Bloodline

One man's journey into the world of the so-called "Bloodline" conspiracy, at the heart of Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code...

This documentary examines a great conspiracy, and uncovers some interesting food for thought -- particularly about the three men killed within 24 hours of each other. There seems to be an interesting history behind the Priory of Sion, assuming such an organization even exists.

I notice that others have compared this to the "Blair Witch Project", and that is not unfair. Much of it involves a shaky camera following one guy around -- a guy who clearly might be a bit too open to fringe ideas.

Sadly, whatever truth is uncovered here, it is greatly undermined by the revelation that "the tomb man" and his discoveries are a hoax (and he has admitted as much). So, you know, it is even harder to sort fact from fiction when you have to discount almost half of what you see... perhaps a re-editing?

In "Bloodline," documentarian Bruce Burgess explores the theory, made popular by Don Brown's recent bestseller "The Da Vinci Code," that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were lovers, that they fled to what is now modern-day France, and that French royalty can trace its lineage back to them and their children. The theory also posits that this "truth" has been carefully guarded by a shadowy organization called The Priory of Sion, and that the Catholic Church will literally stop at nothing to keep the story from getting out. Some contend that The Priory has been letting the details slip out little by little over the course of the centuries – mainly through art works with "coded messages" embedded in them - in a concerted effort to prepare the way for an illumination of the truth which, when finally revealed, will rock the very foundations of Christendom and thereby change the world.

Burgess spends much of the film interviewing people supposedly connected with or at least knowledgeable about the secret, individuals he meets in clandestine, off-the-beaten-path settings who speak in hushed tones about their theories and discoveries, and who claim to live in fear of their lives for even deigning to speak on the subject. The bulk of the second half of the film is taken up exploring what Burgess and amateur archaeologist Ben Hammott claim may be the tomb of Mary Magdalene, located in an isolated area in the south of France.

In all honesty, who knows what to make of this film or the conspiracy theory itself? Half the time the open-minded viewer feels as if he's watching something at least partway plausible – and the other half believing he's probably being made the dupe in an elaborate and colossal hoax. In fact, there are many sites dedicated to debunking the whole theory, including the entry on The Priory of Sion found on Wikipedia.

As a nonbeliever myself, I have to say that nothing put forth by this film strikes me as being any less plausible or historical than what is contained in the gospels themselves – which is to say that I find them both HIGHLY implausible and a-historical. I have no doubt that many people throughout the last two millennia have BELIEVED what Hammott and his minions are proposing, but that doesn't mean that any of it ever actually happened in real life.

Bloodline" is one of those movies that comes replete with a website where you can look up further information on the topic if so inclined. I suggest you look up quite a few others as well.

Ignore all the controversy about this film and the comments from those who have not even seen the film yet, go and view it for yourself you will not regret it. It is a cool film and the best cinema documentary I have seen. Riveting, Intriguing and informative. I see that the Vatican had a spokesman appear on TV to attack the film and many Catholic web sites responded in kind, so there must be something revealed in the film they are afraid of, although I believe if Christians just went and saw the film it may help them to raise questions that the Vatican needs to answer. The film will in no way bring the Vatican crashing down, far from it, it may even help them if they would just put their hands up and say Yes in the past we have made mistakes and hidden some truths but let us wipe the slate clean by revealing what we know to make the church stronger and more in line to the message Jesus wanted us to follow.

A super film which I recommend you go and see.

When I first thought about going to see this film I checked the web for reviews and because of some of them were bad I nearly didn't go to see it but I am very glad I did. I don't know if these people writing the bad reviews are Christians or have even seen it, I know some of the worst comments are on Christian websites , and I have nothing against Christians or any other religion, and maybe they feel threatened by the subject matter of the film. I know the Vatican has already tried to dismiss the film as nonsense so this may have had an influence on some reviewers. Also there has been talk that some of the evidence is slightly shaky by some Renne-le-Château researchers, but then these researchers have their own research, book writing career, etc. to protect so their opinions are very bias against the film. Ignore everything you read about this film, good or bad, and just go and see it for yourself with an open mind. I read another comment in a review here about the cinema audience liking the film and I must agree, the same was with the people in the screening I saw. When the film was over 4 people, who had not seen the film, entered the cinema and started quoting scriptures from the bible. Needless to say they were booed constantly until they left. This is evidence that the Christian church are worried by this film and the questions it raises. I think all Christians should go and see Bloodline so they too can join in the debate that will surly follow over the coming months. It is a great film on more than one level and if the Vatican is worried by the points raised in the film then it must have been built on very shaky ground indeed. Perhaps it is time they come clean about some of the secrets they keep hidden away on the true story of their church. The present Pope only inherited the lies and I think it would make the church stronger if they were more open and honest about their history.

This film extends the investigation over the bloodline between Jesus and Mary, but provides some additional information that is quite profound. I'm not a big fan of documentaries, but since I was raised Catholic, I found this film to be quite fascinating, and full of ramifications, should the investigation prove to be true.

I have seen a few of Michael Moore's movies, and this one is similar to his genre of film-making. I found the line of reasoning plausible and quite illuminating. Given all the trouble that the Catholic church has endured in recent years, this is the icing on the cake.

I'm familiar with the music of Miriam Cutler, as I knew her through some fellow musicians when I was in college, when she wrote and participated in a very colorful jazz band. I still have one of her early recordings, and it's a real gem. It's great to see her outstanding work applied to such an endeavor.