The eagle of the ninth legion
| Movie | |
|---|---|
| German title | The eagle of the ninth legion |
| Original title | The Eagle |
 | |
| Country of production |
United Kingdom United States |
| original language | English , Scottish Gaelic |
| Publishing year | 2011 |
| length | 114 minutes |
| Age rating |
FSK 12 JMK 12 |
| Rod | |
| Director | Kevin Macdonald |
| script | Jeremy Brock |
| production | Duncan Kenworthy |
| music | Atli Örvarsson |
| camera | Anthony Dod Mantle |
| cut | Justine Wright |
| occupation | |
| |
The Eagle of the Ninth Legion is a 2011 British - American period film based on the novel of the same name by Rosemary Sutcliff .
action
After the 9th Legion disappeared in the north of England 20 years ago, Marcus Flavius Aquila, a young Roman centurion , begins his service as a garrison commander in Britain . Aquila's father was once the last to hold up the standard , the so-called eagle, of the 9th Legion. To save the honor of his family, he tries to fulfill his ministry with bravery and honor. So his courage saves his garrison while it is overrun by the Celts . He was honored for this, but at the same time he was honorably discharged because of a serious wound he suffered.
While living on his uncle's estate in the south of the UK, he still grapples with his being fired. In the military he had too little time to clear his father's name again. When he hears rumors that the standard has been sighted in the far north of Britain, he decides to reclaim it. Despite warnings from other Romans who doubt that a Roman north of Hadrian's Wall could survive in the Pict territory , Aquila travels to northern Britain. He is accompanied by his slave Esca. This is the son of a brigant chief and detests everything that Rome stands for. However, he had committed himself to his master Aquila as a servant, as he had previously saved his life during a fight in the amphitheater .
After several weeks of traveling through the Nordic areas, they meet Guern, a survivor of the 9th Legion. He relates that all but a small number of deserters were ambushed by the northern tribes and killed. The standard was taken by the tribe of the seal clan, the worst of all tribes. The two travel further north until they are discovered by the seal clan. When Esca reveals himself to be the son of a chief who is on the run from the Romans and who allegedly keeps Aquila as a slave, he is welcomed as a guest of the seal clan. To keep up appearances, Esca allows Aquila to be mistreated. The roles of the two seem to have been reversed.
During a tribal ritual, the Roman standard with the eagle suddenly appears. While the warriors of the clan sleep, Esca wakes his supposed slave Aquila. The two take the eagle of the 9th Legion. During an argument with the chief of the seal clan, Aquila discovers his father's ring on his hand. The chief claims to have killed Aquila's father. Aquila kills the chief, takes the ring and flees south with Esca. When the seal warriors wake up, they furiously follow the fugitives.
During the escape on horseback, Aquila is repeatedly hampered by his old wound. The two of them have difficulty escaping the seal warriors across a river. They hide to buy time. The injured Aquila gives Esca the eagle with the order to bring it back to the Roman Empire. But this refuses. Aquila gives Esca freedom. But instead of fleeing, he seeks help. Shortly before the warriors of the Seal Clan arrive, he manages to arrive with the survivors of the 9th Legion to assist Aquila. Guern tells Aquila that his father was the last in the Legion to fall fighting with an eagle in hand. However, many legionaries had fled beforehand. Now they want to eradicate the shame of desertion and accept to submit to Aquila's command to fight the seal clan. In the fierce battle that followed, the fighters of the seal clan were narrowly defeated, and there were only a few survivors on the Roman side.
After the fallen legionaries, including Guern, have been honored, Aquila, Esca and the few survivors return to Roman territory to hand the eagle over to a high Roman official surrounded by several senators. This announces that Rome will set up a new 9th Legion and perhaps put it under the command of Aquila. But Aquila does not. Leaving the building, Aquila and Esca wonder what to do next. “You decide,” Aquila says to Esca and leaves the decision to his friend.
criticism
“In essence, however, director Macdonald describes a journey into the heart of darkness, in this case into your own self. It is about masters and servants, about life and letting go, about subjugating peoples and their right to self-determination. In this context, we particularly like the realistic setting, the correct look, which never looks like a backdrop. "
“Even in action cinema, faces are still very important. And at this point Macdonald's adaptation, which did everything right when introducing its hero, begins to falter unexpectedly. […] There is no spark between Channing Tatum and Jamie Bell, […] What the film promises in the fight scenes, it cannot keep as a narrative - his view of antiquity is clouded by too much copied, copied and prefabricated things. "
“Macdonald […] brings the moral side of Roman imperialism to the fore and shows how ignorance and ignorance deepen the rift between cultures. But even if you ignore these political implications, Macdonald has made a hell of a thrilling film that inspires with grandiose images and skilfully modernizes the traditions of the sandal film. "
“Despite the topics discussed and the many references […], the film is above all an action-packed adventure movie with perfectly staged battle scenes, gripping car chases (which, what a beautiful anachronism, are done on foot) and a vision of its own. Cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle captured the isolated, deserted, almost colorless highlands with oppressive realism. "
Others
The films Centurion from 2010 and The Last Legion from 2007 also refer to the ninth legion .
publication
The film started in Kazakhstan on February 9, 2011 and had its US theatrical release on February 11, the German theatrical release took place on March 3, 2011. With a budget of 25 million US dollars, the film achieved worldwide revenues of 27, $ 1 million, including $ 19.5 million in the United States as of August 24, 2011.
Web links
- The Eagle of the Ninth Legion in the Internet Movie Database (English)
- Internet presence of The Eagle of the Ninth Legion
- Comparison of the cut versions US Theatrical Version (PG-13) - Unrated of The Eagle of the Ninth Legion on Schnittberichte.com
- The Eagle of the Ninth Legion atRotten Tomatoes(English)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Article in Guardian.co.uk (English)
- ↑ Age rating for The Eagle of the Ninth Legion . Youth Media Commission .
- ↑ br-online.de (February 23, 2011) ( Memento from March 6, 2011 in the Internet Archive )
- ↑ Andreas Kilb: Two swords for an Ave Caesar: "The eagle of the ninth legion". FAZ, March 2, 2011, accessed on May 14, 2013 .
- ↑ cinema.de - criticism
- ↑ Michael Ranze: The Eagle of the Ninth Legion film service, March 2011.
- ↑ The Eagle of the Ninth Legion at boxofficemojo.com (English), accessed August 24, 2011