A story about an upcoming film titled The Solutrean popped up in my news feed this morning. According to the piece, the film will be
"a visually striking epic-adventure . . . It has to do with a hunting expedition gone awry and a young survivor’s quest to brave the inhospitable and dangerous conditions to find his way back."
My first reaction was to wonder if the young hero's adventures will have him visiting the Americas. Will we see North Atlantic currents carry him away along the pack ice? Will the "inhospitable and dangerous conditions" be provided courtesy of Native Americans? In other words, will the film engage with the central idea of the Solutrean Hypothesis?
My second reaction was to wonder if the Solutreans in film will be depicted as very light skinned, even though recent genetic evidence suggests their skin tone was darker than modern Europeans?
Connected to those was my third reaction: a conflicted mix of excitement and dread. I think a lot of professional archaeologists will agree with me when I say there really aren't that many good movies that deal with our subject matter. Movies can have a powerful effect in shaping the public's perception about both what archaeologists do and what the human past was like. We love to watch movies that put flesh on the bones of things we think about every day, but we're often disappointed in what we see.
I hope The Solutrean makes some good choices. No word on when it's slated for release. Casting has begun and the film will be shot in Iceland and Canada.
"a visually striking epic-adventure . . . It has to do with a hunting expedition gone awry and a young survivor’s quest to brave the inhospitable and dangerous conditions to find his way back."
My first reaction was to wonder if the young hero's adventures will have him visiting the Americas. Will we see North Atlantic currents carry him away along the pack ice? Will the "inhospitable and dangerous conditions" be provided courtesy of Native Americans? In other words, will the film engage with the central idea of the Solutrean Hypothesis?
My second reaction was to wonder if the Solutreans in film will be depicted as very light skinned, even though recent genetic evidence suggests their skin tone was darker than modern Europeans?
Connected to those was my third reaction: a conflicted mix of excitement and dread. I think a lot of professional archaeologists will agree with me when I say there really aren't that many good movies that deal with our subject matter. Movies can have a powerful effect in shaping the public's perception about both what archaeologists do and what the human past was like. We love to watch movies that put flesh on the bones of things we think about every day, but we're often disappointed in what we see.
I hope The Solutrean makes some good choices. No word on when it's slated for release. Casting has begun and the film will be shot in Iceland and Canada.
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