Bloodline: Between Sensationalism and Documentary Greg Kaczynski

Bloodline is an interesting kind of documentary. It’s factual, that’s true, and it deals with real people, places and situations. However, the subject matter it handles is a bit unusual for your run-of-the-mill theatrical documentary. There are no health care issues here or pigging out on fast food; no incest or spelling bees. No, what Bloodline tackles is, in essence, the very foundation of Western civilization as we know it--and that’s a spicy meatball.

Through its rollicking 113 minute runtime, director and “star” Bruce Burgess takes viewers on a global hunt to discover the truth behind Jesus Christ: Did he actually die on the cross? Or did he survive crucifixion and escape to Southern France with Mary Magdalene and their daughter Sara? Did the crucifixion happen at all?

This is not an entirely new theory. Most recently, Dan Brown’s hit novel (and the Tom Hanks movie based on it) The Da Vinci Code delivered this concept to the masses. But prior to that, a book published in 1982, Holy Blood, Holy Grail, first initiated the public to it. Of course, it was released along with great controversy, and many people sought to debunk the theories laid out therein. But the story has returned, and Bloodline is hoping to once again blow this controversial take on the Jesus story into the general consciousness.

Burgess takes audiences from one of the main talking points of those two former works, the Priory of Sion, the supposed secret society which keeps the details of this history, to deeper, admittedly more fascinating territory. While talking to members of the Priory, there is a sense of dread and suspicion: tales are told of former Priory members being killed just before or right after going public with some juicy bit of information, and Burgess’ phones, his producer reports, are apparently tapped. This is the stuff of deadly, international espionage.

The Priory is a fascinating group. The last gentleman to be interviewed as a head spokesperson of the Priory, Pierre Plantard, was generally debunked in a massive exposé by CBS. He was shown to be a tall-tale teller, a fraud. The person that Burgess spends most of his time interviewing, Nicolas Haywood, seems equally sketchy. He spends the majority of his time grinning mysteriously and speaking in cryptic riddles, never giving straight answers and insinuating that Burgess has been “chosen” for this task, the unveiling of the Priory’s secret.

While this makes for good drama, it seems a bit over the top for real life. However, the clues that Haywood drops do give Burgess and his crew some curious, helpful leads.

The other main player in the story is an amateur treasure hunter who goes by Ben Hammott (an anagram for “The Tomb Man”). Burgess’ producer found some interesting photos that Hammott had posted on his Web site which claim to be from a tomb in Rennes-le-Chateau, the legendary town in the south of France where The Da Vinci Code (and real-life) priest Bérenger Saunière is said to have discovered incredible evidence suspected to have been linked to Mary Magdalene. Rumor has it that the Vatican bought whatever mysteries Saunière found and his silence with opulent riches that he then graciously shared with the village. The tomb that Hammott has found apparently contains a form, possibly a body, covered in what could be a Crusader shroud, a box of gold chalices and what looks like ancient parchments.

Bloodline gathers steam here in the small village of Rennes-le-Chateau. Burgess and Hammott interpret various relics and symbols in paintings within the church of Mary, sending them on a treasure hunt across the countryside where they actually do find buried bottles possibly left behind by Saunière. The bottles contain further cryptic messages leading them eventually to an old wooden box filled with some very interesting relics: coins from Bethlehem, an old cup and an anointing bottle, all carbon dated back to the 1st century AD.

With this evidence, Burgess and team go to Hammott’s tomb in the outskirts of Rennes-le-Chateau to do further exploration. The hole into the tomb is far too small for anyone to get into, but with the use of some poles, they’re able to lift the shroud and uncover a mummified body. They also see another entrance below within the tomb that has been filled in with rocks.

Through this, they are able to snatch a hair from the mummy to be examined. While the experts say a single hair is not enough for actual proof, the DNA they find harkens back to the Middle East, to the area of Jerusalem.

While much of this evidence and tomb raiding is engaging, one can’t help but wonder about the legitimacy of the claims being made. The members of the Priory we meet (another is a weirdo gentleman by the name of Gino Sandri) are questionable. Ben Hammott is curious as well, and he just happens to find these hidden bottles that are in perfect condition. The tomb itself feels very neat…maybe too neat. Surely all of the dead-ends and failed digs aren’t shown in the film as it wouldn’t be very interesting, but the easiness of it all feels somewhat false.

It doesn’t help that much of the music and chunks of the narrative are done in a sensational style, causing the documentary to feel more like “Unexplained Mysteries” than “ABC News Nightline.”

It’s difficult to truly determine whether Bloodline is a sensational tabloid-style faux-documentary, or a groundbreaking work on a story that can possibly change the future of our world. It could be that the subject matter is so heavy that the average citizen can’t help but take it all in with a self-protective grain of salt. Regardless of the facts, however, Bloodline is an interesting documentary that, while it might be hard to determine its legitimacy, certainly entertains.

Bloodline is now playing at Laemmle’s Sunset 5 and Culver Plaza Theatre.

For more information, visit bloodline-the movie.com.