Haruspex_Pariah
2016-11-10, 11:03 AM
I recently rediscovered my copy of The Eagle of the Ninth in my house and decided to dust it off. Inevitably I started to contrast the story to the 2011 film adaptation starring Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell.
They tried to make it into a standard action film, and I don't think it worked out all that well. The ending was also really rushed, in my view. Maybe it's because the book was initially written for "older children" so they thought more action scenes were needed. Who knows.
In the novel Marcus and Esca are basically bros before journeying beyond the wall, Marcus choosing to go so far as to free Esca the day before the trip. Esca, now no longer a slave, voluntarily follows because they are friends. Marcus adopts the persona of a Greek eye doctor, getting some advice and supplies from a real doctor (the medication is shown to work in the book) and in this guise is able to interact fairly easily with the tribes they encounter throughout their search, including the tribe that holds the Eagle. He doesn't have to do something as absurd as pretending to be Esca's slave, though in hindsight I guess the eye doctor disguise may not seem believable either. They do end up stealing the Eagle and get chased, but the "final fight" involves them ambushing a small group of pursuers, forcing them to tell the others they're not there, then tying them up and escaping back over the wall. Guern's involvement is critical, but for a different reason. He leads the two through a relatively hidden path that helps them avoid most of the pursuers.
The character of Cottia, the niece of a Romanized British magistrate, was removed entirely. While she's admittedly a minor character, she and Esca do help Marcus to understand why some of the locals aren't at ease with the Roman occupation.
I get that because Marcus' rehabilitation and ongoing interactions with Esca and Cottia happen over a significant period of time it couldn't really fit into the film. Still, I felt it could have been a better movie than what it ended up as. It wasn't a terrible film, but not great either.
The chariot scene has a different context in the book. In the book the fort is surrounded by attackers over a number of days and one of the Roman patrols has yet to check in. When they do spot the patrol Marcus heads out with a number of men so that they can link up. The testudo is deployed at this time. The writer states it's not a fighting formation, but one for rushing and breaking through a position (not sure how accurate that is, but then again the book was written in the 50s). Marcus breaks testudo when it's no longer useful, unlike in the movie where it's employed essentially as a melee formation. By the time the chariots show up the two units have already combined, have taken some losses, and are making a fighting retreat back to the fort. They scatter and run upon seeing the chariots because the fort is on high ground and they think they might have a chance to escape as a result. Similar to the movie, they're not quite fast enough which is why Marcus does the suicide attack that ends up injuring him.
The chin scar scene does happen in the book. YouTuber Metatron seems to think it's not feasible as (he claims) Roman helmets didn't have such straps, but I wouldn't know. In the novel Marcus begins to suspect Guern because when they meet him he's singing a Roman camp song and speaks decent Latin (note that they are north of the Wall at this point) and has the faint trace of a brand on his forehead. The scar is just an additional clue.
They tried to make it into a standard action film, and I don't think it worked out all that well. The ending was also really rushed, in my view. Maybe it's because the book was initially written for "older children" so they thought more action scenes were needed. Who knows.
In the novel Marcus and Esca are basically bros before journeying beyond the wall, Marcus choosing to go so far as to free Esca the day before the trip. Esca, now no longer a slave, voluntarily follows because they are friends. Marcus adopts the persona of a Greek eye doctor, getting some advice and supplies from a real doctor (the medication is shown to work in the book) and in this guise is able to interact fairly easily with the tribes they encounter throughout their search, including the tribe that holds the Eagle. He doesn't have to do something as absurd as pretending to be Esca's slave, though in hindsight I guess the eye doctor disguise may not seem believable either. They do end up stealing the Eagle and get chased, but the "final fight" involves them ambushing a small group of pursuers, forcing them to tell the others they're not there, then tying them up and escaping back over the wall. Guern's involvement is critical, but for a different reason. He leads the two through a relatively hidden path that helps them avoid most of the pursuers.
The character of Cottia, the niece of a Romanized British magistrate, was removed entirely. While she's admittedly a minor character, she and Esca do help Marcus to understand why some of the locals aren't at ease with the Roman occupation.
I get that because Marcus' rehabilitation and ongoing interactions with Esca and Cottia happen over a significant period of time it couldn't really fit into the film. Still, I felt it could have been a better movie than what it ended up as. It wasn't a terrible film, but not great either.
The chariot scene has a different context in the book. In the book the fort is surrounded by attackers over a number of days and one of the Roman patrols has yet to check in. When they do spot the patrol Marcus heads out with a number of men so that they can link up. The testudo is deployed at this time. The writer states it's not a fighting formation, but one for rushing and breaking through a position (not sure how accurate that is, but then again the book was written in the 50s). Marcus breaks testudo when it's no longer useful, unlike in the movie where it's employed essentially as a melee formation. By the time the chariots show up the two units have already combined, have taken some losses, and are making a fighting retreat back to the fort. They scatter and run upon seeing the chariots because the fort is on high ground and they think they might have a chance to escape as a result. Similar to the movie, they're not quite fast enough which is why Marcus does the suicide attack that ends up injuring him.
The chin scar scene does happen in the book. YouTuber Metatron seems to think it's not feasible as (he claims) Roman helmets didn't have such straps, but I wouldn't know. In the novel Marcus begins to suspect Guern because when they meet him he's singing a Roman camp song and speaks decent Latin (note that they are north of the Wall at this point) and has the faint trace of a brand on his forehead. The scar is just an additional clue.