beauty of the open English landscapes.
Ralph Fiennes is Basil Brown, the self-taught, working-class archaeologist who wears his immense learning lightly, and who rides his panniered bike under imposing skies, now darkening with the impending threat of war with Germany. Basil’s demeanour is quiet and unassuming, but there’s a steely defiance beneath the surface deference, an awareness of his own worth, both professionally and financially.
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