Netflix's new historical drama The Dig – starring Carey Mulligan, Ralph Fiennes, Lily James and Johnny Flynn – is set in 1938 on the brink of the Second World War. A wealthy widow (Mulligan) hires a local excavator (Fiennes) to help dig into the burial mounds on her land, Sutton Hoo. Together, and with a team from the British Museum, they discover a wealth of artefacts from the Anglo-Saxon era.
The underscoring and music featured in The Dig is simple, featuring series of long sustained notes paired with alternating intervals, usually performed by the strings or keyboard. The orchestra used in the recording of the score is fairly small in scale, with the keys as the predominant role, often taking on solo exposed lines as well as playing as part of the broader ensemble. Moments of silence are used pointedly throughout the film, particularly in the moment when Lily James's character Peggy Preston discovers the first major artefact.
Who wrote the score for Netflix's The Dig?
The orchestral score for The Dig was written by Australian composer Stefan Gregory, in his first lead composer role on a feature film. Gregory has previously worked with The Dig's director Simon Stone on a theatre production of Yerma, a play by the Spanish playwright Federico García Lorca, at the Young Vic in London, starring Billie Piper in the lead role.
Stefan Gregory is best known as a composer for his music and sound design for other stage productions.
Can you buy the soundtrack to The Dig?
The original soundtrack to Netflix's The Dig is not yet available to buy.
Where can you stream the soundtrack to The Dig online?
Stefan Gregory's score to Netflix's The Dig is not yet available to stream online.
Is the story of Netflix's The Dig a real story?
Netflix's The Dig is adapted from a novel by John Preston which was based on the real-life events of the 1939 Anglo-Saxon ship burial excavation at Edith Pretty's estate Sutton Hoo in Suffolk. BBC History Magazine has investigated just how accurate the film adaptation is.
What book is Netflix's The Dig based on?
The Dig is based on a novel of the same name by John Preston, written in 2007. It was adapted for screen by Moira Buffini, who was also behind the screenplays for Harlots, the witty period drama on Hulu and the BBC.
You can buy The Dig by John Preston from the following outlets:
When is The Dig released on Netflix?
The Dig will receive its digital release on Netflix on Friday 29 January 2021. Sign up to Netflix now from £5.99 per month.
Where can you watch The Dig online?
The Dig was supposed to be released in selected UK cinemas on 15 January, but due to the coronavirus lockdown it will now only receive a digital release. It will be available to stream on Netflix from 29 January 2021.
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