Holy Blood Holy Grail - The Da Vinci Code..

OK, so it's late but I've finally seen the Da Vinci Code. Never read the book and never bought into the hype when the film was released. When a friend read the book a few years ago and described the story I said I'd read something similar. No says my friend, this is new. Hmm

About fifteen years ago I read Holy Blood Holy Grail by Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh, and Henry Lincoln. It's an historical detective piece based on research and fact and a lot of gossip and myth. However, they put forward an interesting viewpoint that is, in parts, highly believable. Dan Brown's The Da Vinci Code has got to be at worst a blatant ripp-off and at best heavily inspired by Holy Blood Holy Grail. I think he won the court case against him but how anyone could fail to see the connection and striking similarities is mind boggling.

An interesting point is that Brown even used two of the authors names for one of his characters: Leigh Teabing. Leigh being Richard Leigh's surname and Teabing being an anagram of Michael Baigent's surname.

Despite that it isn't a bad film, as entertainment. Not the best but worth a look even if there's far too much coincidence and hocus pocus. I'm sure the book is much better but I don't think I can read it now as I'll be constantly pointing out to myself that it's blagged from Holy Blood Holy Grail. I'd be crap as a film reviewer, hopelessly out of date.

I'd be interested to hear anyone else's view on this movie/book.

Holy Blood Holy Grail - The Da Vinci Code..