Secrets of Mary Magdalene

I recently viewed this film on the History Channel in bits and pieces which created an interest to obtain it to view it in its entirety, and I was not disappointed. I have spent the last ten years trying to understand the legends and the history of many of the stories revealed in this film. In fact I have been to all of the landscapes in this film except the Sainte Baume Basilica in Provence, France, which supposedly houses Mary's skull. Last time I was in Provence I was unable to locate the building. In two months, hopefully, I will be there.This film “ups the ante” from the 1982 best seller “ Holy Blood Holy Grail” hypothesis using the new gnostic scriptures to bring meaning to Christian Orthodox and so called heretical thought threw the ages. Dan Burstein brings Mary Magdalene, this complex icon, to life and effectively explains her place in history unlike the incorrect portrait presented in the O Reilly book “ Killing Jesus.”I have found many “Black Madonnas” throughout Northern Italy, France, and the Iberian Peninsula. Do these represent the Virgin or Venus, the Magdalene? Now every time I enter a Christian building in these areas I look at the female statutes and ask guides or clergy who the statue represents. These areas in medieval times were also occupied by the Cathars and Knights Templar who had a great devotion to Mary of Magdela.The other program on this DVD is a roundtable discussion regarding Mary with six female historians which includes Elaine Pagels and Deirdre Good who are gnostic experts and provide a great deal of information supporting her true role. They relate to her as the “Apostle of the Apostles” and cite The Canonical Gospels and the newly found Gnostic Codices in an understandable presentation to all. If you are confused with this material, this DVD will assist you immensely.

Previous "customer reviews" of this DVD nailed this DVD's central feature, by identifying and highlighting the significant auxiliary "bonus" feature, A MARY MAGDALENE ROUNDTABLE: THE EXPERTS SPEAK, as being a real gem and the true treasure of this DVD - i.e., instead of the main feature, Dan Burstein's film entitled "Secrets of Mary Magdalene."Great things can come in small packages!My five star rating of this DVD is based entirely and exclusively on this DVD's roundtable discussion, which is the "sine qua non" of this DVD. Unfortunately, the way AMAZON.com's customer review feature is set up, my five star rating of this DVD will doubtlessly be interpreted by most AMAZON's customers as an endorsement of Dan Burstein's film, which it is not; although Dan Burstein's film is a worthwhile film (3-3 1/2 stars).I'm afraid this DVD's roundtable discussion feature will go unnoticed and be overlooked by most AMAZON customers.Not only is this "bonus" roundtable discussion feature the most compelling, valuable and worthwhile part of this DVD, I believe that the accessibility of this roundtable discussion is being significantly restricted and harmed by being relegated to (buried in) a "bonus" feature position (after the feature film), and an optional one at that, which a DVD viewer must select on a volitional basis. The reverse should be the case, with central focus placed on this roundtable discussion as the central feature of this DVD, with Dan Burstein's film "Secrets of Mary Magdalene" being relegated to second place, perhaps as the secondary "co-main feature."I particularly want my teenage daughter to see this roundtable discussion - not only for its content and messages, but also because these intelligent and knowledgeable female scholars, in the context of this roundtable discussion, are excellent examples of equal intellectual and scholarly status for women within Christianity, and are also superb role models for young females.

As of the writing of this review I consider the DVD `Secrets of Mary Magdalene' my Holy Grail of Magdalenia. It documentary feature contains 98 minutes of first rate, extremely well organized material that is presented in a well conceived, cohesive manner that well demand your full attention from beginning to end. Add to that an additional 30 minutes titled; `More Secrets of Mary Magdalene' and you're set for a fascinating, paradigm altering evening.While the presentation style is similar to other documentaries on Magdalene (i.e.: `Magdalen An Intimate Portrait' and `Something About Mary Magdalene') using dramatic re-enactment, artistic representations, travelogue like sequences of sacred sites and interviews with recognized experts on the subject, this one stands out in my estimation as the best. The information offered on the Gnostics, the Holy Grail and the role of the Cathars and Templars goes far beyond the other cinematic studies. I was also pleased to see Lesa Bellevie, Jane Schaberg and Elaine Pagels interviewed in this documentary. All three were left out of the other two films. I'm also a big fan of Susan Haskins who appeared in all three!If you're at all interested in Mary Magdalene you'll want to own this one; most definitely -5 Stars-.

I bought the "Bible Collector's Series: Bible Women/Biblical Adam & Eve" DVD, at the same time with the "Secrets of the Cross Series: The Mary Magdalene Conspiracy" DVD, and the "Dan Burstein's Secrets of Mary Magdalene" DVD. I found the Bible Women/Biblical Adam & Eve DVD, to be a good introduction to the story of Mary Magdalene, but not comprehensive enough for my taste and needs; the bonus material on the Garden of Eden was quite good in debunking the theory of Evolutionism and advocating Creationism; the feature about the Miracle at Fatima was also good.I much preferred the "Mary Magdalene Conspiracy" DVD and the "Secrets of Mary Magdalene" DVD, ... and in fact, I liked them both equally, but for different reasons. The "Mary Magdalene Conspiracy" was well presented and narrated in an efficient (but at times too efficient) manner. The "Secrets of Mary Magdalene" DVD was 50% longer than the "Mary Magdalene Conspiracy" and thus gives the viewer more information and details about how, when and where the different origin versions, portrayals and often divisive arguments about Mary Magdalene come from, with extensive interviews from eight experts and references to Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code".Unlike other reviews of the "Secrets of Mary Magdalene" DVD, I found the "Roundtable" segment rather bland, although I was able to extract a few good factual bits (not presented in the main and bonus features) useful for my own personal learning and research. If you can afford to but all three DVDs, then by all means do so; otherwise, stick to one of the other two, depending on your budget and/or needs.