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(Theme plays: Driving rock music)
♪
[ Caption: The Word This Week ]
Kim: ON THE WORD THIS WEEK: DA VINCI DECODED.
[ Caption: Da Vinci De Coded ]
♪
[ Caption: The DaVinci Code, Courtesy: Columbia Pictures ]
Man: YOU ASKED WHAT WOULD BE WORTH KILLING FOR. WITNESS THE BIGGEST COVERUP IN HUMAN HISTORY.
(Whoosh)
[ Caption: Anne Rice, Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt ]
Anne: HERE THEY GET THIS WACKY CONSPIRACY THEORY AND, AND THEY THINK, "WELL, IS
THERE SOMETHING THERE?" BECAUSE THEY'RE SEARCHING, THEY'RE DESPERATE.
[ Caption: Stuart Beattie, Director, Rosslyn Chapel ]
Stuart: IN THE LAST PRE- DA VINCI YEAR WE HAD 38,000 VISITORS, AND LAST YEAR,
EFFECTIVELY 18 MONTHS ON SINCE DA VINCI, WE HAD 117,000.
♪
[ Caption: The DaVinci Code, Courtesy: Columbia Pictures ]
Robert: SYMBOLS ARE A LANGUAGE...
(Whooshing)
Robert: THAT CAN HELP US UNDERSTAND OUR PAST.
(Dramatic musical sting)
Robert: DEAR GOD.
♪
Robert: HE DID THIS HIMSELF, IN HIS OWN BLOOD?
Sophie: IS IT POSSIBLE?
Robert: THIS IS A MESSAGE YOUR GRANDFATHER LEFT YOU.
Sophie: HE LEFT US. PROFESSOR, HURRY!
Robert: DEMONS, OMENS, CODES, MONKS... DA VINCI.
(Phone trilling)
Woman: PROFESSOR LANGDON? YOU ARE IN GRAVE DANGER.
[ Caption: The Word This Week ]
♪
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[ Caption: Kim Clarke Champniss ]
Kim: HELLO THERE, AND WELCOME TO THE SHOW. I'M KIM CLARKE CHAMPNISS. WHAT
YOU SAW JUST THEN WAS A CLIP FROM THE NEW MOVIE THE DA VINCI CODE, OF COURSE,
BASED ON DAN BROWN'S BEST-SELLING NOVEL.
OVER THE NEXT HALF AN HOUR, WE'RE GOING TO TAKE A LOOK AT THE FACT, THE FICTION
AND THE TRUTH BEHIND DAN BROWN'S DA VINCI CODE. FIRST OF ALL, THE IMPACT ON THE
PUBLISHING WORLD.
[ Caption: Toronto ]
♪
Woman: HELLO, INDIGO RECEPTION.
Kim: "GREAT FOR YOUR BUSINESS." CAN YOU PUT THAT IN CONTEXT? HOW GREAT IS IT?
[ Caption: Heather Reisman, Chief Executive Officer, Indigo ]
Heather: WELL, UH, DA VINCI CODE HAS BEEN ON THE BESTSELLER LIST FOR THREE
YEARS. A BESTSELLER IN HARDCOVER FOR THREE YEARS, SELLING THOUSANDS OF
COPIES A WEEK, STILL, TODAY. AND I THINK THE MOVIE IS GOING TO BE A PHENOM.
(Dramatic orchestral music)
♪
Kim: WILL THAT SPUR SALES AGAIN, DO YOU THINK?
Heather: YES, I THINK IT'LL SPUR SALES. AND THERE ARE OTHER BOOKS THAT ARE IN AND
AROUND THE GENRE WHICH ARE ALSO GROWING AS A RESULT OF THIS.
[ Caption: London ]
♪
[ Caption: Robin Griffith-Jones, (Unclear) Temple Church ]
Robin: LOOK AT THAT. YOU SEE, HERE, YOU SEE, EVEN NOW, I'VE WRITTEN A BOOK ABOUT
IT. I ANSWER ALL THE REAL QUESTIONS: WAS JESUS MAN OR GOD, WAS HE MARRIED TO
MARY MAGDALENE, HAS THE CHURCH SUPPRESSED THE FEMININE THROUGHOUT
HISTORY, IS THE CHURCH'S POWER FOUNDED ON A LIE? WHAT ABOUT THE KNIGHTS
TEMPLAR? WHAT ABOUT OPUS DEI, THE PRIORY OF SCION? AND HERE YOU ARE: 128
PAGES OF IT.
[ Caption: Chichester, England ]
♪
[ Caption: Kate Mosse, Labyrinth ]
Kate: IS THE MYTH, AS IS SOMETIMES SUGGESTED, MANY PEOPLE GET THEIR HISTORY
FROM FICTION AND INDEED FROM FILMS, AND IT'S NOT VERY ACCURATE. WHERE DOES
ANY OF OUR RESPONSIBILITY AS WRITERS LIE FOR THAT?
IT'S A REALLY GOOD QUESTION WHY GRAIL BOOKS ARE SO POPULAR AT THE MOMENT. I
STARTED WORK IN THINKING ABOUT LABYRINTH 10 YEARS AGO, AND I DELIVERED THE
FIRST DRAFT OF LABYRINTH, AND THEN MY FAMILY AND I WERE GOING ON HOLIDAY AND I
PICKED UP AT THE AIRPORT A BOOK I'D NEVER HEARD OF CALLED THE DA VINCI CODE. I
TURNED IT OVER AND READ THE BLURB ON THE BACK AND I THOUGHT, " (Gasps) WHAT
ARE THE ODDS ON THIS?"
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Sophie: YOU'RE SAYING ALL THIS IS REAL?
Robert: REAL ENOUGH TO KILL FOR.
(Snarling)
(Dramatic orchestral music)
[ Caption: Anne Rice, Christ The Lord: Out of Egypt ]
Kim: IN THE POPULARIZATION OF CHRIST THROUGH THINGS SUCH AS THE DA VINCI CODE
RIGHT NOW AND THE CONSPIRACY THEORIES, HOW DO YOU RESPOND TO THAT?
Anne: I DON'T BELIEVE ANYTHING IN THE DA VINCI CODE. I THOUGHT IT WAS A HOOT.
Kim: WAIT, THAT'S-- YES, BUT-- MORE THAN THAT, JUST A HOOT?
Anne: ABSOLUTELY, JUST A HOOT. I HAD RESEARCHED THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR AND OPUS
DEI. I THOUGHT THE BOOK WAS A LOT OF FUN FOR ME. I DIDN'T KNOW IT WAS GOING TO
BE A LOT OF FUN FOR OTHER PEOPLE.
Kim: PART OF THE REASON FOR THE SUCCESS OF DAN BROWN'S DA VINCI CODE IS ITS
ABILITY TO CAUSE A SENSATION. THERE'S GREAT CONTROVERSY BEHIND THE IDEA PUT
FORWARD IN THE BOOK THAT JESUS CHRIST AND MARY MAGDALENE WERE ATTACHED,
HAD A CHILD, AND THE DESCENDENTS OF JESUS CHRIST STILL WALK THE EARTH TODAY.
IT'S A THEORY PUT FORWARD 20 YEARS AGO BY MICHAEL BAIGENT AND HIS CO-AUTHORS
IN THE BOOK THE HOLY BLOOD AND THE HOLY GRAIL. THAT'S WHY THEY TRIED
UNSUCCESSFULLY TO SUE DAN BROWN FOR COPYRIGHT INFRINGEMENT. JUST HOURS
AFTER THEY LOST THE CASE, I SPOKE TO MICHAEL BAIGENT.
(Pulsing techno music)
Kim: THE COURT CASE HAS GONE IN FAVOUR OF DAN BROWN. YOUR REACTION TO THAT,
PLEASE.
[ Caption: Michael Baigent, The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail ]
Michael: MORALLY, WE'RE JUSTIFIED, BECAUSE NO ONE IS NOW GOING TO TAKE MATERIAL
FROM ANOTHER WRITER WITHOUT THINKING TWICE. AND WHAT WAS VERY GOOD IN THE
COURT AND THE JUDGEMENT WAS THAT EVERY POINT THAT WE CLAIMED DAN BROWN
COPIED FROM US, THE JUDGE AGREED AND SAID IT HAD BEEN COPIED, BUT IT WASN'T
SUFFICIENT TO CONSTITUTE A LEGAL INFRINGEMENT.
♪
Kim: YOU ALSO REINTERPRET THE ROLE OF MARY MAGDALENE, AND-- SHE PLAYS, IN YOUR
WORLD, SHE PLAYS A SIGNIFICANT PART OF THE KNOWLEDGE AND THE UNDERSTANDING.
Michael: SHE HAS TO. YOU LOOK AT THE 2nd-CENTURY DOCUMENTS, IT'S ABSOLUTELY
CLEAR THAT JESUS HAD A VERY EASY AND CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH THE WOMEN
MEMBERS OF HIS ENTOURAGE, AND HE HAD A PARTICULARLY CLOSE RELATIONSHIP WITH
MARY MAGDALENE.
WE POSTULATED 25 YEARS AGO THAT MARY AND JESUS WERE MARRIED AND HAD
CHILDREN, AND I SEE NO REASON TO CHANGE MY MIND ON THAT TODAY. I THINK THAT
STANDS.
Robin: DAN BROWN'S CHARACTERS USE THE PUN: "IS IT SAN GREAL, HOLY CUP, OR
SANGREAL, REAL, ROYAL BLOOD?" THIS PUN IS KNOWN IN ENGLAND BY THE 15th CENTURY,
BUT HAS NOTHING TO DO WITH THE BLOODLINE OF JESUS.
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IT IS BECAUSE THIS CUP, SAN GREAL, WOULD, AT THE EUCHARIST, THE MASS, HOLY
COMMUNION, HOLD SANGREAL, THE ROYAL BLOOD OF JESUS. SO IT WAS A WELL-KNOWN
TRICK OF LANGUAGE THAT YOU COULD PLAY, AND IT'S BEEN PLAYED FOR 500 YEARS.
[ Caption: Toronto ]
♪
[ Caption: Professor Joseph Goering, The Virgin and the Grail ]
[ Caption: The Passion of the Christ, Courtesy: Equinox Films ]
Joseph: I DON'T THINK, IF THERE WERE ANY EVIDENCE AT ALL THAT JESUS-- THE
HISTORICAL JESUS, THE ONE THAT'S WORSHIPPED IN THE CHURCHES-- AND MARY
MAGDALENE HAD A CHILD, I DON'T THINK, THEOLOGICALLY, THERE'S ANYTHING
SCANDALOUS ABOUT THAT.
JESUS IS FULLY HUMAN-- THAT'S EMPHASIZED-- AND FULLY DIVINE, AND THAT'S THE
MYSTERY. THAT'S WHAT THE GRAIL IS ABOUT IN SOME WAY, IS THE FULL HUMANITY AND
DIVINITY OF JESUS. AND THE MYSTERY IS THAT THIS TOOK PLACE IN-- THE INCARNATION,
THE MIXING, THE TAKING ON OF HUMANITY, TAKES PLACE IN THE WOMB OF A WOMAN.
THOSE ARE ALL GOOD CATHOLIC DOCTRINES. YOU LEARN THEM IN CATECHISM.
Kate: IN SOMETHING LIKE THE DA VINCI CODE, YOU KNOW, THE GREAT REVELATION'S VERY
MUCH THAT THE GRAIL STORY IS A STORY OF FEMALE POWER RATHER THAN THE POWER
OF PRIESTS. THE CLASSICAL GRAIL STORIES, THE TRADITIONAL CHRISTIAN GRAIL STORIES,
COME FROM A PERIOD OF CHIVALRY, FROM THE MEDIEVAL PERIOD ONWARDS.
[ Caption: Ivanhoe, Courtesy: MGM ]
Man: HOW DOES A SAXON LADY COME TO KNOW SO MUCH OF SUCH DISTANT MATTERS?
Woman: ONLY FROM THE TALES I HEAR, SIR KNIGHT.
Kate: THEY WERE-- ALMOST BY DEFINITION, THEREFORE, HAD TO BE TOLD THROUGH THE
EXPERIENCE OF KNIGHTS WITH SWORDS. AND THEY ARE VERY TIED UP WITH MEDIEVAL
CHRISTIANITY, WHICH IS A HISTORY OF MEN AND, YOU KNOW, IT'S PRIESTS. IT'S MEN IN
RELIGION.
WHEREAS ACTUALLY, IF YOU LOOK BACK TO SOME OF THE EARLIER GRAIL STORIES,
THERE WAS A MUCH BROADER CONTRIBUTION, IF YOU LIKE, BY WOMEN AND MEN. IT WAS
VERY MUCH A RELIGION FOR ALL PEOPLE, NOT JUST FOR THE MALE ELITE.
Michael: BY THE END OF THE 2nd CENTURY, YOU'VE GOT THIS ERADICATION OF THE
WHOLE FEMININE COMPONENT, THE FEMININE CONTRIBUTION TO CHRISTIANITY.
AND OF COURSE, THEOLOGICALLY, THERE'S NO PROBLEM WITH A WOMAN BEING A PRIEST,
A BISHOP, EVEN POPE, WHY NOT? THERE'S NO THEOLOGICAL REASON FOR GENDER TO BE
INVOLVED WITH SPIRITUALITY. IT'S A NONSENSE, AND IT COMES BECAUSE OF THIS
THEOLOGICAL OVERVIEW. WE NEED TO GET RID OF IT, FRANKLY.
Anne: I ACTUALLY WAS A LITTLE WORRIED FOR DAN BROWN. I THOUGHT, WHAT'S GOING
TO HAPPEN TO THIS GUY, TAKING ON OPUS DEI, THIS BIG CATHOLIC ORGANISATION, LIKE
THIS?
[ Caption: Courtesy: ABC ]
Reporter: THE BOOK'S AUTHOR, DAN BROWN, IS HERE WITH US NOW.
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Anne: IT WAS WONDERFUL TO SEE HIM JUST GO AROUND WITH RECKLESS ABANDON, JUST
COOKING UP THIS STEW THAT HE DID. AND THEN IT TURNED OUT A LOT OF PEOPLE TOOK
IT SERIOUSLY. I WAS AMAZED.
BUT I THINK THEY TOOK IT SERIOUSLY BECAUSE THEY'RE INTERESTED, BASICALLY, IN THE
SUBJECT. THEY WANT TO KNOW. THEY'RE NOT INDIFFERENT BY ANY STRETCH OF THE
IMAGINATION TO THE CHRISTIAN STORY.
AND SO HERE THEY GET THIS WACKY CONSPIRACY THEORY, AND THEY THINK, "WELL, IS
THERE SOMETHING THERE?" BECAUSE THEY'RE SEARCHING, THEY'RE DESPERATE.
Kim: MORE CONTROVERSY: THE CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND OPUS DEI IN PARTICULAR, TRIED
TO GET THE MOVIE CHANGED IN ITS PRESENT FORM, SAYING IT MISREPRESENTED THE
CATHOLIC CHURCH, AND MOST PARTICULARLY, OPUS DEI. NO SUCH LUCK.
SO WE TRAVELLED DOWN TO NEW YORK CITY TO GET THE REACTION FROM THE CATHOLIC
ORDER KNOWN AS OPUS DEI.
[ Caption: New York ]
♪
[ Caption: Brian Finnerty, Opus Dei ]
Brian: WE WROTE TO SONY EXPRESSING OUR CONCERNS ABOUT THE UNFAIR TREATMENT
OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH AND OPUS DEI IN THE NOVEL. AND THEY WROTE US BACK
WITH POLITE BUT VERY VAGUE ASSURANCES.
Ron: ACTION.
Brian: AND IT WAS REALLY ONLY THROUGH THE MEDIA THAT WE LEARNED THAT THEY
APPEARED TO BE GOING AHEAD WITH THEIR COMPLETELY BIZARRE AND COMPLETELY
FALSE PORTRAYAL OF OPUS DEI.
(Whispering in Latin)
(Ominous rising chords)
(Shuddering breath)
(Shriek)
Brian: WHAT WE'VE BEEN DOING, THEN, IS TRYING TO GET THE WORD OUT ABOUT WHO
WE REALLY ARE. OPUS DEI IS VERY MUCH A PART OF THE CATHOLIC CHURCH. THE
PURPOSE OF OPUS DEI IS NOT ABOUT LOOKING FOR THE HOLY GRAIL OR ALBINO MONKS,
BUT IT'S ABOUT HELPING PEOPLE FIND GOD IN THEIR DAY-TO-DAY LIVES. BUT AT THE
SAME TIME IT GIVES US AN ODD OPPORTUNITY TO TALK ABOUT WHO WE REALLY ARE, AND
THAT'S WHAT WE'RE TRYING TO DO.
LAST YEAR, WE HAD OVER A MILLION UNIQUE VISITORS AT OUR WEBSITE, opusdei.org. WE
EXPECT A LOT MORE THIS YEAR. ONE FUNNY THING IS, THERE'S ONE TIME THAT OUR
PRESS OFFICE IN ROME ISSUED A RELEASE SAYING THAT SONY SHOULD THINK ABOUT
WAYS TO MAKE THE MOVIE THE DA VINCI CODE LESS HURTFUL TO CATHOLICS. ON THAT
DAY, THERE WERE MORE HITS TO OUR WEBSITE THAN ON THE DAY THAT THE FOUNDER
OF OPUS DEI WAS CANONIZED.
AND WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT IT, IT'S ABSOLUTELY AMAZING. I MEAN, HERE'S AN EVENT
YOU HAVE YEARS AND YEARS IN THE MAKING, HUNDREDS OF BISHOPS, YOU HAVE
HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE, AND THAT'S JUST A LITTLE BLIP ON THE MEDIA
SCREEN. BUT THEN THERE'S A PRESS RELEASE OR STATEMENT PUT OUT ABOUT THE DA
VINCI CODE, POOF!, AND IT'S AN EXPLOSION COMPARED TO THAT. IT REALLY IS PRETTY
AMAZING WHEN YOU THINK ABOUT THE WHOLE MEDIA THING IN RESPONSE TO THE DA
VINCI CODE.
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Kim: COMING UP: LEONARDO DA VINCI AND THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR.
[ Caption: Javier Sierra, The Secret Supper ]
Javier: IN MY OPINION, THAT FEMALE CHARACTER BETWEEN THE DISCIPLES IN THE LAST
SUPPER BY LEONARDO DA VINCI IS ABSOLUTELY NOT MARY MAGDALENE.
[ Caption: The DaVinci Code, Courtesy: Columbia Pictures ]
♪
[ BREAK ]
[ Caption: The DaVinci Code, Courtesy: Columbia Pictures ]
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
[ Caption: Kim Clarke Champniss ]
Kim: WELCOME BACK, EVERYBODY. CENTRAL TO THE DA VINCI CODE, HENCE ITS TITLE, IS
THE FACT THAT LEONARDO DA VINCI WAS AWARE OF THE GREAT SECRET APPARENTLY
BEING HIDDEN BY THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH. DA VINCI LEFT CLUES TO THAT SECRET IN HIS
WORKS, MOST PARTICULARLY THE PAINTING THE LAST SUPPER.
[ Caption: The DaVinci Code, Courtesy: Columbia Pictures ]
Robert:
WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?
Man: YOU ASKED WHAT WOULD BE WORTH KILLING FOR. WITNESS THE BIGGEST COVERUP IN HUMAN HISTORY.
[ Caption: Javier Sierra, The Secret Supper ]
Javier: DA VINCI CODE SAYS THAT JOHN, THE BELOVED DISCIPLE, IS MARY MAGDALENE. IN
MY OPINION, THAT FEMALE CHARACTER BETWEEN THE DISCIPLES IN THE LAST SUPPER BY
LEONARDO DA VINCI IS ABSOLUTELY NOT MARY MAGDALENE. FOR SURE, IT IS A FEMALE
CHARACTER, FOR SURE. THERE IS NO DOUBT ABOUT THAT.
BUT, YOU KNOW, DURING THE RENAISSANCE, MANY PAINTERS USED TO PAINT, UH, JOHN
FROM FEMALE MODELS. IT WAS THE WAY TO TRANSMIT THE IDEA OF PURITY TO THE
PEOPLE. IN THE IDEAL MIND OF THE RENAISSANCE, A FACE OF A YOUNG WOMAN
TRANSMITS FAR BETTER THE IDEA OF PURITY THAN THE FACE OF A MAN.
(Train rumbling)
Sophie: A CRYPTEX. THEY ARE USED TO KEEP SECRETS. IT'S DA VINCI'S DESIGN.
(Whoosh)
Javier: LEONARDO DA VINCI PROBABLY WAS NEVER A TEMPLAR, NEVER A CATHARE,
NEVER A MEMBER OF THE PRIORY OF SION, NOTHING AT ALL. BECAUSE LEONARDO HAS A
VERY OPEN MIND, TOO OPEN TO BE CLOSE TO ANY MOVEMENT. THAT'S MY GUESS.
BUT PROBABLY HE WAS A SYMPATHIZER OF THOSE PERSECUTED PEOPLE, ESPECIALLY
THE CATHARES AND EVEN THE TEMPLARS AND THESE KIND OF PEOPLE, BECAUSE HE WAS
A PERSECUTED MAN HIMSELF. IN HIS YOUTH, HE WAS PERSECUTED BECAUSE OF HIS
SEXUAL TENDENCIES, SO HE FELT, UH, THE POWER OF PERSECUTORS IN HIS BACK.
Kim: WELL, IF LEONARDO WASN'T A KNIGHTS TEMPLAR, JUST WHO WERE THESE POOR
KNIGHTS OF CHRIST?
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[ Caption: Robin Griffith-Joens, (Unclear) Temple Church ]
Robin: THE TEMPLARS ARE DESCRIBED BY DAN BROWN'S CHARACTERS AS HAVING HAD
THEIR HEADQUARTERS ON THE TEMPLE MOUNT IN JERUSALEM. TRUE.
THEY ARE SAID TO HAVE EXCAVATED THE TEMPLE MOUNT AND TO HAVE FOUND THERE
SOME DEEP, DARK PROOF THAT JESUS AND MARY MAGDALENE WERE MARRIED. FANTASY.
ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE FOR IT AT ALL. TOTAL FANTASY.
[ Caption: Kingdom of Heaven, Courtesy: 20th Century Fox ]
(Hooves rumbling)
(Horse whinnying)
Robin: THEY WERE A BIZARRE HYBRID. THEY WERE BOTH WARRIORS AND MONKS
TOGETHER. THEY PRAYED AND THEY KILLED; IT WAS A PRETTY UNUSUAL COMBINATION
THEN AND IT WOULD SEEM PRETTY UNUSUAL TODAY.
THEY ASSUMED HUGE POWER OVER THE COURSE OF THE NEXT CENTURY OR SO. THEY
BECAME THE GREAT INTERNATIONAL BANKERS OF EUROPE, AND THEY WERE QUITE ABLE
TO BUILD A WONDERFUL CHURCH LIKE THIS HERE, THE TEMPLE CHURCH IN THE HEART
OF LONDON.
Kim: WHAT WAS IT ABOUT THE TEMPLARS THAT GRABBED YOUR IMAGINATION BACK
THEN?
[ Caption: Michael Baigent, The Holy Blood and The Holy Grail ]
Michael: I LIKED THE IDEA OF THESE GREAT KNIGHTS FLOODING IN FROM EUROPE TO THE
MIDDLE EAST...
[ Caption: Kingdom of Heaven, Courtesy: 20th Century Fox ]
(Sword scraping)
Michael:...AND SUDDENLY CONFRONTING AN ALTERNATIVE CHRISTIANITY. AND WHAT
BROUGHT ME INTO THE TEMPLARS WAS, WERE THEY HERETICAL? WAS THERE SOMETHING
ELSE GOING ON WITH THEIR BELIEFS? BECAUSE WE KNOW THEY HAD CONTACT WITH
ISLAM, WITH THE ASSASSINS, WITH THE SUFIS, WITH THE DRUZE.
THEY ALSO HAD EMBASSIES IN CAIRO, DAMASCUS; THEY HAD ARAB SECRETARIES; MANY
OF THE TEMPLARS LEARNED ARABIC; THEY ALLOWED MUSLIMS TO PRAY IN THEIR
TEMPLES.
Javier: THEY IMPORT OLD, VERY OLD IDEAS INTO WESTERN MIND. FOR EXAMPLE, IT WAS
JUST AFTER THE RETURN OF THE FIRST TEMPLARS TO EUROPE THAT THE FIRST GOTHIC
CATHEDRALS WERE BUILT IN EUROPE.
AND IT WAS A PARTICULAR TIME, BECAUSE THOSE GOTHIC CATHEDRALS BUILT IN 12th
CENTURY IN FRANCE WERE THE FIRST TEMPLES OF WHOLE CHRISTIANITY DEVOTED TO
MARY. SO, IN A WAY, THEY IMPORT THE IDEA OF THE GODDESS FROM THE EAST INTO
WESTERN EUROPE.
[ Caption: Professor Joseph Georing, The Virgin and the Grail ]
Joseph: IF YOU WERE MAKING UP A STORY ABOUT THE GRAIL, THESE WOULD BE THE
KINDS OF PEOPLE YOU WOULD WANT PROTECTING IT. THE GRAIL IS RELATED TO
JERUSALEM, TO ALL OF THE HOLY SITES, THE TEMPLARS ARE THERE PROTECTING THEM,
SO I THINK THAT'S HOW THEY BECOME IMPORTANT.
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Kim: WHEN PHILLIP IV OF FRANCE OUTLAWED THE KNIGHTS TEMPLARS IN 1307, SOME OF
THEM FLED TO SCOTLAND, AND THAT'S WHERE WE GO TO NEXT. JUST OUTSIDE OF
EDINBURGH IS THE FAMOUS ROSSLYN CHAPEL. IT'S BEEN A MAGNET FOR KNIGHTS
TEMPLARS RESEARCHERS FOR YEARS. THEY BELIEVE THAT THE CODE OF THE KNIGHTS
TEMPLARS' SECRETS ARE BURIED IN THE ARCHITECTURE. SO WE WENT THERE TO FIND
OUT FOR OURSELVES.
[ Caption: Roslin Village, Scotland ]
(Dramatic electronic music)
♪
[ Caption: Stuart Beattie, Director, Rosslyn Chapel ]
Stuart: A LOT OF BOOKS HAVE BEEN WRITTEN ABOUT ROSSLYN OR INVOLVE ROSSLYN,
AND ALL OF THEM HAVE MAYBE SPIKED A BIT OF INTEREST OVER THE YEARS, AND YOU
CAN ALMOST MAP THAT. DA VINCI HAS NO DOUBT BEEN PROBABLY THE BIGGEST SPIKE
THAT WE'RE EVER GOING TO COME ACROSS. IN THE LAST PRE- DA VINCI YEAR, WE HAD
38,000 VISITORS, AND LAST YEAR, EFFECTIVELY 18 MONTHS ON SINCE DA VINCI, WE HAD
117,000.
WHEN THE FILM CREW MADE A PRELIMINARY TRIP HERE IN JULY, UM, THEY BROUGHT
WITH THEM THE SCREENWRITERS WHO WERE HELPING THE PROGRAM ALONG, AND I
BELIEVE THEY WERE UP TO REWRITE 20-SOMETHING. THAT ALSO, I THINK, GIVES A BIT OF
AN INDICATION THAT THEY'RE TRYING TO FIND SOMETHING PHYSICAL THEY CAN TIE INTO
THE BOOK HERE.
AND THE BOOK MENTIONS A STAR OF DAVID, AND I THINK THE IMPLICATION IS IT'S ON THE
FLOOR. AND SO A LOT OF OUR VISITORS HAVE NOW ASKED IF WE'VE PUT A CARPET DOWN
TO COVER IT UP, BECAUSE, YOU KNOW, WHERE IS IT OTHERWISE?
AND THE ONLY OTHER QUESTIONS THAT I GET QUITE FREQUENTLY ARE E-MAILED
REQUESTS TO SEND DIGITAL IMAGES OF THE ROSE LINE AS IT PASSES THROUGH THE
CHAPEL, AS IF IT'S A PHYSICAL ENTITY. SO THEY ARE THE ONLY TWO SOLID THINGS THAT
ARE MENTIONED IN THE BOOK THAT RELATE TO ROSSLYN, AND, ALAS, NOT HERE.
Woman: EVEN WITHOUT THE DA VINCI CODE IT'S FANTASTIC.
Woman 2: WE FOUND THE, UM, ALL THE CARVINGS TO DO WITH THE, UM, THE KNIGHTS
TEMPLAR AND SOLOMON'S TEMPLE AND THE STORY ABOUT THE ORIGINS OF THE KNIGHTS
TEMPLAR, WHICH IS REALLY INTERESTING. BUT WE DIDN'T FIND THE STAR OF DAVID, NO.
(Laughs)
Kim: SEEMS EVERYONE IS BENEFITING FROM THE DA VINCI CODE PHENOMENON. JUST
OUTSIDE ROSSLYN CHAPEL, WE BUMPED INTO A LOCAL FARMER WHOSE LANDS ARE RIGHT
NEXT DOOR.
Interviewer: WHAT ARE YOU SELLING DOWN THERE?
Man: DA VINCI HORSE MANURE, REAL DA VINCI.
Interviewer: WHAT MAKES IT REAL DA VINCI HORSE MANURE?
Man: WELL, IT'S A DA VINCI FIELD HERE, YOU SEE? THAT'S WHERE THE HORSES FLOAT IT
ABOUT, SO IT MUST BE IN THE STABLE THERE NOW. BUT, OH, IT'S JUST JUMPING ON THE
BANDWAGON, SAME AS EVERYBODY ELSE. IF YOU CAN'T BEAT THEM, JOIN THEM. (Laughs)
Kim: UP NEXT, OUR DA VINCI CODE TOUR CONTINUES IN LONDON.
[ Caption: David Jordan, Blue Badge Guide ]
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David: BEHIND ME IS WESTMINSTER ABBEY. IT'S THE SETTING FOR ONE OF THE
IMPORTANT SCENES FROM THE DA VINCI CODE.
[ Caption: Da Vinci De Coded ]
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
[ BREAK ]
[ Caption: Da Vinci De Coded ]
(Theme plays: Funky techno music)
[ Caption: Kim Clarke Champniss ]
Kim: WELCOME BACK TO "DA VINCI DECODED." WE NOW TAKE YOU TO LONDON, ENGLAND,
AND TO THE TEMPLE WHICH IS IN THE HEART OF THE CITY. IT'S A LOCATION THAT PLAYS A
PIVOTAL ROLE IN DAN BROWN'S BOOK THE DA VINCI CODE.
[ Caption: London ]
(Elegant instrumental music)
♪
[ Caption: Robin Griffith-Jones, (Unclear), Temple Church ]
Robin: WELL, HERE WE ARE, RIGHT IN THE MIDDLE OF LONDON, TUCKED AWAY IN ONE OF
ITS HIDDEN JEWELS: THE TEMPLE CHURCH, BUILT BY THE KNIGHTS TEMPLAR BETWEEN
1185 AND 1240, AND STILL ONE OF THE MOST BEAUTIFUL AND BEST-PRESERVED
MEDIEVAL CHURCHES IN LONDON. AND SINCE THE DA VINCI CODE CAME OUT, IT'S BEEN
ONE OF THE GREAT HOT SPOTS FOR TOURISTS TO LONDON.
WE MOVE NOW INTO THE ROUND CHURCH, WHICH IS THE OLDEST PART OF THE CHURCH.
THIS IS THE BIT BUILT IN 1185, WHICH WAS BUILT TO RECALL, TO ECHO THE SHAPE AND
THE SANCTITY OF HOLY SEPULCHRE.
BUT IN THE MIDDLE AGES, IT WOULD HAVE BEEN ABSOLUTELY CLEAR, WHEN YOU
WALKED INTO THIS CHURCH, YOU WALKED OUT OF LONDON AND YOU WERE IN
JERUSALEM. AND THE KNIGHTS WHO ARE BURIED HERE-- YOU SEE WE HAVE A WHOLE
SERIES OF EFFIGIES, SADLY DAMAGED IN THE LAST WAR.
IF WE GO OVER TO THIS SIDE HERE, WE'LL SEE THE GRAVE THAT THEY'RE ACTUALLY
LOOKING FOR IN THE DA VINCI CODE. THEY LOOK HERE, THEY TRY TO THINK, "WELL, MIGHT
THIS BE THE CLUE THAT WE NEED FOR THE HOLY GRAIL?" UH, NOPE. IT'S A DEAD END. IT'S
ANOTHER OF THEIR DEAD ENDS, AND AS YOU MAY REMEMBER, THEY THEN RUSH ON TO
WESTMINSTER ABBEY, WITH A QUICK MURDER IN BETWEEN.
[ Caption: David Jordan, Blue Badge Guide ]
David: BEHIND ME IS WESTMINSTER ABBEY, THE ROYAL CHURCH. BEEN HERE FOR 1,000
YEARS. THIS IS WHERE ALL ROYAL THINGS HAVE TAKEN PLACE SINCE 1066. BUT OF
COURSE, AS YOU KNOW, IT'S ALSO THE SETTING FOR ONE OF THE IMPORTANT SCENES
FROM THE DA VINCI CODE.
AND, IN PARTICULAR, THE THOUGHT WAS THAT SIR ISAAC NEWTON WAS VERY INVOLVED IN
THE WHOLE THING, AND, AS YOU PROBABLY KNOW, ONE OF THE LINES THAT'S THROWN
ABOUT IN THE BOOK AN AWFUL LOT IS, "IN LONDON LIES A KNIGHT A POPE INTERRED."
AND THAT KNIGHT COULD WELL BE SIR ISAAC NEWTON.
SO, ROBERT AND SOPHIE IN THE BOOK, THEY CAME HERE, THEY STOOD AT THE PLACE
AND THEY RAN OUT TO THE CHAPTERHOUSE, WHICH IS AROUND THE SIDE. SO THEY CAME
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The Word This Week
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OUT THERE-- THAT'S THE EAST DOOR BEHIND ME-- ROBERT AND SOPHIE, RUNNING DOWN
HERE TOWARDS THE CHAPTERHOUSE IN THEIR EXCITEMENT. AND THEY WENT IN HERE;
THIS IS THE CHAPTERHOUSE IN HERE.
I WISH I COULD TELL YOU THAT IN THE MOVIE-- THE PEOPLE WATCHING THE FILM WOULD
SEE THE INTERIOR OF WESTMINSTER ABBEY AND ALL THE GLORIES OF THIS 1,000-YEAROLD CHURCH. UM, THE PEOPLE MAKING THE MOVIE ASKED PERMISSION TO MAKE THE
MOVIE IN HERE, BUT THE POWERS THAT BE FELT THAT, UM, THERE WERE TOO MANY
CONTRADICTIONS AND ARGUMENTS BETWEEN DAN BROWN'S IDEAS IN THE BOOK AND THE
CREED OF THE CHRISTIAN CHURCH.
Kim: WELL, WE'VE GIVEN YOU THE FACT, THE FICTION AND THE TRUTH BEHIND DAN
BROWN'S DA VINCI CODE. BUT LET'S PUT IT IN PERSPECTIVE: WHY HAS IT BEEN SO
SUCCESSFUL AND WHAT DOES IT ALL MEAN?
[ Caption: Professor Joseph Goering, The Virgin and the Grail ]
Joseph: DAN BROWN IS REALLY THE LATEST IN A LINE OF PEOPLE WHO HAVE TRIED TO
TAKE-- TO MAKE AN IMAGINATIVE STORY OUT OF THE GRAIL. IT'S A GENUINE
DEVELOPMENT OF THE TRADITION OF TELLING STORIES ABOUT THE GRAIL IN ORDER TO
UNDERSTAND WHAT IT IS AND WHY IT'S IMPORTANT.
[ Caption: Michael Baigent, The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail ]
Michael: I THINK THE WORLD HAS CHANGED SINCE HOLY BLOOD EMERGED. PEOPLE, IN
THIS SENSE, ARE MUCH MORE SOPHISTICATED. THEY'RE MUCH MORE OPEN TO
ALTERNATIVE PERSPECTIVES ON THE BELIEF SYSTEMS THAT WE WERE RAISED AND
PERHAPS ALWAYS TRUSTED. THE TRUST IS STARTING TO GO BECAUSE THE LEADERS OF
THOSE SYSTEMS HAVE BETRAYED US.
[ Caption: Kate Mosse, Labyrinth ]
Kate: THERE IS AN INTEREST IN THE MOMENT IN BIG EPIC STORIES WITH THEMES THAT
MATTER. AND, YOU KNOW, ALL OF US HAVE BEEN VERY LUCKY, AND I THINK THAT THERE'S
NO DOUBT THAT THE DAN BROWN PHENOMENON-- 'CAUSE THAT'S WHAT IT IS-- HAS
PROVED THAT THERE WAS A REAL MARKET FOR THOSE SORTS OF BOOKS.
[ Caption: Brian Finnerty, Opus Dei ]
Brian: I THINK THE POINT TO REMEMBER ABOUT THE DA VINCI CODE IS, IF PEOPLE WANT
TO READ IT SIMPLY AS A FUN NOVEL, THAT'S FINE. BUT IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR REAL
THEOLOGY, IF YOU'RE LOOKING FOR REAL HISTORY, WHAT YOU NEED TO DO IS YOU NEED
TO GO TO THE NON-FICTION SECTION OF THE BOOKSTORE.
[ Caption: Heather Reisman, Chief Executive Officer, Indigo ]
Heather: PEOPLE ARE INTERESTED IN RELIGION, IN QUESTIONING RELIGION, IN
UNDERSTANDING THE ROLE THAT RELIGION PLAYS, AND IN JUST KIND OF RETHINKING,
MAYBE, FOR THE 21st CENTURY. WE WANT TO BELIEVE IN THINGS BUT WE DON'T
NECESSARILY WANT TO BELIEVE EVERY SINGLE THING AS IT'S ALWAYS BEEN PUT TO US.
[ Caption: Robin Griffith-Jones, (Unclear), Temple Church ]
Robin: THE TROUBLE WITH A REALLY DEEP CONSPIRACY THEORY IS YOU CAN CLAIM THAT
THE LESS EVIDENCE THERE IS FOR SOMETHING, THE BETTER KEPT THE SECRET HAS
BEEN AND THE DEEPER THE CONSPIRACY.
SO IF THERE IS ABSOLUTELY NO EVIDENCE FOR ANY SOMETHING AT ALL, THAT ONLY GOES
TO PROVE WHAT A VERY EFFECTIVE CONSPIRACY IT'S BEEN. NO, NO, IT MAY INDICATE
THAT THERE'S NO TRUTH IN THE SUPPOSITION AT ALL.
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The Word This Week
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[ CREDITS ]
(Theme plays: Driving rock music)
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(Closed captions created by Bravo!)
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