The Eagle

I'm not sure why this movie isn't more well known. Most people, when I say, "Hey, I saw The Eagle last night..." say, "I've never heard of it." Maybe it's just that I am a book nerd. When I saw the poster go up, I got very excited because I was hoping it was based on a wonderful book I read several years ago. And it is!

The book is called The Eagle of the Ninth by Rosemary Sutcliff (who unfortunately died in 1992) and it is the first of a trilogy. It is available on http://www.amazon.com/ for $8.99 though there are some used ones for cheaper. I'm sure it's in your local library too. I recommend anything Rosemary Sutcliff wrote (which is not enough!) All of her books were written for young adults and the movie stays true to the "non-graphic" nature of the book.

It takes place during the Roman occupation of Britain - about 124 A.D. The back-story for the movie is that several years earlier, 5000 Roman soldiers (the Ninth Legion) marched into northern Britain following the golden eagle - symbol of their power and glory - and never came back. The Romans were so shaken by this apparent defeat that they built a wall across Britain (named for the Emperor at the time - Hadrian) and never ventured beyond it again. You can still see parts of Hadrian's wall in Great Britain although many of the stones were taken by local people over the years to make their own walls.

The main character, Marcus' father was with the ninth when they disappeared and the movie is about his efforts to restore his family's honor. His eventual friendship with a British slave, Esca, is another main theme of the movie. I really liked the movie and recommend it. I came out of it thinking about honor and loyalty and other good charater traits. (Also, it's not in 3-D which is a plus).

One caveat - there is a scene where a young boy is killed by his father. It doesn't show the actual killing, just before and after but the idea of a father killing his son may stick with you for longer than you want it to. I don't remember that happening in the book but it could be that seeing it actually acted out is just more impactful.

However, if you are going to see the movie, DO NOT read the book first. I think it will ruin the movie for you. Fortunately, I read the book so long ago that I have forgotten much of it. I haven't forgotten the feeling it gave me and I don't think I ever will. The movie gave me a similar feeling but nowhere near as strong. I'm planning to read the book again soon.