The Da Vinci Code (film)

This article is about the film. For other uses, see The Da Vinci Code (disambiguation).

The Da Vinci Code
File:The da vinci code.jpg Teaser poster for The Da Vinci Code
Directed by	Ron Howard
Written by	Dan Brown (novel) Akiva Goldsman (screenplay)
Produced by	Brian Grazer John Calley
Starring	Tom Hanks Audrey Tautou Sir Ian McKellen Paul Bettany Jean Reno Alfred Molina Jürgen Prochnow
Cinematography	Salvatore Totino
Edited by	Daniel P. Hanley Mike Hill
Music by	Hans Zimmer
Distributed by	Sony
Release dates	May 19, 2006
Running time	149 min
Language	English
Budget	$125 million

The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 feature film based on the bestselling 2003 novel The Da Vinci Code, by author Dan Brown. It was one of the most anticipated films of 2006, and was previewed at the opening night of the Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2006. The Da Vinci Code then entered major release in many other countries on May 18, 2006 with its first showing in the United States on May 19, 2006.

Because of some controversial interpretations of Christian history, both the book and movie version of The Da Vinci Code have been the target of criticism by the Roman Catholic Church. Some bishops have even urged members to boycott the film. [7] Many of the early showings were accompanied by protesters outside the movie theaters, and early critical reviews were decidedly mixed. However, in its opening weekend, the film earned over US$224 million worldwide, second only to the opening of 2005's Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. It is the second highest grossing movie of 2006 worldwide - grossing an impressive $754,891,824 U.S. as of October 18,2006. [8]

Plot Summary

File:Picsony2006-15.jpg

Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu and Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon

The film opens with a man (later revealed to be Jacques Saunière) being pursued by a mysterious hooded character carrying a handgun through one of the Grand Gallery in the Louvre. While trying to evade the man, he is confronted by him and the man reveals himself as Silas. Silas demands the location of the Priory's clef de voûte or "keystone." Under threat of death, Saunière finally confesses the keystone is kept in the sacristy of Church of Saint-Sulpice, "beneath the Rose." Silas thanks him, and then shoots him in the stomach.

Meanwhile, American symbologist Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), who is in Paris as a guest lecturer on Symbols and the sacred feminine, is contacted by the French police, and summoned to the Louvre to view the crime scene. He discovers the dying Saunière had created an intricate display using black light ink and his own body and blood. Capitan Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) asks him for his interpretation of the puzzling scene.

Silas calls a mysterious man known only as the Teacher, revealing that he has killed all four protectors of the keystone and that all confirmed the same location. He dons a cilice and castigates himself with a lash for the sins of murder. Facilitated by Bishop Manuel Aringarosa, Silas then travels to Saint-Sulpice and is admitted by an elderly nun; left alone, he excavates beneath the floor of the church to find a stone saying only JOB 38:11. He confronts the nun, who quotes the passage: "Hitherto shalt thou come, but no further." Silas has fallen victim to a deception. Enraged, he kills the nun.

Next on the scene in the Louvre is Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), French Cryptologist. She discreetly informs Langdon that he is in danger, and must get away without arousing suspicions. Langdon, in confusion, excuses himself and heads to the men's washroom, where Sophie meets him and warns that he was bugged with a tracking device by Bezu Fache on the way into the Louvre. Sophie tells him to get rid of it, which he manages by placing it in a bar of soap and throwing it onto a passing truck. After throwing the chip out the window, French agents are alerted of Langdon's attempted escape and begin pursuing the automobile. Sophie begins explaining that Fache had erased a line of black light ink text which appeared to incriminate Langdon, and that Fache believes Langdon to be the murderer.

However, Sophie also believes that Saunière, who, it transpires, is her grandfather, wanted to pass a hidden message on to her, and that he had wanted to bring Langdon into the equation so that he could help her crack the code.

After the pair manage to buy some time by disorienting the French agents (through tossing the tracking device onto a truck outside), they begin exploring the Louvre, finding more anagram messages that Saunière had left behind. Many of these messages relate to Leonardo Da Vinci's art, and the pair find a key with a Fleur-de-lis behind Madonna of the Rocks.

When the French agents stop the truck in which Langdon supposedly escaped, they realise their mistake and immediately head back to the Louvre. Upon arrival, Robert and Sophie evade agents and are pursued by the French Police. Sophie tells Robert that she can continue with the investigation and that if they get to the American embassy then they can safely fly Langdon back to the United States.

At the front gates of the American embassy, however, the French authorities are already waiting for them. Sophie manages to drive into a narrow alleyway created by two moving trucks. Both of them abandon the car and head into a park where Langdon closely inspects the key. He notices an inscription on the side -- an address. The address directs them to the Depository Bank of Zurich where the key is used for a safety deposit box.

When they enter the bank, both now appear as wanted criminals on French television. One of the security guards recognises Langdon and Sophie and informs the police when both enter into a vault. They discover that Saunière had a safety deposit box, which requires a 10-digit code for them to access. Langdon then remembers Fibonacci numbers which were found previously on Jacques Saunière. When arranged in the correct order, it becomes 1123581321.

The code opens the safety deposit box to reveal a rosewood container, which in its turn contains a cryptex: a cylindrical container with five alphabetical dials which must be arranged in the correct sequence to spell out a 5-letter code word, in order to open and access the parchment message inside. Using force to open the cryptex would break a vial of vinegar inside, which would dissolve the parchment and destroy the message. The manager, Andre Vernet of the bank then walks into the vault only to tell them that the police have arrived and that they must leave. The manger assisits them in escaping by offering to take them as passengers in an armour truck to escape the routine checks of the police. To distract the policeman that is conducting searches the manger tells him that he must quickly deliver the 'precious cargo' or that he will be fired. The policeman reluctantly lets him off.

In the back of the truck Langdon and Neveu engage in a lengthy discussion about the cryptex and Neveu then states that her grandfather always used to play games with her involving cryptexes. langdon then states that the cryptex might hold valuable information or another clue in relation to what they are trying to discover. As time passes they get further along until they come to suddeen holt, Langdon fearing that it might be another routine check by the French Police. Instead it is Vernet opening the rear door, and pointing a gun towards both, Langdon and Neveu. he states that Langdon and Neveu have stolen something precious from the confines of his bank and that he would like it back, threatening to kill them if they do not return the cryptex. Vernet then shoots a bullet into the wall just to prove how far he is willing to go. Langdon begins to approach vernet, to hand him the cryptex, when he notices the fragmentated Bullet and subtelety slips into the doors railing, all the while handing over the cryptex. When Vernet goes to close the door, Langdon shoves through pushing Vernet to the floor, quickly disarming and grabbing a hold of the cryptex. He assists Neveu out of the truck, and they hop into the front leaving Vernet to fend for himself on the strip of highway, where he has triggered the GPS devise, hidden under the truck.

As Langdon begins to drive off, Neveu attempts to solve the code and open the cryptex, but it proves useless. Langdon then states that he has a friend, Leigh Teabing, he dosn't live too far off the highway, suggesting that they could go to him for assistance as to opening the cryptex.

Differences between film and novel

Template:Spoiler Note: Some of these differences are based on the first edition of the book. Newer versions have been revised and in some cases are more similar to the film.

• In the film, Langdon received the photograph of Saunière's corpse after giving a symbology lecture in a university, while he is autographing his books. In the novel, he is contacted after he returned to his hotel. Several of the points made by Langdon in the lecture regarding symbolism (as seen in the film) are referenced elsewhere in the novel.
• In the film, Langdon is more moderate in his views of the Roman Catholic Church than he is in the novel. In the novel, he agrees with Teabing on just about every accusation Teabing levels at the Roman Catholic Church. Langdon is also much more skeptical about the Priory of Sion in the film than he is in the novel.
• The film makes no verbal reference to the Divine Proportion, however, during a sequence in which Langdon cuts his face shaving, the pattern of the blood droplet in the sink vaguely resembles the shape of the Greek letter Phi. Also, the Bank of Zurich's emblem closely resembles a Phi.
• In the film, Sophie found the hidden message near the Mona Lisa written at the bottom right of the painting. In the novel, it is written on the plexiglass guard shielding the painting, making it appear as if it were written directly across the Mona Lisa's face.
• In the film, Langdon deciphered the anagram, "So Dark The Con of Man," written near the Mona Lisa with the help of Sophie a few minutes after they found it, while, in the novel, Sophie deciphered it when Langdon couldn't.
• In the novel, bank manager and friend of Jacques Saunière André Vernet turns against Langdon and Sophie because he has been waiting 20 years for somebody to return for the contents of the safe and believes they may have killed Saunière to access his valuables. In the film, Vernet's selfish interest in the contents are insinuated while, in the novel, a fuller explanation is given of his dedication to protect Saunière's interests as his client and friend.
• In the film, Sophie's relationship to Saunière is not revealed to Vernet until he holds Langdon and Sophie at gunpoint. In the novel, she notifies Vernet that she is Saunière's granddaughter when they are in the bank.
• In the film, Fache meets Vernet in the hospital and tells him to turn on the homing device for the armored car, while, in the novel, Vernet does so without informing Fache so that his bank's reputation would not be compromised.
• The answer to Teabing's second question at the Château Villette gate is changed in the film. In the film, the question is put to Langdon whether he wants milk or lemon with his tea, and Langdon responds that it depends on the type of tea they are having. In the novel, he is given the choice of milk or sugar, and he hesitates before realizing that the correct answer is actually lemon and that the tea should be Earl Grey. In the film, when he is already in Teabing's residence he is offered this tea and asks for lemon to go with it.
• No mention is ever made in the film of the surveillance equipment in the loft at the top of the barn at Teabing's manor, nor of the miniature knight in Saunière's office in which a bug had been placed although there is a glimpse in the film of the knight. Rémy Legaludec's criminal record is scrutinized by the police showing that he was kicked out of college for rewiring phone lines to obtain free service. This ties him into the plot as a surveillance expert. In the novel, the French police uncover Teabing's central role in bringing about the actions against the Priory of Sion.
• In the novel, Silas is portrayed as killing people because he believes that he is protecting the Catholic church. He is shown as killing with remorse; as he knows it is a sin, but that he is rescuing the church from possible ruination. In the theatrical release however, he does kill people with no sign of conscience or remorse at all.
• In the film, there is no second cryptex inside the first as there is in the novel, and, in the film, the solution to the cryptex is the same as that for the second cryptex in the novel.
• The role of Opus Dei in the film is significantly scaled back and far less ominous than their portrayal in the novel. In the film, Aringarosa is a sinister member of a secret council of priests, called the Council of Shadows, dedicated to the destruction of the Sangreal and the living descendents of Christ, instead of the desperate leader of Opus Dei dealing with the Vatican's desire to sever ties with it.
• In the film, Silas, Bishop Aringarosa, Leigh Teabing, Rémy, Opus Dei, and the Council of Shadows all either know about or are responsible for the murders while, in the novel, only Silas, Leigh Teabing, and Rémy are responsible for them.
• In the film, Opus Dei is portrayed as an organization trying to destroy the Sangreal while, in the novel, Opus Dei is trying to gain control of the Sangreal in order to wield more influence in the church.
• In the novel, after their escape with Teabing and the keystone, Rémy drops Silas off at the London headquarters for Opus Dei, which is found at 5 Orme Court in Westminster. In the film, Rémy takes Silas to a non-descript "Opus Dei house".
• While the novel portrays Silas as a man in his forties, the movie makes him much younger by placing him in his mid-late twenties, possibly a move to make moviegoers sympathize with the young monk and his sad life.
• It is revealed that Bezu Fache is a member of Opus Dei in the film by his lapel pin ("the cross in the world") according to Langdon who sees it; this is not mentioned in the novel. In the film, Fache decides to pursue Robert Langdon on the basis of a false tip by Bishop Aringarosa whom he trusted—the Bishop told Fache that Langdon confessed to killing Saunière. In the novel, Fache learns of Silas from Aringosa who tries to stop Silas from committing crimes as he realizes that he has been duped by the "Teacher."
• In the film, Langdon does not carefully hide the cryptex under a couch to prevent Teabing from discovering it prematurely the way he does in the novel.
• In the film, Teabing uses sophisticated computer animation to demonstrate codes in Da Vinci's paintings; whereas, in the novel, he merely points to the prints. Due to Teabing's uses of sophisticated computer animation with Leonardo da Vinci's The Last Supper, Teabing was able to digitally move Mary Magdalene's figure over to Jesus's left making it seem as if the figure is resting on Jesus's shoulder.
• The name of Rémy Legaludec, Leigh Teabing's butler, is changed in the film to "Rémy Jean".
• After Silas is killed in a hail of gunfire, in the novel Fache is sympathetic and compassionate towards Bishop Aringarosa, whereas in the film he is vitriolic and spiteful.
• In the film, Rémy tells Silas that he is the Teacher while driving him to the London Opus Dei house; in the novel, Silas is given to understand that he is one of the Teacher's servants. In the film, Rémy is apparently poisoned by a pier in the Docklands of London while sitting outside the limo. In the novel, he is sitting in the front seat of the limo in St. James's Park with the "Teacher" when he dies as the result of an allergic reaction to peanut dust placed into a liquor flask passed to him by "the Teacher."
• At the British airport where the Hawker lands, Teabing mentions a cannabis charge. In the book, he doesn't mention this.
• In the film, Silas allows himself to be killed by police-assisted suicide in his remorse for shooting Aringarosa. In the novel, mortally wounded but still ambulatory, he flees the scene and goes to the hospital with the wounded Bishop Aringarosa, who tells him to pray. He goes out into the hospital courtyard where he dies.
• In the novel, Robert and Sophie go to a library in London to discover the relevance of "A. Pope" while, in the film, they borrow someone's mobile phone (which had a web browser) on a city bus, after they realize it will take too long to get to the library.
• In the novel, Sophie and Robert find a message scrawled on Newton's tomb with rubbing chalk telling them to go to the Westminster Abbey chapter house in order to save Teabing, and it is there that Teabing reveals himself as "the Teacher." In the film, Sophie notices Teabing's cane marks in the dust of the floor and Teabing reveals himself right at the tomb.
• The revelation of the Teacher and the rest of the ending is presented differently. In the film, Langdon and Sophie discovered the Sangreal documents–and with them the secrets of Sophie's ancestry–hidden beneath the Rosslyn Chapel. In the novel, the documents are not discovered. Sophie, who is reunited with her grandmother and brother (the "caretakers" of the chapel), is told by her grandmother that she is a descendant of Jesus Christ.
• The entrance to the tomb beneath Rosslyn Chapel is easily found in the film, marked by the symbol of the unified blade and chalice over the door to the passage. In the novel, no such entrance to the underground chamber exists, and the chalice/blade symbol is less obvious as a sign worn into the floor of the chapel by the path walked by countless visitors.
• In the film, Sophie's parents and brother were killed in a car accident of unknown origin. In the novel, Sophie's brother survives and is raised by their grandmother at Rosslyn Chapel. In the novel, the grandparents agree to separate in order to protect the children. According to the novel, Sophie and her brother are reunited at the end–he is the guide or docent working at Rosslyn Chapel. In the film, the man working at Rosslyn chapel as a guide is not presented as her brother: her brother is said to have died in the car accident.
• In the novel, one of the most important aspects of Sophie Neveu's relationship with her grandfather, Jacques Saunière, is that she hasn't spoken to him in ten years. During those ten years, she never opened his many letters, nor did she ever tell another person about her reasons. The novel presents Sophie coming to grips with why she was estranged from her grandfather. With Langdon's prompting her she comes to the realization that she accidentally witnessed a Hieros Gamos sex ritual involving her grandfather. In the film, this traumatic event is presented only as a flashback: we see Sophie looking in the windows of a door at masked men and women encircling a couple engaged in intercourse. Sophie realizes that the man of the couple is her grandfather. In the novel, Langdon explains this ritual to Sophie, but, in the film, he does not.
• In the novel, Jacques Saunière is really Sophie's grandfather, and she is reunited with her grandmother Marie, who lives behind the Rosslyn Chapel with Sophie's presumed-dead brother, the docent. The novel has Sophie's grandmother tell Sophie that with great difficulty she and Saunière separated in order to protect the children by changing their family names and raising the two children in separate families. In the film, Langdon tells Sophie that Jacques Saunière is not her real grandfather on the basis of the Grail documents in the cellar of the Rosslyn Chapel. The docent is not shown to be Sophie's brother, and a large number of protectors of the Sangreal with Sophie's grandmother meet her as she comes out of the crypt of the Rosslyn Chapel: all else is left unexplained in the film.
• In the novel, Robert and Sophie kiss at the end and plan to meet in coming months in Florence, Italy. In the film, while there are several moments of warmth between them, no romance is implied and they are shown making their farewells at the end. (This, of course, does not outright proscribe any such development between them; at the very least, a bond has definitely been forged between them.)
• In the film, Langdon tells Sophie that since the tomb of Mary Magdalene was apparently lost with the death of Saunière, it would not be possible to prove that Sophie is the last descendant of Jesus Christ and it may not necessarily be important or right to prove the bloodline. The choice was Sophie's. In the novel, Sophie's grandmother explains to Langdon that it was never the Priory of Sion's mission to reveal the "truth" about Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. Teabing's belief was that this was the priory's mission that he thought was thwarted by Jacques Saunière.
• In the film, Sophie playfully tries to walk on water and muses jokingly about turning water into wine, presumably because she was descended from Jesus. This sequence does not occur in the novel.
• In the novel, Leigh presents quotations from Leonardo da Vinci and many books, including Holy Blood, Holy Grail.
• In the novel, Silas has red eyes, and Sophie has green eyes. In the film, they have bright blue and brown eyes respectively.
• In the novel, Langdon is a firm believer in Grail lore, having become a believer while researching his book Symbols of the Lost Sacred Feminine; however, in the film, he dismisses most of it as myth and even argues with Teabing about it several times.
• In the novel, Sophie's skill as a cryptologist is reiterated again and again, showing that she is adept at solving riddles, anagrams, and puzzles while, in the film, it was only mentioned once in the beginning at the Louvre.
• At the end of the film, a stubborn Aringarosa is placed under arrest by Fache as he is carried into an ambulance. In the novel, an innocent, though remorseful, Aringarosa arranges to have the bearer bonds he acquired divided among the families of Silas's victims as he lies recovering on a hospital bed.
• In the novel, when Teabing and the rest are escaping from France, they call the pilot and say they need to go to London. In the film, Teabing has his pilot fly to Zurich, Switzerland, from which Langdon and Sophie could not be extradited back to France. When Langdon finds a secret message on the crytex's rosewood box mentioning London, Teabing has the pilot change course for London.
• In the novel, Teabing claims that over 3 million women were burned at the stake during the witch trials. In the film, it is Langdon who first posits the figure of 50,000 people, and Teabing who goes on to add that "some people say much more, possibly millions."
• In the novel, Teabing's claim that Emperor Constantine invented Christ's divinity is met by Langdon with a "soft nod of concurrence." In the film, Langdon passionately challenges this claim of Teabing's.
• While the novel represents the Christians as waging war on the pagans in an attempt to suppress them, in the film, this claim of Teabing's is countered by Langdon that it is unknown whether it was the Christians or the Pagans who initiated the violence.
• In the novel, Sophie reads from the Gospel of Philip that "Jesus loved Mary Magdalene more than the other disciples and kissed her often on the mouth". In the film, Teabing reads the passage out loud, but is significantly cut off by Robert just after the words "often on the . . ."! (For the very likely reason behind this, see the Gospel of Philip article.)
• In the book, Langdon and Teabing agree unanimously on the existence of the Priory of Sion and its nature. In the film, Langdon challenges Teabing, stating the Priory was proven to be a hoax, which Teabing retorts is "exactly what they want you to think".
• In the novel, Sophie has red hair, reinforcing her connection to Mary Magdalene, but the actress in the film (Audrey Tautou) is a brunette. In addition, Sophie is said to be 32 years of age in the novel, but Tautou is only in her late 20s and no age is given for her character.
• In the film, there is no mention about Langdon’s Mickey Mouse watch, although it does make a brief appearance in the sequence of Langdon and Sophie in the back of the armored van.
• In the film, Robert Langdon discovers the path to the real location of the tomb of Mary of Magdalene from shaving and a book he wrote. In the novel, it was mentioned that Langdon was writing a book and had sent out copies, one in which Saunière had read, which was the reason why he had made an appointment with Langdon before his death. Realizing that he had written something about how an object in the Louvre appears like an iceberg, as it is depicted in the film in the end, he was in shock to find that as he stood inside the Louvre over Mary of Magdalene's tomb, he had known the location all along.
• The novel contains a sequence in which Sophie and Langdon escape from a museum guard by Sophie threatening to destroy a Da Vinci painting. This scene is not in the theatrical release of the film, although it was filmed and images from the scene are included with the published screenplay. It is restored to the film entirely on the Extended Edition DVD.
• In the novel, Collet is implied to be a younger and barely-tolerated subordinate of Fache's. In the film, he is depicted as being of a similar age, and being both colleague and friend to Fache.
• The film emphasizes Sophie's spirituality considerably more than the book (almost telegraphing her ancestry). For example, during the armored car escape, she is shown "curing" Langdon's claustrophobia as if by touch, and in another scene she gives a junkie money in exchange for privacy, trusting that the man won't simply buy more drugs. Neither incident occurs in the novel.
• Bezu Fache severely beats an air traffic controller in the film; he does no such thing in the book.
• In the novel, Sophie's Smart Fortwo is red, but in the film her car is grey.
• In the novel, Silas drives a black Audi. In the film, if one looks closely during one scene, Silas is instead driving a Renault.

Cast

Tom Hanks as Professor Robert Langdon Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing Paul Bettany as Silas Jean Reno as Bezu Fache Alfred Molina as Bishop Aringarosa

Jürgen Prochnow as André Vernet Etienne Chicot as Lt. Jérôme Collet Jean-Yves Berteloot as Remy Jean (Rémy Legaludec in the novel) Jean-Pierre Marielle as Jacques Saunière Hugh Mitchell as Young Silas Seth Gabel as Michael the Cleric Marie-Françoise Audollent as Sister Sandrine

Taglines

• Seek The Truth
• Seek the truth, seek the codes.
• So Dark The Con of Man.
• Can you crack the code?

Filming

The film rights were purchased from Dan Brown for $6,000,000. Filming had been scheduled to start in May 2005; however, some delays caused filming to begin on June 30 2005.

Location

Permission to film on the premises was granted to the film by the Louvre (although, since the crew was not permitted to shine light on the Mona Lisa, a replica was used instead, whilst the film crew used the Mona Lisa's chamber as a storage room), while Westminster Abbey denied the use of its premises, as did Saint-Sulpice. The Westminster Abbey scenes were instead filmed at Lincoln Cathedral and Winchester Cathedral, both belonging to the Church of England.

Lincoln reportedly received £100,000 in exchange for the right to film there, with filming there occurring between 15 and 19 August 2005, mainly within the cloisters of the cathedral. The Cathedral's bell "Great Tom" which strikes the hour was silent for the first time since World War II during that time. Although it remained a closed set, protestors led by the 61-year-old Roman Catholic nun Sister Mary Michael from Our Lady's Community of Peace and Mercy in Lincoln demonstrated against the filming, spending 12 hours praying on her knees outside the cathedral in protest against what she sees as the blasphemous use of a holy place to film a book which she considers to contain heresy.

Meanwhile Winchester answered criticism by using its location fee to fund an exhibition, lecture series and campaign to debunk the book [9], [10] and [11].

Filming also took place elsewhere in the UK (London, including the Temple Church, and Burghley House) and in France and Germany.

Studio shoots

The filmmakers also shot many of the internal scenes at Pinewood Studios: the film's opening sequence was filmed in the cavernous Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage at Pinewood Shepperton, where the interior of the Louvre was recreated, away from the priceless paintings in the actual museum in France.

In the film's opening sequence, Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, is taken by French police to the Louvre, where a dead body has been discovered. David White of Altered States FX, a prosthetics and special makeup effects company which is based at London's Shepperton Studios was tasked with creating a naked photo-realistic silicone body for the scene. (Lighting effects, however, were utilized to obscure the body's genitalia, a technique also used on television programmes such as NCIS). [12]

Pinewood's state-of-the-art Underwater Stage was used to film underwater sequences. The stage opened in 2005 after four years of planning and development. The water in the tank is filtrated using an ultra violet system which creates crystal clear water and a comfortable environment to work in for both cast and crew. The tank is permanently filled and the water is maintained at 22 ˚C (72 ˚F).

Alternate versions of Paul Bettany's nude flagellation scenes were shot, in which he wears a black loincloth. Clips of these versions appear in the History Channel's "Opus Dei Unveiled" documentary, aired in summer 2006.

Pre-release reactions

Catholic

The Vatican

At a conference on April 28,2006, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a Vatican curial department formerly known as the Inquisition, Archbishop Angelo Amato, specifically called for a boycott of the film version of The Da Vinci Code; he said the movie is "full of calumnies, offences, and historical and theological errors."

Cardinal Francis Arinze, in a documentary called "The Da Vinci Code: A Masterful Deception," urged unspecified legal action against the makers of the film. "Those who blaspheme Christ and get away with it are exploiting the Christian readiness to forgive and to love even those who insult us. There are some other religions which if you insult their founder they will not be just talking. They will make it painfully clear to you," Arinze said. He is Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican.

Opus Dei

Stating that it does not intend to organize any boycotts, Opus Dei (the Catholic organization that is featured prominently in the novel and the film) released a statement on February 14, 2006 asking Sony Pictures to consider editing the soon-to-be-released film based on the bestseller, so that it would not contain references that it felt might be hurtful to Catholics. The statement also said Brown’s book offers a "deformed" image of the church and that Opus Dei will use the opportunity of the movie’s release to educate about the church.

On Easter, April 16, 2006, Opus Dei published an open letter by the Japanese Information Office of Opus Dei mildly proposing that Sony Pictures consider including a disclaimer on the film adaptation as a "sign of respect towards the figure of Jesus Christ, the history of the Church, and the religious beliefs of viewers." The organization also encouraged the studio to clearly label the movie as fictitious "and that any resemblance to reality is pure coincidence."

According to a statement by Manuel Sánchez Hurtado, Opus Dei Press Office Rome, in contrast to Sony Corporation’s published "Code of Conduct" the company has announced that the film will not include such a disclaimer.

American Catholic bishops

US Catholic bishops launched a website refuting the key claims in the novel that are about to be brought to the screen. The bishops are concerned about errors and serious misstatements in The Da Vinci Code. The film has also been rated morally offensive – by the United States Conference of Catholic Bishops' Office for Film and Broadcasting, which denounced its depiction of both the Jesus-Mary Magdalene relationship and that of Opus Dei as "deeply abhorrent."

Peru

The Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP) appointed the movie—and the book—as part of a "systematic attack on the Catholic Church" [13]. Furthermore, the Archbishop of Lima, a Cardinal and member of Opus Dei, Juan Luis Cipriani urged his community not to see the film: "If someone goes (to see the movie), they are giving money to those who hurt the faith. It's not a problem of fiction; if truth is not respected, what arises we could call white glove terrorism." [14]

Cannes film festival

During a preview for movie critics in Cannes, the main climax of the film, when Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) discloses to Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) that she is "without a doubt" the "last living descendant of Jesus Christ," was met with thunderous laughter. Nearing the end of the screening, the conclusion of the movie was met with boos instead of the usual applause. [15]

NOAH

The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) has expressed concern about Silas' character giving albinos a bad name. However, the filmmakers did not change his appearance. See also evil albino.

People's Republic of China

Although the Da Vinci code was passed by Chinese censors, it was abruptly removed from public view in Mainland China, by order of the Chinese government, after "a remarkable run in China, grossing over $13 million". [16] No explanation was given. Its last screening was made on the 9th of June 2006.

Faroe Islands

The biggest cinema in the Faroe Islands, Havnar Bio, decided to boycott the film, effectively blocking it from the other smaller cinemas, who rely on second-hand films from this source, because it seems to be blasphemous in their point of view [17]. Havnar Bio is privately owned, and their decision is based on their own private opinion.

A private initiative by the individual Herluf Sørensen has arranged the movie to be played, despite the boycott by Havnar bio. The movie opened at the Nordic House in the Faroe Islands on the 5th June 2006.

Philippines

See The Da Vinci Code in the Philippines

Thailand

Christian groups in this mostly Buddhist country protested the film and called for it to be banned. On May 16, 2006, the Thai Censorship Committee issued a ruling that the film would be shown, but that the last 10 minutes would be cut. Also, some Thai subtitles were to be edited to change their meaning and passages from the Bible would also be quoted at the beginning and end of the film.

However, the following day, Sony Pictures appealed the ruling, saying it would pull the film if the decision to cut it was not reversed. The censorship panel then voted 6-5 that the film could be shown uncut, but that a disclaimer would precede and follow the film, saying it was a work of fiction. [18] [19]. This last-minute decision caused the premiere, opening-day showing of the movie to be delayed or cancelled in some provincial theatres as the updated film reels were shipped from Bangkok.

Singapore

The National Council of Churches of Singapore (NCCS) wrote to Information, Communications and the Arts Minister to register their "strongest objection" to the release of the film and requested that it be banned. The Media Development Authority, however, passed the unedited version of the movie, albeit with a NC16 rating, a restriction for children below the age of 16. [20]

Samoa

The film was banned outright in Samoa after church leaders watching a pre-release showing filed a complaint to film censors. [21]

India

There was a huge outcry in many states by the Christian minorities to ban the film from screening in India for the perceived anti-Christian message. This issue had even brought the minister responsible to view the film along with the senior Catholic representatives.

In the end, the movie was allowed to release without any cuts but with an A (Adults Only) certification from the Central Board for Film Certification and a 15-second Disclaimer added at the end stating that the movie was purely a tale of fiction. However the movie was delayed by a week by which time the grey market was flooded with pirated copies of the movie.

The screening of the film Da Vinci Code has been banned in Punjab, Goa, Nagaland, Meghalaya and Andhra Pradesh. [22], [23]. Later, the Andhra Pradhesh High Court quashed the State Government's order banning the screening of the film in the state [24]. The Indian censor board however had cleared the movie for release on Friday, 2 June. The Supreme Court of India also rejected petitions calling for a ban on the film, saying the plot which suggested Jesus was married was fictional and not offensive [25].

Pakistan

Pakistan on June 3rd, 2006 banned cinemas from showing "The Da Vinci Code" because it contained blasphemous material about Jesus. The authorities decided to ban it, as Jesus is a revered prophet in Islam, and possibly also out of respect for the feelings of the country's Christians, which makes up about 3 percent of Pakistan's 150 million people.

Cast/crew response

Leading actor Tom Hanks has publicly denounced those who wish to boycott the film based on its biblical and historical inaccuracies. While admitting to the Evening Standard that those involved with the movie "always knew there would be a segment of society that would not want this movie to be shown," he adds that the film's story "is loaded with all sorts of hooey and fun kind of scavenger-hunt-type nonsense." Hanks went on to diminish the critical value of The Da Vinci Code bashers by saying that if they "are going to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a huge-budget motion picture like this, (they'd) be making a very big mistake." While not downplaying the movie itself, Hanks stated that "all it is, is dialogue," adding that dialogue "never hurts." He also stated at the Cannes Film Festival that he and his wife saw no contradiction between their faith and the film, as "My heritage, and that of my wife, suggests that our sins have been taken away, not our brains."[26]

Also at Cannes, Sir Ian McKellen was quoted as saying - "While I was reading the book I believed it entirely. Clever Dan Brown twisted my mind convincingly. But when I put it down I thought, 'What a load of ... [eloquent pause] potential codswallop."[27] During a May 17, 2006 interview on The Today Show with the Da Vinci Code cast and director, Matt Lauer posed a question to the group about how they would have felt if the film had borne a prominent disclaimer that it is a work of fiction, as some religious groups wanted. (Some high ranking Vatican cabinet members had called for a boycott of the film.) McKellen responded, "I've often thought the Bible should have a disclaimer in the front saying 'This is fiction.' I mean, walking on water? It takes. . . an act of faith. And I have faith in this movie—not that it's true, not that it's factual, but that it's a jolly good story." He continued, "And I think audiences are clever enough and bright enough to separate out fact and fiction, and discuss the thing when they've seen it."

Marketing campaign

Alternate poster of the film

The film's teaser trailer was released in the summer of 2005, a full year before the film's worldwide release. It was released before a single frame of the movie had been shot. It features crevices with some hidden symbols and was later revealed as an image of Da Vinci's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa. (In reality, the painting plays a very little role in the film and is showed only for a few seconds.)

The court case brought against Dan Brown by Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent, the authors of the non-fiction book Holy Blood, Holy Grail, has added to the film's publicity.

A cross-promotion also appeared on The Amazing Race 9, where one team earned a trip to the movie's premiere in Hollywood, California. The prize was awarded to the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop bearing two parchments and demonstrating that, when combined, they revealed a picture of Leonardo Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man and a coded message; the first team to arrive at the Pit Stop did show the message and were awarded the prize.

Press screenings

To limit exposure in the age of blogs and constant leaks, both Sony and Imagine Entertainment, decided to forgo test screenings, a form of market research usually considered critical to fine-tuning a picture. According to the studio representative, the strategy is to preserve a climate of mystery and excitement around the movie, despite the fact that anyone who is interested probably already knows the plot through having already read the book. Even theater owners saw the 2 1/2 hour film only 5 days before the film festival, which by exhibition standards is as last minute as it gets. [28]

Promotional puzzles

Main article: The Da Vinci Code WebQuests

As part of the lead up to the movie, various encrypted clues are being placed in movie trailers and interviews. In mid-April, two such clues appeared in the Da Vinci Code interviews on Entertainment Tonight and The Insider, as highlighted letters in the names of interviewees.

In February, Sony, in cooperation with Grace Hill Media, launched The Da Vinci Dialogue (aka The Da Vinci Challenge), a fairly comprehensive web site which is intended to defuse Christian opposition to the movie. The site mixes some mild criticisms with movie promotional material.

Reactions to the film

Several of the changes made in the film, notably those of Langdon's views on the subject, appear to be intended to counterpoint or soften some of the viewpoints expressed in the novel.

Protests

There have been protesters at several movie theaters across the United States on opening weekend protesting the themes of the film, citing it as blasphemy and claiming that it shames both the Catholic Church, and Jesus Christ himself. More than 200 protesters also turned out in Athens, Greece to protest the film's release shortly before opening day. In Manila the movie was banned from all theaters and the set by the local MTRCB as an R18 movie for the Philippines. In Pittsburgh, protesters also showed up at a special screening of the film the day before its widespread release. Protests also occurred at the filming sites, but only a monk and a nun stood in a quiet protest at the Cannes premiere [29]. In Madras, India, the film was banned for a two month period to appease local Christian and Muslim groups [30]

Critics' response

Critical response to 'The Da Vinci Code' was mostly negative. The film received only a 24% rating on the site Rotten Tomatoes, an especially low score for a heavily-promoted blockbuster film. [31] Many critics described the film as boring, full of absurd plot twists, and excessively anti-Christian and unhistorical. The film was not well received at the Cannes Film Festival, where it debuted. [32]

The critic Michael Medved gave the film two stars (out of four) saying, ". . .all the considerable acting talent in the film is wasted . . ." and "the plot twists and sudden reverses . . . seem silly, arbitrary, and entirely contrived – never growing organically out of the story-line or the thinly sketched characters." [33] Anthony Lane of The New Yorker addressed the concerns of Catholics in his film review, stating of the film, "It is self-evident, spirit-lowering tripe that could not conceivably cause a single member of the flock to turn aside from the faith."

Director Ron Howard noted that the overwhelmingly negative reviews were "frustrating" to him. [34]

Some critics, however, did like the film. Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and stated, "the movie works; it's involving, intriguing and constantly seems on the edge of startling revelations." [35] Lawrence Toppman of The Charlotte Observer, who also liked the film, gave it three and a half out of four stars and noted, "unlike most Hollywood blockbusters, this one assumes audience members will be smart." [36]

Box office response

Opening weekend

Despite the protests and poor pre-release reviews, the film still opened with an estimated $29 million in box office sales on its opening day, averaging $7764 per screen. During its opening weekend, moviegoers spent an estimated $77 million in America, and $224 million worldwide, according to Sony Pictures. The Da Vinci Code is the best domestic opening for both Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.

It also enjoyed the 3rd biggest opening weekend for the year to date (after Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest and X-Men: The Last Stand, and the second biggest worldwide opening weekend ever, just behind 2005's Star Wars Episode III: Revenge of the Sith. [37] This has led some critics, particularly in the UK, to moot the idea of the 'critic-proof film' [38].

Ranking and current gross

• The movie was easily the #1 movie domestically at the box office during the week of May 19-25, 2006, grossing $102.5 million during that span.
• According to Boxofficemojo.com, as of August 13, 2006, The Da Vinci Code has grossed $217.3 million domestically (4th highest of 2006) and $750 million worldwide (2nd highest of 2006) since its release on May 19, 2006. On June 20, it became only the 2nd movie of 2006 to pass the $200 million mark on the domestic front. [39]
• In the Netherlands, the film was released on May 18 in 127 cinemas. The film debuted at #1 grossing over € 2,249,322 in its first week, the highest debut in 2006. In its second week, it topped the Boxoffice Top 10 again, grossing over €1,996,735 in that week. The two following weeks, it remained on the top position. As of July 12, the film has grossed a total of € 6.746.406.

DVD

File:Da Vinci Code DVD cover.jpg

Cover of the 2-Disc Widescreen Edition

File:Dvcode giftset box.jpg

The Special Edition Giftset

The film will be released on DVD on November 14, 2006. There will be three editions: a two-disc release in both widescreen and fullscreen, as well as a "Special Edition Giftset" which will include a two-disc DVD set.

The DVD set will include an introduction from director Ron Howard, ten featurettes, and other bonus features. The Giftset will include the 2-disc widescreen edition, as well as (according to amazon.com) a "collectible cryptex and Robert Langdon journal", in a special edition box.

In Australia and New Zealand, the two disc set also included an extended edition of the film, including over twenty-five minutes of extra footage, bringing up the running time to almost three hours.

Trivia

• The Dome of the Rock is clearly visible in the background in the scene where Mary Magdalene is leaving Jerusalem. The Dome of the Rock was built in the 7th century AD, centuries after she had left Jerusalem.
• There is a quick shot of a poster for an operatic version of Les Miserables. Victor Hugo, the author of the book, has been listed in some documents as the 24th Grand Master of the Priory of Sion.
• Dan Brown is listed as one of the film's executive producers, as well as the writer (along with Anna Kulp) of "additional codes" for the film. He is also credited with writing and performing one of the film's songs, "Phiano," courtesy of his label "DBG Records."

Cameos

• Brown and his wife can be seen in the (out of focus) background of one of the book signing scenes.
• The authors of the book The Templar Revelation, a major source of information on the Priory of Sion myth, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, make a brief appearance as characters on a bus.

Ratings

• British Columbia Film Classification Office, Ontario Film Review Board (Canada): 14A
• Quebec, Canada: 13+
• India: Film released in India after an agreement to run 15 seconds announcements at the beginning and end of the movie. Statement: "The characters and incidents portrayed and the names herein are fictitious, and any similarity to the name, character or history of any person is entirely coincidental and unintentional." Film banned in Punjab Goa, Meghalaya, Andhra Pradesh, and Pondicherry.
• BBFC (United Kingdom): 12A (Contains flagellation and other moderate violence) The film was only passed with this rating when the BBFC asked for some cuts to the film's violent sound effects. These included reducing the sounds of Fache kicking the air traffic controller and the complete removal of the sounds of the neck breaks by Silas.
• Hong Kong: IIA (Not Suitable for Children)
• Hungary: 16+ (Not proposed for Children below 16 years old)
• MDA (Singapore): NC16 (Not suitable for Children below 16 years old) [40]
• MPAA (USA): PG-13 (Disturbing Images, Some Nudity, Thematic Material, Brief Drug References and Sexual Content)
• OFLC (Australia): M (Moderate Violence, Moderate Themes)
• MTRCB (Philippines): R-18 (Restricted to children below 18 years old)
• IFCO (Ireland): 15A (Very strong violence, menace & self-harm)
• VET (Finland): K-15
• Medietilsynet (Norway): 15+ years (12+ with parents)
• Greece: 17+
• Malaysia: 18PL (Restricted to children below 18 years as it contains non excessive religous, violent scenes)
• Pakistan: Banned.
• China: Banned.
• Mauritius: 18R (Restricted to children below 18 years).

See also

• Ancient mysteries
• The Da Vinci Code
• The Da Vinci Code WebQuests
• The Da Vinci Code (video game)

Notes

The following are various notes cited in the article:

References

The following are reference sources, repeated in alphabetic order:

• Larry Carroll: "Ian McKellen Sticks Up For Evil In Da Vinci Code, X-Men" [6], MTV News, May 15, 2006.
• Catholic World News, "Reaffirm the Resurrection, Pope urges faithful," Catholic World News, May 1, 2006.
• CNN, "'Da Vinci Code' a hot ticket," CNN, May 21, 2006 (webpage expired).
• CNN, "'Da Vinci Code' opens with estimated $29 million," CNN, May 20, 2006 (webpage expired).
• DPA, "Hundreds of Greek Orthodox march to protest Da Vinci Code movie," Deutsche Presse-Agentur, May 16, 2006.
• Fretland, Katie, "Fire chars British set of new Bond movie" 30-July-2006, webpage: WHAS11-DVC: Louvre interior set filmed at Pinewood.
• Sánchez Hurtado, Manuel, The Other Code, Opus Dei Press Office, May 17, 2006.
• KDKA News, "Locals Protest 'Da Vinci Code' Movie," KDKA News, May 19, 2006.
• Leonardo Da Vinci, Mona Lisa (La Gioconda) painting, 1503-1507, in Louvre Museum.
• Pinewood Shepperton studios, "Gordon Brown Opens Underwater Stage at Pinewood Studios," 19-May-2006, webpage: PinewoodShep-Stage.
• Philip Pullella, "Boycott Da Vinci Code film," Reuters, 28 April 2006, web: ScotsmanVatDVC, Accessed 22 August 2006.
• US Weekly, "Ian McKellen Unable to Suspend Disbelief While Reading the Bible," US Weekly, 17 May 2006: (has Video clip).

External links

• Official site by Sony
• Official secret site
• The Da Vinci Code - Facts and Fiction MalGo Media Services
• The Da Vinci Code at Rotten Tomatoes
• Slant Magazine: The Da Vinci Code Review
• Review at Lunapark6.com
• The Da Vinci Code at the Internet Movie Database
• Review at Paparelli's Movie Reviews