Saw the DaVinci Code...
 

Harry Krause wrote:
...last night and thought it a pretty good movie. The cast was strong
and despite the tales to the contrary, the movie "moved along" quite
well. Unlike most of the drug-car chase-rap movies these days, it does
require the audience to think things through as they are played out on
the screen.


Agree wholeheartedly.

The critics panned it, as they do with any movie that will be a
blockbuster despite what they say (I was gonna use the term pontificate
but in relation to this movie, best avoid religious references)


I see no need to discuss the "religious overtones" of the movie. It is
based on a work of fiction that incorporates some "factual" historical
elements and a lot of imagination.

True, but I do like to muse to myself what would happen if anyone
decided to make a movie of, say, "The Satanic Verses", for example. I
mean if a few cartoons can set off riots . . .

There were no surprises for me in the book or movie because I read "Holy
Blood, Holy Grail" back in the '80's. And a couple of books on holy
grail and it's connection to the Sinclairs. (I was told as a child the
holy grail was probably buried at Oak Island, Nova Scotia, not the place
infered in the movie - I'm sure Don knows the legend. Either the holy
grail or Capt. Kidd's treasure. Pirates - there, another boating
connection.)


You shouldn't take small children to see this.

I saw lots of parents ignoring the warning. It isn't very long into the
movie (1st self-flagellation scene) before I thought - I'll bet they're
sorry now.

Saw the DaVinci Code...
 

Black Dog wrote:
(I was told as a child the
holy grail was probably buried at Oak Island, Nova Scotia, not the place
infered in the movie - I'm sure Don knows the legend. Either the holy
grail or Capt. Kidd's treasure. Pirates - there, another boating
connection.)

Captain Kidd's treasure was entirely accounted for before he was hanged
over the Thames at Wapping.

After Kidd and his crew took the single signicant prize of his *entire*
piratical career, (a treasure ship belonging to the Grand Mogul of
India), they put into St. Mary's, at Madagascar. Robert Collover (
often named "Culliford," old shipmate of Kidd's and a serious,
successful pirate) was in port at St Mary's, and most of Kidd's crew
deserted him to sign on with Collover. Kidd had alienated most of his
crew by
atempting to follow, stringently, his Royal Commission to apprehend
pirates. Kidd's crew consisted of a group of known pirates who had
signed on with the Adventure Galley during Kidd's first (an
unauthorized) port of call on his commissioned cruise- New York.

(This signing of a crew that consisted of pirates was one of the
incident's in Kidd's career that was borrowed by Robert Louis Stevenson
for the plot of "Treasure Island.").

Kidd spent a few days in his cabin, fearing for his life. The crew that
deserted him to Collover
helped themselves to their "shares" of the treasure and a portion of
Kidd's as well. Much of this treasure was eventually returned to the
Crown when Collover and his crew were granted
a general "amnesty" in the early 1700's.

After an eventual release by Collover, Kidd sailed from St Mary's to
Hispaniola, with just over a dozen loyal crew to work his ship. At
Hispaniola, he got word that he had been denounced as a pirate. In
fact, to assuage the Grand Mogul, the Admiralty was blaming a long
string of piracies in the Red Sea on the "notorius Captain Kidd".
Unlike actual pirates, they knew pretty well just where and when to
expect Kidd to turn up at the end of his voyage so the capture of Kidd
was virtually assured. How better to prove to the Grand Mogul that no,
he really didn't need to expel the British East India Company from
India because the British were serious about apprehending pirates than
to place the blame for a lot of piracies on a single individual and
then "capture" him.

In Hispaniola, Kidd purchased the sloop "Antonio" and transferred the
remainder of his treasure aboard. He stopped at Gardiner's Island on
the way to report to one of his investors, the Earl of Bellomont, in
Boston, and hid most of the treasure with his friend Lyon Gardiner.

After his arrest in Boston, Kidd eventually revealed the location of
the treasure on Gardiner's Island and Bellomont recovered it. It was
inventoried for the Admiralty and the inventory appeared at his trial
in London.

You can still see Captain Kidd's "treasure" today, or at least its
proceeds, in London.
The Admiralty eventually used Kidd's treaure to purchase the sight of
the Royal Naval Academy at Greenwich from the monarchy, and generations
of British naval officers have been trained at a facility that was
funded, initiallly, with the treasure of Captain Kidd.

Saw the DaVinci Code...
 

Black Dog wrote:
snip
There were no surprises for me in the book or movie because I read "Holy
Blood, Holy Grail" back in the '80's. And a couple of books on holy
grail and it's connection to the Sinclairs. (I was told as a child the
holy grail was probably buried at Oak Island, Nova Scotia, not the place
infered in the movie - I'm sure Don knows the legend. Either the holy
grail or Capt. Kidd's treasure. Pirates - there, another boating
connection.)

snip

Over the years a number different 'treasures' were believed to be buried
in the money pit on Oak Island, Mahone Bay.
Captain Kid's treasure
The Holy Grail
Shakespeare's manuscript
French treasure destined for Louisbourg, Cape Breton
http://www.mysteriesofcanada.com/Nov.../oakisland.htm
http://www.activemind.com/Mysterious...and/story.html
http://members.tripod.com/~Zomb/OAKISLAN.HTM

Right to this day people are still throwing money into this mystery.
What's down there...sure would be nice to find out.