Masonic Movie Jewelry and Masonic References in Film and TV!
Top: The Pendant you can find on this site, from the movie "The Man Who Would Be King". It's a classic Masonic watch fob of a design I have not been able to trace. I've seen a couple of replicas of this pendant, the one I did is the closest to the orginal. In the movie it's used as a watch fob until Christopher Plummer's character gifts it to Sean Connery for his journey. It becomes a pivotal part of the plot, actually saving Sean's life. It's probably the most famous and desirable Masonic pendant I know of. If you know anything about the original pendant, where it came from, where it is today, I would love to know. In fact, I'd love to own it!
Middle, actor and Brother Buck Taylor wearing his pendant in the movie Tombstone, in a scene shortly after a large gunfight, when the gang are resting in a thicket. This guys asks Doc Holliday why he goes to so much trouble for Wyatt Earp. Kilmer says, "because he's my friend". This guys says "Heck, I've got LOTS of friends"! Rumor has it that Buck had that pendant made up by a prop artist for the movie Gettysburg, but didnt use it, and later insisted that his character wear it in Tombstone. Good Choice!! Buck, if you're out there, I know Brethren who would want one of these!
Last, the signet ring from the movie "From Hell". Every one of those men had one of these rings... It must be said, real Masons are much nicer guys. The signet ring featured in the movie, or a very close facsimile, used to be available at the British company "Central Regalia" and was featured on their website. http://www.centralregalia.com, but I'm not sure they carry it anymore. (Special Thanks to Brother Robert Huke for spotting that).
Also:
The Movie "Prisoners" with Hugh Jackman and Jake Gyllenhall, Jake playing a detective wears a ring in several scenes:
Thanks to the Grand Lodge of British Columbia for catching this one! They have a great webpage dedicated to Freemasonry in popular culture here: http://freemasonry.bcy.ca/fiction/
A TNT Channel movie series, The Librarian: Return to King Solomon Mines. As the title suggest, it revolves around the Wise Grand Master and fictional accounts. Early in the movie the main character receives from an old friend one of his father's amulets, which happens to be the Square and Compass with a pyramid in the middle of it (suggesting it came from outside of America) which leads the main character to Morocco, where the amulet guides him, and saves his life. It's a cable movie, and I doubt the amulet was even real, or made from metal for that matter, but it deserves some recognition amongst the craft.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Librarian:_Return_to_King_Solomon%27s_Mines
and here is a nice quality version of the movie for streaming, in case you'd like to watch it.
http://www.tudou.com/programs/view/pPMr2Bkd-gM/
Submitted by Bro. Walter Avalos
Lodge #735 Oasis Of Mara.
Highdesertmasons.com
Some other mentions:
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Magnolia - there is a scene where the book The History of Freemasonry is clearly shown among several other books
The Ant Bully - on the back of a chair in one scene there is a square and compass, minus the letter G
Dolores Claiborne - one of the characters has a square and compass lapel pin
Flushed Away - a toad/frog has what looks to be a signet ring on
The Apolcalypse Watch - one character is wearing what looks to be a past master's ring
Keeping in Shape (1942) - one character is wearing a Masonic ring
Lone Star - same thing
Lonely Hearts - same thing
The Man - same thing
Shoot Em Up - Square and compass lapel pin
What Planet are you From? - same thing
State of Play - coffee cup with square and compass
Mad Max Beyond Thunderdome - bad guy has a square and compass pendant around his neck
-Bro. Aaron Reddoch
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...In the movie American Gangster, Russel Crowe's boss wears a square and compasses lapel pin in a scene where he is assembling an anti-drug squad, looking for 'incorruptible' officers. "Men who wouldn't pick a nickel up off the sidewalk". - Br Brandon Michael Wade, of Franklin Lodge in Grafton MA
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True Grit (2010 version)
In an early scene about 4 mins in, Mattie, played by Hailee Steinfeld, states to the undertaker "I will see to it that he is buried in his Mason's Apron". Then, upon arriving at the boarding house, she looks down at an open bundle containing her dead father's belongings and among the items is a prominent black object with a large gold square and compasses on it.
Will Scott
Drumheller #146
Drumheller, Alberta, Canada
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There is clearly a Masonic funeral in the movie “Like Water for Chocolate.” - Bro. Ruben J. Levy – Republic of Panama
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In the movie, Lonestar, with Kris Kristofferson playing a sheriff, the flashback scenes show him wearing a Masonic ring, and when the main characters go to find his remains, they discover his bones with the ring and a sheriff badge.
- In the 1986 movie "Salvador", directed by Oliver Stone, starring Jim Belushi
and James Woods. James Woods is wearing a Hawaiian shirt when he meets with
a US politician in Salvador. The imprinting on the shirt is covered with
Red Shriner Fez's. From this point on he wears the shirt through the
remainder of the movie.
- Bro. David Bower
- I was watching General Hospital today and "Manny" the tattooed criminal appears to have a Square and compass as one of his tattoos. It is the first time I have seen it. On his left side right under his chin. I have seen this actor on many other shows but never noticed this particular tattoo before. Probably because he is usually in a Tee shirt which would cover it up. Today he had a regular shirt on. You might want to check it out if the show hasn't aired there yet (or you can catch it later in the day on the Soapnet channel. - j.c.s.
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Regarding Masonry in the movies...recently I saw the movie "Domino" with Kiera Knightly. Christpher Walken plays a tv producer and is wearing a signet ring clearly in many scenes. - Bro. Andrew McKenzie
- The film "Rosewood", which tells the story of a town eradicated by racial hatred and Klan violence in 1920s Florida, has a VERY masonic plotline. The Prince Hall Masons are a centerpiece of the town (Don Cheadle's character is clearly a Past Master, see the large S/C on top of his piano in the parlor of his house. Also, the antagonist (or, at least, the villian) who uses the Prince Hall Masons asks the character of the young man who is an apprentice blacksmith to his father, Aaron Carter, if he is a "Traveling Man" and clearly they both show their Masonic rings. This act of brotherhood ("holding the oath") is what seals his and his father's doom in the film's plotline. Of course, unfortunately, the white masons in the film also belong to that other secret fraternity which essentially opposes the brotherhood of man... Bro. Pat Bouchard, PM, Clifton Lodge # 203, Whitehead Lodge #184, New Jersey
- National Treasure With Nicholas Cage. Masonry is front and center in a storyline claiming that the founding fathers hid a huge treasure from the original Knights Templars, and the search for it. There is a very informative interactive web trailer. http://nationaltreasure.movies.go.com/main.html
- Bro. Rob Huke
- I was watching "Escape from New York" a couple of days ago. It appears as though Donald Pleasence... President of the United States, is wearing a signet ring, or a very close facsimile, that used to be available at the British company "Central Regalia". This is the one missing the "G". It is visible as they place the president in the pod, then a second time when the president's finger is delivered to Lee Van Cleef... Bob Hauk.
Scenes were quick however it might be worth a second look. - Bro. David Bower
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Just watched "Spartan" with Val Kilmer. He has a good jibe at the beginning of the movie (first 15 minutes).
"...if I wanted comradery, I'd have joined the Masons". I thought that was a cool line. - Duane R.
- There was a show called Carnivale on HBO last year. It was about a carnival during the 30's. The lead character was a young man who was clairvoyant and could heal people who were sick and dying. He was searching for his Father whom he'd never met. He also used to have these really weird visions. One of them was about The Knights Templar and there were also many references to his Father being a Mason, Masonic rings, etc.
- In "Erin Brochovich" there are some Masonic things in
the movie. The lawyer Julia Roberts works for wears a
Masonic ring in the movie and when they go to court
there is a Compass/Square on the courthouse sign. It
says San Bernadino courthouse and directly below it is
the sign..... - Bro. Duane Roy - Woodland Lodge #680, Wawa, Ontario, Canada
- bwt - I think there's a mason ring in BLADE2 - the girl puts it on in the helicoptor but they kind of cover it up quickly. I got to look for it later in that movie - I think the new breed vampire guy is wearing it too. - Bro. J. Burbank
- In the quirky movie Magnolia, from around 1996, there is a scene when the actor who is producting a game show pats his game show host on the back, and you can quite clearly see his Masonic ring as he says "We met upon the level, and we're parting upon the square".
- In the movie U-turn, Nick Nolte plays a corrupt sheriff. You can plainly see his Masonic Ring in a number of scenes, and he is a nasty character, which does not reflect well on our honorable institution.
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The Simpsons: In this famous episode the father joins a fraternal group called the Stonecutters, which has some resemblance to the Freemasons, but which is satirized, and which has a nice song about allegations of controlling the world, etc.
From an email message: Homer discovers that his father is a member. They're all around the table and his dad starts pulling out dues card and as he does, he names them. He says something to the effect of, "Let's see here, I'm a Mason, a Communist, a member of the Gay-Lesbian Alliance, and ... oh yes, here it is, a Stonecutter."
A Second Simpsons... In the episode where Mr. Burns builds a Casino. He is acting crazy or "eccentric" like Howard Hughes was reported to act and one of his hallucinations was germs on a kleenex chanting "Freemasons rule the world, Freemasons rule the world."
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"News Radio". Jimmy, the owner of the radio station, bought a box of alleged rare items from a kid and wanted to sue the kid for fraud. Basically they go to court to battle over a box of junk and the judge gets mad and wants to find Jimmy in contempt for wasting the courts time. He throws the word down and the judge immediately rules in Jimmy's favor. - Brian Pittman, Garland Lodge #441, Garland, Texas
- One of the Alien movies has a part where the Sergeant is giving a ‘pep talk’ to the marines just before they are going to enter the ‘drop ship.’ If you look closely, you will see a Masonic ring and (unless I am hearing things) he says ‘…every mason…a parade!’ - Wor. Doug Talbot
and more info...
Aliens 2 --- the St. of the marines "Apone" is wearing a black stone masonic ring. In two scenes in the movie you can see it good. once when he is when ripley is giving the marines the 411 on the alien itself & then when ripley stated is there anything she could do to help around. when he puts the cigar to his mouth you get a pretty good view of it. Respectfully.. Bro. J. Prewitt Jr.
- The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. All you have to do is watch the first 15-30 minutes of it to have enough to talk about. The same guy that made From Hell by the way did this movie. I would pay attention to the doors and pictures in “M’s” office/library. And yes, there is a Masonic ring in the movie…although it is without the “G.” - Wor. Doug Talbot
- Bad Boy’s II has a Masonic Square and Compasses bumper sticker on the back of the “stake-out” truck. (Thanks for these tid-bits to Doug Talbot, PM Valley #71 Orting, WA.)
- In the old Sherlock Holmes movie "Murder By Decree", (the predecesor of the movie "From Hell") there was featured a "swivel" ring during the scene where Holmes "challenged" the Inspector of Scotland Yard.
Here's a link to an essay about Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and Freemasonry
- Inspector Morse: "Masonic Mysteries"
- Here's Paul Bessel's page with similar info: http://www.bessel.org/culture.htm
If you find other movies with good Masonic references, send me an email!