Masonry in Movies Talk/Skit
This “skit” was originally presented by Britannia #18 (Ponoka, Alberta) to Red Deer Lodge #12 as part of a visiting presentation program in April of 2007.
The skit was written by W Bro Greg Henkelman and performed by him and W Bros Blake Ross and John Jardine.
Please feel free to use the skit in any way you see fit to stimulate discussion on such topics in your own lodge. All we ask is that you recognize Britannia as the source of the original text.
The presentation was quite simple: we simply had a few prop phones (cell phones worked fine) and a prop text of Masonic History. All three Brethren in the skit had seen all movies mentioned and were ready to accept questions after the presentation as well.
Blake: (sound of phone ringing; answers it) Hello?
Greg: Hey Blake, its Greg. Are you busy?
Blake: Not really…just reading a bit of MacKay’s “History of Freemasonry” (picks up the book as a gag).
Greg: (thinking he’s joking) Ha, ha…very funny…(Blake puts the book down). Hey, turn your TV on to Channel 76…no, Channel 78.
Blake: Okay (clicks remote)…why?
Greg: That movie is on…the one about the Masons.
Blake: National Treasure?
Greg: No, the one about the conspiracy…
Blake: The DaVinci Code?
Greg: No, no…the one about that English murderer…
Blake: Jack the Ripper? Murder by Decree.
Greg: No, the updated version…the one with that Pirates of the Caribbean guy.
Blake: Orlando Bloom?
Greg: No, the guy who acts like Keith Richards on a good day…
Blake: Oh…Johnny Depp. (finds the channel). Oh, yeah, From Hell.
Greg: Yeah. Oh, wait the commercial is over. This is a cool scene.
Blake: Hey, they’re bringing that guy to light…impressive…
Greg: Yeah. I guess one of our secrets is out now, huh? The only problem is that people see that one thing, and they’ll think everything in the movie is really “masonic”. Like “ritualistic murder” for wrongdoing…
Blake: Ahh…cmon. Intelligent
people know better. Besides, both Murder
by Decree and From Hell
were based on a single theory about the Whitechapel murders. There are other theories…
Greg: Yeah, but the “Special Features” in the DVD version of From Hell makes this one theory sound
like it’s the only possibility. The “researcher” they have discussing it makes it sound like
fact…what’s that noise?
Blake: (Looks at phone like its beeping)…I’ve got a call on the other line. Hang on…(pushes button)
Hello?
John: Blake. John here. Hey, you watching TV?
Blake: Yeah, I know, the “Masonic movie”.
John: Yeah, an oldie but a goodie…
Blake: Goodie? Not to sure about that…what are YOU watching?
John: Channel 201. “The Man Who Would Be King”.
Blake: Oh, I thought it was From Hell…
John: From hell? Hey, its old, but the story’s good. Just cuz Sean Connery is in it doesn’t mean you
have to slag on it…
Blake: No. The anti-Masonic movie From Hell…
John: Oh, yeah. National Treasure. Lots of speculation in that one…(cut off)
Blake: No! The movie titled From Hell, starring Johnny Depp.
John: Oh, yeah, that one. I preferred the comic book…er…graphic novel.
Blake: Hang on, Henkelman’s on the other line.
John: Cool. Get him to turn it to channel 201.
Blake: (Switches lines) Hey, Greg, check out channel 201.
Greg: (Changes channels) Okay…Hey! A classic! Christopher Plummer, Sean Connery, and Michael
Caine. Good cast. Now THIS is a good Masonic movie…
Blake: Hang on. I’m going to put you on Conference. Jardine’s on the other line (pushes button). Can
you both here me now?
John: Yep.
Greg: Yeah.
Blake: Okay…Now…The Man Who Would Be King.
Greg: Good movie. Story by Brother Rudyard Kipling. Glorification of Masonic knowledge, ritual and
idealism, an elite priesthood…
John: … a guy named “Peachy” who robs anyone who isn’t a Mason and blames it on other people that he throws from trains, his con man partner, written by a racist colonialist…
Blake: Whoa! Where did THAT come from?
Greg: Yeah! Wow!
John: Oh, cmon. I’m just trying to stress a point. Kipling didn’t seem to active in his Lodges, and, like
other colonists back then, didn’t care much about the locals…White Man’s burden, and all that…
Blake: Revisionist history. You can’t hold it against Kipling himself. You’ve got to take it in the context
of his age.
Greg: Yeah.
John: Okay…but will people who watch the movie be mindful of that? My guess is that they would more easily connect Freemasonry with taking advantage of other peoples’ ignorance and that Masons only watch out for each other.
Greg: I don’t know. The speech that Plummer’s character makes is pretty sweet. A nice nod to the
Craft.
John: Fine. But the “conspiracy” of “helping each other out” can be taken in different ways. Like the cops in From Hell or The Skulls.
Blake: Don’t jump to conclusions here…The Skulls is about Skull and Bones, not Freemasons. Some say
it was first formed as an anti-Masonic group to get powerful people a chance without being a Mason.
Greg: Exactly…and who were the last presidential candidates? Bush and Kerry: both Skulls. Just because Skulls aren’t masons doesn’t free us from the conspiracy…they have a “rebirth” ceremony, where they “bury” members…
John: Yeah and high ranking politicians…Freemasonry has been accused of that in the past…especially
in Europe…
Blake: Okay, I get it. Some people might try to link things together. But that’s nothing new, right?
Greg: Yeah. The mass media will probably never allow us to show off what makes Masonry great.
There are too many wackos making ridiculous claims, which make for better cover stories.
John: It’s too bad, really. Wouldn’t it be great if people actually thought about becoming better people
and knew what true fraternity feels like? And some of our discussions about symbolism, esoteric
knowledge, freedom to think…
Greg: You sound like you’re giving a speech…
Blake: Don’t we all when we try to describe the Craft…But he’s got a good point. If people only see
Masonry in the movies, they’ll never catch us in the right light.
John: Or in our full light…
Greg: Okay, now you both really do sound like you’re making Masonic speeches, with all the light talk.
John: Cmon, admit it. As Masons we are so privileged. Who else gets to talk about the things we do?
Who else has the people to discuss these things with. We are lucky, lucky guys.
Blake: Agreed. So…how do we go about sharing what we learn with others? I mean, if the media won’t do it for us…
Greg: Yeah…it would be great if we could separate fact from fiction for everyone out there, but you
can’t be in every video store or theatre telling people whats what…in fact, that would probably
just make them suspect us more…
John: I don’t know. Maybe we could show a movie like National Treasure or a clip from it in Lodge
and then discuss it.
Blake: But that only works in Lodge. How would that help share ideas with “outsiders”?
Greg: Exactly.
John: Okay, its not perfect. Not even all the Brethren would show up, possibly. But we could do a paper, even, and make people aware of the fact that these movies DO exist, people ARE watching them, and that some people WILL need to discuss them…people might even seek out Masons to challenge them or ask them questions. We should all be ready for these types of questions.
Blake: “Masonry in Movies”: could be a catchy title. I kind of like it…
Greg: Doesn’t the Grand Lodge of BC have something like this? A forum for discussion or something
on the Net?
John: Yeah, the address is http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/fiction/cinema.html.
Greg: That was a little random…you’ve got it memorized, have you?
John: Just trying to help…I’ve looked at the site a few times. Makes you appreciate some pretty minor
associations: I think a lot of people are just looking for connections that aren’t necessarily there,
sometimes.
Blake: True enough. I’ve heard some directors are even adding Masonic symbols just to catch peoples’
attention or hint at a conspiracy in the movie.
John: Nice. Anyway, maybe Blake’s idea is the right one. A paper to get people thinking about it…
“Masonry in Movies”.
Blake: All right. So who’s got the time to get this together? My year as WM is over and after the 100th
celebrations I could take some time off. After all, isn’t that what I should do as a Past Master?
John: …and I’ve got the Treasurer, sometimes Junior Deacon, sometimes Secretary offices to fill…not
to mention some of the charges I’m learning for the degrees…
Greg: And I’m Worshipful Master this year, so that obviously means that…(cut off).
Blake and John: Agreed.
Blake: Let us know if you need anything (hangs up phone).
John: Way to lead by example! Well done Worshipful Master! (hangs up).
Greg: So mote it be…
The End