Dan Brown's international bestseller comes alive in the film The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard with a screenplay by Akiva Goldsman. Join symbologist Robert Langdon (Academy Award® winner Tom Hanks, 1993 Best Actor, Philadelphia, and 1994 Best Actor, Forrest Gump) and cryptologist Sophie. Watch The Da Vinci Code Online For Free On SolarMovie, Stream The Da Vinci Code Online, The Da Vinci Code Full Movies Free.

• Locations
• Paris, France;
• London;
• Leicestershire;
• Hampshire;
• Surrey;
• West Sussex;
• Lincolnshire;
• Scotland;

• CAST

Before Ron Howard's film was released, there was already a Da Vinci Code trail based on Dan Brown’s blockbusting holiday-read and, while many of the book’s locations are faithfully used, the filming sites sometimes diverge.

Film-makers are subject to all kinds of practical considerations which don't bother the writer. And so the supposedly ‘Parisian’ lecture hall, in which ‘Professor of Symbology’ Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is giving a lecture to promote his book, can be found in southeast England. It’s the Concert Hall of Fairfield Halls, Park Lane, Croydon in Surrey.

Opened in 1962, the famed arts, entertainment and conference venue, which also houses an art gallery and the Ashcroft Theatre, achieved fame in the 60s when bands including Traffic and The Nice recorded live albums here.

If you’re going to chastise the flesh, you might as well do it in an apartment with a charming view of Sacre Coeur. The Parisian base of Opus Dei monk Silas (Paul Bettany), where he gets his sinister order to “Go forth” can be seen on the southwest corner of rue Becquerel and rue de la Bonne, Montmartre, just to the north of the famous church.

Although Langdon’s lecture is in England, It is the real Louvre to which he’s summoned to help solve the riddle of Jacques Saunière’s death. Built on the site of a 12th century fort, the Louvre, now claimed to be the most visited museum in the world, was once a royal residence. After Louis XIV relocated the court to Versailles in 1682, the palace was used to display the royal art collection, and the French Revolution saw it finally transformed into a public museum.

IM Pei’s landmark glass Pyramid above the entrance – “a scar on the face of Paris” according to detective Bezu Fache (Jean Reno) – was added in 1988, and the inverted Pyramid beneath finally added in 1993. What does Fache know? Visit after dark and walk among the reflecting pools to see the illuminated Pyramid at its most seductive.

The Da Vinci Code was not the first film to shoot inside the Louvre: Audrey Hepburn poses for a fashion shoot here in Funny Face; Vanessa Redgrave is awed by its statues in biopic Isadora; Jean Luc Godard’s anarchic trio scoot through the galleries in Bande a Part – a scene later recreated in Bernardo Bertolucci’s The Dreamers; more reverentially, its artworks are admired in Les Amants du Pont Neuf and in Martin Scorsese’s The Age of Innocence.

Although the Louvre's courtyard briefly appears at the beginning of Wonder Woman, London's British Museum provides its interior for Patty Jenkins’s DC Universe movie.

Under suspicion, Langdon and Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) apparently flee the crime scene across the Pont du Carrousel.

The church in which Silas searches for the ‘keystone’ is Église Saint-Sulpice, Rue St-Sulpice. Although the real exterior is seen, the interior was digitally recreated in the studio using green screen technology. The brass meridian line is real enough, a bit of scientific apparatus installed by the Paris Observatory in the 18th century, but it was never known as the ‘Rose Line’, and has nothing to do with ‘pagan’ temples.

The letters P and S in the small round windows at both ends of the transept refer not to the dubious ‘Priory of Sion’, but of course to Peter and Sulpice, the patron saints of the church. It is true, however, that this is the church in which the Marquis de Sade was christened.

And what do conspiracy theorists make of the marble inlay beneath the Turin Shroud chapel, which reads simply ‘SFX’? Could this mysteriously predict the church's digital recreation for the film? (only the truly unimaginative would claim some prosaic association with St François-Xavier).

And so what if Opus Dei doesn’t have monks? I think we left the real world behind a while ago, when it took a Harvard professor to unscramble the kind of anagram you might face in your local paper’s Quick Crossword.

Two separate English locations stand in for ‘Castel Gandolfo’, the Pope's summer residence overlooking Lake Albano near Rome, in which the sinister council meets.

The exterior, with a bit of CGI, is Belvoir Castle, Gothic Revival home of the Duke and Duchess of Rutland, about seven miles west of Grantham in Leicestershire. No stranger to the screen, Belvoir (pronounced ‘beaver’) is also seen in Barry Levinson’s Young Sherlock Holmes, Merchant-Ivory’s The Golden Bowl, and as ‘Buckingham Palace’ in both The Young Victoria and King Ralph. Its kitchens featured in Jan de Bont’s splurgy 1999 remake of The Haunting.

‘Gandolfo’s’ imposing interiors were filmed in Burghley House, Stamford, Lincolnshire, which also supplied the garage at ‘Chateau Villette’, where Teabing and Langdon are pursued by the police, as well as Saunière’s retreat in the flashback scenes.

The house’s extravagant – and rather un-Papal – murals can be seen again adorning the home of Lady Catherine de Bourg (Judi Dench) in the 2005 film of Pride and Prejudice.

Burghley is also featured in the Merchant-Ivory film of The Golden Bowl (but was cut from the final version of Elizabeth, The Golden Age).

The estate of eccentric English Grail-obsessive Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen), to which Langdon and Neveu flee, is Chateau de Villette, a 17th century chateau set in a185-acre estate at Condécourt, about 27 miles northwest of Paris. You can stay here, but there are several Chateaux de Villette in France, so check you have the right one!

The island of Malta was used for the historical flashbacks to the Knights Templar at the Crusades; while the Knights' meeting with the Pope in the ‘Vatican’ was filmed in Winchester Cathedral, Winchester, Hampshire – another location used for Elizabeth, The Golden Age. As Jane Austen fans will already know, this is where the author of Pride and Prejudice and Sense and Sensibility is buried.

‘Le Bourget’ airport, from which the trio flee France, is the listed 1936 art deco Terminal Building of Shoreham (Brighton City) Airport, Shoreham-by-Sea, West Sussex, the oldest licensed airfield in the UK. About seven miles west of Brighton, there are outside viewing areas and a Visitor Centre, at which you can arrange a guided tour.

The flight isn't too long. A short hop and the plane lands at Biggin Hill Airport, Bromley, in South East London.

In London, Langdon and Neveu search among effigies for the tomb of a knight at Temple Church, Inner Temple Lane. The church of Inner and Middle Temple, two of England’s four Inns of Court – ancient societies of lawyers, it was consecrated in 1185 and, yes, it really was the London headquarters of the Knights Templar, the order of soldier monks founded to protect pilgrims travelling to and from the Holy Land.

Like all Templar churches, it follows the circular design of the Church of the Holy Sepulchre at Jerusalem, supposedly raised over the site where Jesus was buried.

The fake ‘teacher’ is poisoned alongside the Thames at Blackwall, opposite the O2 – the former Millennium Dome.

The slightly sinister Opus Dei ‘safe house’, with its bricked-up windows to which Silas is taken, has no connection, of course, with the organisation. It’s a private home at 207 Gloucester Terrace at Orsett Terrace, W2, just a few minutes northwest of Paddington Station.

Realising his misinterpretation of the clue ‘A knight interred by A Pope’, Langdon heads off to the tomb of Sir Isaac Newton in Westminster Abbey, Broad Sanctuary, SW1.

The exterior of the Abbey is real enough, with good-natured compliance from sightseers as the raving Teabing is carted away. Filming inside the Abbey was a no-no from the word go. Apart from the massive inconvenience that would have been involved, the book had been dismissed with icy politeness as as “Theologically unsound”.

Packed with history, though, you won’t want miss the Abbey’s awesome interior. Despite appearances, the this is not a cathedral, but a church – although owned by the royal family (which explains why it survived King Henry VIII’s ruthless assault on monastic buildings during the Reformation).

The oldest parts of the Abbey date from 1050, and in the vestibule of the Chapter House you can see the oldest door in Britain. Since 1066, the coronation of every English monarch has been held here, and among the 3,000 people buried within its precincts are no fewer than seventeen monarchs, including St Edward the Confessor (who was king from 1042 to 1066), Edward I, Richard II, Henry V (the young hero of Agincourt immortalised in the Shakespeare play), Henry VII, Elizabeth I (another favourite for fictional treatment) and her half-sister Mary I. Here also is the vault where Charles II, William III and Mary II and Queen Anne lie, although none of these has a monument. The last monarch to be buried in the Abbey was George II, in 1760.

Poets' Corner, one of the Abbey’s best known features, can be found in the South Transept. Geoffrey Chaucer, the first poet to be buried here, achieved this distinction not as author of The Canterbury Tales, but because he had been Clerk of Works to the Palace of Westminster. Nevertheless, after Edmund Spenser was laid to rest nearby in 1599, the two tombs launched a tradition.

Poets since interred include John Dryden, Alfred Lord Tennyson, Robert Browning and John Masefield; alongside writers Dr Samuel Johnson, Charles Dickens, Richard Brinsley Sheridan, Rudyard Kipling and Thomas Hardy. Non-poets include Messiah composer George Frederic Handel, and actors David Garrick and Laurence Olivier (who directed and starred as Henry V in the 1944 film).

But if you’re a Da Vinci Code enthusiast, you’ll make a bee-line for the choir screen in the Nave, with its monument to Sir Isaac Newton, in an area known as Scientists Corner. Newton rests in the company of Charles Darwin, explorer David Livingstone, architect Sir Charles Barry, engineer Thomas Telford and the first Labour Prime Minister, Clement Attlee.

For the film, though, Abbey interiors were shot in Lincoln Cathedral, which was consecrated only shortly after Westminster Abbey in 1092. Lincoln took a more relaxed attitude to Dan Brown’s barmy fantasy and Newton’s tomb was recreated here in all its gilt splendour. Less controversially, the Cathedral also stood in for ‘Westminster Abbey’ in The Young Victoria.

A final clue from the Cryptex leads to Scotland’s Rosslyn Chapel (though another chapel stands in for long shots as Rosslyn was at the time covered by a protective canopy during extensive renovations), Roslin, about ten miles south of Edinburgh, in Midlothian.

Dedicated in 1450, the astonishing Rosslyn Chapel has a varied history, having fallen into disrepair for centuries, even serving as stables for a while. Among the dazzlingly complex stonework of its Lady Chapel, look out for Masonic symbols, along with carvings of the traditional pagan ‘Green Man’, strange cubes embellished with a code of lines and dots, and – most mysterious of all – images of maize carved 50 years before Christopher Columbus discovered America.

You can descend to the crypt – though it’s unsurprisingly nothing like the one seen in the film.

A few hundred yards south of the chapel stand the ruins of the 14th century Rosslyn Castle, where Langdon and Neveu part ways. But there are yet more myths. Legend has it that the castle is home to a sleeping lady who will one day be awakened by a trumpet and reveal the whereabouts of a fabulous treasure. And that’s not to mention the ghostly Hound of Roslin.

If you’re intrigued by all this mystery, you can book accommodation in more modern sections of the castle through the Landmark Trust, a preservation charity, established to rescue historic and architecturally interesting buildings from neglect and to give them new life by letting them out to visitors.

It’s neatly back to Paris for the final sequence, which finds Langdon staying at the Ritz Paris, 15 Place Vendome. With former guests including Ernest Hemingway, Coco Chanel, the Princess of Wales.. this is the place to stay in high style if you have the funds. Choosing a career? I just want to say one word to you:

Symbology.

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 Americanaction/thriller/mysteryfilmdirected by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code. It was produced by Howard with John Calley and Brian Grazer and released by Columbia Pictures in the United States on May 19, 2006.

The Da Vinci Code stars Tom Hanks as Harvard UniversitysymbologistRobert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as cryptographerSophie Neveu of the Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire of France, Sir Ian McKellen as BritishGrail historian Sir Leigh Teabing, Alfred Molina as BishopManuel Aringarosa, Jean Reno as Capitainé Bezu Fache of the Direction Centrale de la Police Judiciaire, and Paul Bettany as the Opus DeimonkSilas.

The Da Vinci Code was previewed at the opening night of the 2006 Cannes Film Festival on May 17, 2006.^[2]The Da Vinci Code then entered major release in many other countries on May 18, 2006 and was released in the United States by Columbia Pictures on May 19, 2006.

Due to controversial and inaccurate historical interpretations and perceived anti-Catholic elements, the film, like Dan Brown's book, was harshly criticized by the Roman Catholic Church. Some church members urged the laity to boycott the film.^[3] Many of the early showings were protested and early critical reviews were decidedly negative. Arguably, however, these reactions had little negative impact on the film's box office numbers; The Da Vinci Code earned in excess of $230 million worldwide in its opening weekend, which, at the time, was the third most most profitable opening weekend in film history. It is currently ranked as the seventh biggest opening. It was the second highest grossing movie of 2006 worldwide, earning $$758,239,851 as of November 2, 2006. At the time, directedRon Howard and star Tom Hanks had collaborated on two previous films, 1984's Splash and 1995's Apollo 13. They have since collaborated on The Da Vinci Code'ssequel, Angels & Demons and they are expected to collaborate on a film adaptation on the third book of Dan Brown'sRobert Langdontrilogy, The Lost Symbol.^[4]The Da Vinci Code is their most successful collaboration not adjusted for inflation.^[5]

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The film's soundtrack was composed by Hans Zimmer. It was nominated for the 2007 Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score.

Plot

A man revealed to be Jacques Saunière is being pursued by a mysterious hooded character known as Silas through the Grand Gallery in the Louvre in Paris. 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.

Finding the serial number, however, may also require a bit of sleuth work. Purchasing an older home with an existing furnace can be a worry; a furnace often needs replacing after 15 to 20 years, so knowing its age is helpful in determining if a new furnace should be in the budget. American standard serial number age. Newer units may have a manufacturer's date listed somewhere on the furnace; older furnaces require a bit more digging by looking at the serial number, which tells the manufacturer various pieces of information, including the age.

Meanwhile, American symbologistRobert Langdon (Tom Hanks), who is in Paris as an AUP 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. CaptainBezu Fache (Jean Reno) asks him for his interpretation of the puzzling scene.

Silas calls a mysterious man known as 'The Teacher', revealing that he has killed all four protectors of the keystone and that all confirmed the same location. He dons a metal cilice on his thigh and proceeds to flagellate himself with a whip 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.' Realizing that he has been deceived, Silas is enraged and kills the nun.

Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou), a cryptologist with the French police, enters the Louvre as well and slips Langdon a message which leads him to the men's room. There, Sophie meets him and tells him that he is being tracked, a GPS tracking dot has been (unknown by him) slipped into his jacket and that he is a primary suspect in the murder case because of a line of text found by the corpse ('P.S. find Robert Langdon'). Sophie however, believes that Saunière, who is revealed to be 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.

Having bought some time by removing the tracking device, the pair begin exploring the Louvre, finding more anagram messages that Saunière had left behind. Many of these relate to Leonardo Da Vinci's art, and the pair find a key with a Fleur-de-lis behind Madonna of the Rocks.

Pursued by the French police and cut off from the United States Embassy, the pair escape to the Bois de Boulogne 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.

In the bank, they find Saunière's deposit box and open it using the 10 digit Fibonacci numbers in order (1123581321). Inside the box, they find a rosewood container, which 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.

Unfortunately, the police are called by a security guard and they are forced to leave. The bank manager, Andre Vernet, assists them in escaping by taking them as passengers in an armoured van to escape the routine checks of the police. In the back of the truck Langdon and Neveu have a lengthy discussion about the cryptex and Neveu says that her grandfather often played games with her involving cryptexes. Langdon says that the cryptex might hold valuable information or another clue about what they are trying to discover. Eventually, they come to a sudden stop and Vernet forces them at gunpoint to give him the cryptex. Langdon tricks Vernet and disarms him and he and Sophie escape with the cryptex in their hands.

Langdon suggests that they visit his friend, Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen), for assistance to opening the cryptex. Leigh Teabing turns out to be an enthusiastic seeker of the Holy Grail, which he believes is not actually a cup but instead Mary Magdalene, who was driven away because Jesus's followers didn't want to follow a woman after their leader was killed. Mary was pregnant at the time, and Teabing tells Sophie that a secret society was formed to protect the descendants of Jesus. Jacques Saunière was believed to be a part of this society and Teabing suspects that he was training Sophie to join it also. Silas, meanwhile, breaks into Teabing's mansion and attempts to steal the cryptex. Teabing uses his cane to knock Silas out and they escape again, taking the butler, Remy Jean, and Silas with them. The group escapes in Teabing's plane, following the next clue to London.

It is revealed that Remy Jean is actually a follower of The Teacher as well, however he is killed by the mysterious man after freeing Silas. Silas is attacked by the police and, in the ensuing gunfire, accidentally shoots Bishop Manuel Aringarosa. In his grief, Silas dies in police-assisted suicide and Aringarosa is taken to the hospital, as well as being arrested by Fache for betraying him.

As Langdon gets closer to solving the mystery, he is betrayed by Teabing, who is revealed to be The Teacher. Teabing explained that he wanted to find Mary Magdalene's remains to prove he was correct about the Holy Grail and threatens to shoot Sophie if Langdon does not crack the code. Langdon responds by throwing the cryptex into the air. Teabing catches it, but drops it, and it hits the ground. The vial of vinegar breaks and apparently spreads onto the document, destroying it.

After Teabing is arrested, however it is revealed that Langdon had cracked the code ('Apple') and removed the clue from the cryptex before throwing it. Using the clue, they travel to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland where Magdalene's remains had previously been hidden. There, they meet other members of the secret organization that protected her. It is revealed that Sophie is actually Magdalene's descendant and therefore is the current living descendant of Jesus Christ. They vow to keep her safe. Langdon and Sophie part ways shortly after.

Langdon accidentally cuts himself while shaving and the line of blood on the sink reminds him of the Rose Line. He follows the Rose Line and finds the location of the Holy Grail, buried under the pyramid in the Louvre. Langdon then kneels above Mary Magdalene's tomb as the Templar Knights did before him.

Cast

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

Cameos

• Author Dan 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, Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince, make a brief appearance as passengers on a bus.

Soundtrack

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 and Winchester cathedrals, which both belong to the Church of England.

Due to the denial of a location permit for Saint-Sulpice^[6] the entire scene had to be recreated virtually by post-production company Rainmaker U.K. and though the set had been partially built, the co-ordinates were centimeters out from what the compositors had expected and so the entire process was extremely difficult to complete.^[7]

Lincoln Cathedral 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, protesters 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.^[8]

Meanwhile Winchester Cathedral answered criticism by using its location fee to fund an exhibition, lecture series and campaign to debunk the book.^[9] The scenes for the Pope's summer residence, Castel Gandolfo were filmed on location at Belvoir Castle in Leicestershire, England.

Shoreham Airport in West Sussex, England, was also used as a filming location, with its art-deco terminal building utilised in a night shoot for the scenes at 'Le Bourget' Airport.^[10]

Filming also took place elsewhere in the UK (London, including the concert hall in the Fairfield Halls, Croydon, the Temple Church, and Burghley House), Rosslyn Chapel, Scotland and also in France and Germany.

Studio shoots

The filmmakers also shot many of the internal scenes at Pinewood Studios:^[11] 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.^[12]

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).^[13]

Pinewood's state-of-the-art Underwater Stage was used to film underwater sequences.^[11] The stage opened in 2005 after four years of planning and development. The water in the tank is filtered using an ultraviolet system which creates crystal clear water, and the water is maintained at 30°C (87°F) to create a comfortable environment to work in for both cast and crew. Since the tank does not use much chlorine due to its optical properties, it must always be drained and refilled after several days.^[14]

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

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 Holy Office, 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.'^[15]

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 was formerly 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,^[16] 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

U.S. Catholic bishops launched a website refuting the key claims in the novel that were 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) declared the movie—and the book—as part of a 'systematic attack on the Catholic Church'.^[17] Furthermore, the Archbishop of Lima, the controversial 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.'^[18]

Cannes Film Festival

According to AP, during a preview for movie critics in Cannes, a line spoken by Tom Hanks 'drew prolonged laughter and some catcalls'. Nearing the end of the screening, 'there were a few whistles and hisses, and there was none of the scattered applause even bad movies sometimes receive at Cannes.'^[19]

NOAH

The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) has expressed concern about Silas' character giving people with albinism a bad name.^[20] 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'.^[21] No explanation was given. Its last screening was made on June 9, 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. 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 June 5, 2006.^{[citation needed]}

Philippines

The Philippine Alliance Against Pornography (PAAP) appealed to Philippine PresidentGloria Macapagal-Arroyo to stop the showing of The Da Vinci Code in the Philippines. They branded the film as 'the most pornographic and blasphemous film in history' and also requested the help of Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and other religious groups to stop the showing of the film.^[22] In addition, they compared Dan Brown to Adolf Hitler.

However, Cecille Guidote Alvarez, Philippine Presidential Adviser on Culture and the Arts, said Malacañang will not interfere in controversy about the film and leaves the decision to the Movie and Television Classification Board's (MTRCB) rating.^[23] Eventually, MTRCB decided to give The Da Vinci Code an R-18 rating (restricted to those 18 years of age and over) despite PAAP's opposition for showing it.^[24]

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.^[25][26] 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 an NC-16 rating, a restriction for children below the age of 16.^[27]

Samoa

The film was banned outright in Samoa after church leaders watching a pre-release showing filed a complaint to film censors.^[28]

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 , Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.^[29][30] Later, the Andhra Pradesh High Court quashed the State Government's order banning the screening of the film in the state.^[31] The Indian censor board, however, had cleared the movie for release on Friday, June 2. 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.^[32]

Solomon Islands

Solomon Islands Prime Minister Manasseh Sogavare said he would seek to have the film banned in his country, as it might threaten the Solomons' predominantly Christian faith:

'We profess Christian religion in the country, and that film that depicts some thoughts about this person called Jesus Christ that Christians adore as not only as a good man, but was himself God, and such a film basically undermines the very roots of Christianity in Solomon Islands.'^[33]

Sri Lanka

Sri Lanka is also one of the countries that banned the movie from being released.^[34]

Cast/crew response

Tom Hanks told 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. But the story we tell is loaded with all sorts of hooey and fun kind of scavenger-hunt-type nonsense.'^[35] He said it is a mistake 'to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a huge-budget motion picture like this.'^[35] 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.'^[36]

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 [pause] potential codswallop.'^[36] 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.^[37]) McKellen^[38] 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

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 shown 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.^{[citation needed]} 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.^[39]

Promotional puzzles

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.^[40] In Pittsburgh, protesters also showed up at a special screening of the film the day before its widespread release.^[41] Protests also occurred at the filming sites, but only a monk and a nun stood in a quiet protest at the Cannes premiere.^[36] In Chennai, India, the film was banned for a two month period to appease local Christian and Muslim groups.^[42]

Critics' response

The Da Vinci Code received generally poor reviews from critics. The film current has a 24% rating on the film review aggreator website Rotten Tomatoes. The critics' consensus as gathered by Rotten Tomatoes is: 'What makes Dan Brown's novel a best seller is evidently not present in this dull and bloated movie adaptation of The Da Vinci Code.'^[43] The film was poorly received at the Cannes Film Festival, where it debuted.^[44]

The critic Michael Medved gave the film one star (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.'^[45] 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.'^[46]

In his Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin calls the film 'a letdown in every respect.'^[47]

Director Ron Howard noted that the overwhelmingly negative reviews were 'frustrating' to him.^[48]

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.'^[49] 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.'^[50]

Although many critics gave mostly negative reviews of the film, critics of both sides acknowledged and praised the strong performances of Ian McKellen as well as Paul Bettany.^[51]

The film went on to receive a Razzie Nomination for Worst Director (Ron Howard). On the 'Worst Movies of 2006' episode of the television show Ebert & Roeper (January 13, 2007), guest critic Michael Phillips (sitting in for the recovering Roger Ebert) listed the film at #2.

A spoof of the movie, The Norman Rockwell Code, was released the same day as the movie itself.

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.^[52] 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.^[53]

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.^[54]) This has led some critics, particularly in the UK, to moot the idea of the 'critic-proof film'.^[55]

Ranking and gross

• Number 1 movie at the USA box office during its first week grossing more than $111 million.^[56] Fifth highest gross of 2006 in the USA, and grossed $758 million worldwide in 2006 — the 2nd highest of 2006.^[1]
• On June 20, 2006, it became only the 2nd movie of the year to pass the $200 million mark in the USA.^[57]

Sequel

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman adapted Angels & Demons (a Dan Brown novel published before The Da Vinci Code) into a film script,^[58] which was directed by Ron Howard. Chronologically, the book takes place before The Da Vinci Code. However, the filmmakers re-tooled it as a sequel. Tom Hanks reprises his role as Robert Langdon in the film, which was released in May 2009 to moderate (but generally better) reviews.

DVD

The film was released on DVD on November 14, 2006.^[59] in three editions:

1. A Target exclusive Three-Disc release in both Widescreen and Fullscreen, along with a History Channel Documentary.
2. A Two-disc release in both widescreen and fullscreen.
3. A 'Special Edition Giftset' which includes a two-disc DVD set, working cryptex, and replica Robert Langdon Journal.^[59][60][61]

All DVD sets include an introduction from director Ron Howard, ten featurettes, and other bonus features.

In Australia, New Zealand, Spain and Latin America (DVD region code 4), the two disc set also included an extended edition of the film, including over twenty-five minutes of extra footage, bringing the running time to almost three hours.

In Hong Kong and Korea (Region 3), the extended cut was also released on DVD in a two-disc set. Two gift sets were also released, with working cryptex replica, replica journal, and more. The French and Spanish Region 2 disc also received a special gift set.

On April 28, 2009, a 2-disc Blu-Ray edition of the Extended Version of the film was released in North America. While there is no regular DVD release in United States or a Region 2 release in United Kingdom, a version of the extended cut was released in Germany.

See also

• The Da Vinci Treasure - A similar film produced by The Asylum

References

1. ^ ^ab'The Da Vinci Code (2006)'. Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=main&id=davincicode.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
2. ^'Festival de Cannes: The Da Vinci Code'. festival-cannes.com. http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4317622/year/2006.html. Retrieved 2009-12-17.
3. ^BBC News: Cardinal urges Da Vinci action
4. ^'Columbia moves on 'Symbol'. Variety.com. 2009-04-20. http://www.variety.com/article/VR1118002603.html?categoryid=13&cs=1. Retrieved 2009-09-01.
5. ^Boxofficemojo.com: The Da Vinci Code
6. ^ Michael Haag & Veronica Haag, with James McConnachie, The Rough Guide to The Da Vinci Code: An Unauthorised Guide to the Book and Movie (Rough Guides Ltd; 2006)
7. ^http://www.aip.org/isns/reports/2006/009.htmlSaint-Sulpice Chapel - The Da Vinci Code's Best Kept Secret
8. ^TimesOnline: Nun protests over cathedral filming of Da Vinci Code
9. ^Guardian Unlimited: Location fee funds Da Vinci Code rebuttal
10. ^'Secret Da Vinci Code airport set revealed', The Argus, 2006-01-09. Retrieved on 2009-05-19.
11. ^ ^abGordon Brown Opens Underwater Stage at Pinewood Studios, 19 May 2005
12. ^WHAS11news: Fire chars British set of new Bond movie, Katie Fretland, 30 July 2006
13. ^American Cinematographer: Secret History
14. ^Pinewood Studios - Underwater Stage Pinewood Studios - Water Filming
15. ^'Reaffirm the Resurrection, Pope urges faithful'. Catholic World News. May 1, 2006. http://www.cwnews.com/news/viewstory.cfm?recnum=43875.
16. ^Sánchez Hurtado, Manuel (May 17, 2006). 'The Other Code'. ROM: Opus Dei Press Office. http://www.opusdei.us/art.php?p=16332.
17. ^RPP Noticias - “Código da Vinci” presenta grandes falsedades, afirman obispos del Perú
18. ^Cardenal Cipriani pide a fieles abstenerse de ver “El Código Da Vinci”
19. ^MSNBC ‘Da Vinci Code’ misses mark for Cannes critics
20. ^http://www.realitytvworld.com/news/albino-group-protest-tom-hanks-the-da-vinci-code-film-1007723.php Albino group to protest Thom Hanks' 'The Da Vinci Code.'
21. ^CNN.com - China dumps 'Da Vinci Code' - Jun 8, 2006
22. ^'Anti-pornography group asked GMA to Ban 'The Da Vinci Code'. Philippines: newsflash.org. April 19, 2006. http://www.newsflash.org/2004/02/hl/hl104011.htm.
23. ^'Palace sidesteps ‘Da Vinci’ storm'. Philippines: The Manila Times. April 19, 2006. http://www.manilatimes.net/national/2006/may/10/yehey/top_stories/20060510top2.html.
24. ^'‘Da Vinci Code’ for adults only, says film review body'. Philippines: inq7.net. May 17, 2006. http://news.inq7.net/entertainment/index.php?index=1&story_id=76039.
25. ^'The Da Vinci Code' can be shown uncut
26. ^IHT ThaiDay - Manager Online
27. ^http://www.todayonline.com/articles/119077.asp
28. ^http://www.nzherald.co.nz/search/story.cfm?storyid=00077629-C13F-1471-9B8883027AF1010E
29. ^Sony Pictures statement on `Da Vinci Code` - Sify.com
30. ^The Hindu : Front Page : `The Da Vinci Code' banned in State
31. ^The Hindu : Front Page : High Court quashes A.P. ban on film
32. ^'India's Supreme Court rejects pleas to ban 'Da Vinci Code'
33. ^'SOLOMON ISLANDS TO BAN ‘THE DA VINCI CODE’', Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, May 26, 2006
34. ^http://www.ahrchk.net/statements/mainfile.php/2006statements/556/
35. ^ ^abTom Teodorczuk and Mike Goodridge (5 November 2006). 'Hanks blasts Da Vinci critics'. Evening Standard. http://www.thisislondon.co.uk/film/article-22582687-hanks-blasts-da-vinci-critics.do. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
36. ^ ^abcCharlotte Higgins (18 May 2006). 'Fans out in force for Da Vinci premiere - but even kinder reviews are scathing'. The Guardian. http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2006/may/18/film.cannes2006. Retrieved 7 March 2010.
37. ^ Philip Pullella, 'Boycott Da Vinci Code film', Reuters 28 April 2006. Accessed 20 May 2006.
38. ^ Larry Carroll: Ian McKellen Sticks Up For Evil In 'Da Vinci Code,' 'X-Men'[1], MTV News May 15, 2006
39. ^'Da Vinci Code': The Mystery of the Missing Screenings - New York Times
40. ^'Hundreds of Greek Orthodox march to protest Da Vinci Code movie'. Athens: Deutsche Presse-Agentur. May 16, 2006. http://movies.monstersandcritics.com/news/article_1164463.php/Hundreds_of_Greek_Orthodox_march_to_protest_Da_Vinci_Code_movie.
41. ^'Locals Protest 'Da Vinci Code' Movie'. Pittsburgh: KDKA News. May 19, 2006. http://kdka.com/local/local_story_139074243.html.
42. ^The Hindu News Update Service
43. ^The Da Vinci Code - Movie Reviews, Trailers, Pictures - Rotten Tomatoes
44. ^‘Da Vinci Code’ misses mark for Cannes critics - Da Vinci Code - MSNBC.com
45. ^Michael Medved: Movie Minute
46. ^ Anthony Lane, HEAVEN CAN WAIT: The Da Vinci Code, The New Yorker, 29 May 2006
47. ^Maltin, Leonard. Leonard Maltin's 2008 Movie Guide. New American Library. p. 319.
48. ^[2]
49. ^:: rogerebert.com :: Reviews :: The Da Vinci Code (xhtml)
50. ^Movie: The Da Vinci Code
51. ^The Da Vinci Code Movie Review - MoviesOnline.ca
52. ^'Da Vinci Code' opens with estimated $29 million'. Los Angeles: CNN. May 20, 2006. http://www.cnn.com/2006/SHOWBIZ/Movies/05/20/davinci.opening.ap/index.html.
53. ^ CNN 'Da Vinci Code' a hot ticket'
54. ^[3]
55. ^Mark Lawson: Critics on The Da Vinci Code Guardian Unlimited Arts
56. ^'The Da Vinci Code (2006)'. Box Office Mojo. http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?page=weekend&id=davincicode.htm. Retrieved 2006-12-16.
57. ^The Da Vinci Code (2006)
58. ^ ComingSoon.net: Akiva Goldsman Back for Angels & Demons
59. ^ ^abamazon.com Widescreen Edition listing
60. ^amazon.com Fullscreen Edition listing
61. ^amazon.com Special Edition Giftset listing

Sources

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

• The Da Vinci Code at the Internet Movie Database
• The Da Vinci Code at Allmovie
• The Da Vinci Code at Box Office Mojo
• The Da Vinci Code at Rotten Tomatoes