Summer Review #2 -- The Da Vinci Code

Once in a while, a film comes out that gets so many people riled up, you simply have to check it out. I have wanted to see The Da Vinci Code for a while, since I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I have to admit, I am one of approximately five people who have not read the novel yet, but I will also say that the film made me want to read it VERY soon.


**SPOILERS AHEAD**


Symbology professor and author Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks) is summoned by the French police to the scene of a gruesome crime. The Louvre curator Jacques Saunière (Jean-Pierre Marielle) was murdered and the clues at the scene point to Leonardo Da Vinci's works. Along with cryptologist Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) and his old mentor Sir Leigh Teabing (Sir Ian McKellen), Langdon starts deciphering a riddle that ultimately leads to ancient secrets of Christianity, which the Catholic church wants to protect at any cost.

The story presents some fascinating ideas. The idea that Jesus Christ had a lineage and that the meaning of the Holy Grail could be different from what we think we know are enough to get many people riled up and were enough to stir controversy months before the film was released. Even the thought that Christ was - gasp! - a mere mortal always incites angry protests in religious groups. I am presuming that all of the film's ideas were taken directly from the novel, in which case I applaud Dan Brown for taking familiar theories and turning them upside down. The story dares to ask the question 'what if?' in regards to a subject that is touchy for many people, and this is exactly what an engaging work should do.

I thought that the film was well directed and written, albeit with one or two dramatic glances too many near the end. The screenplay by Ron Howard's frequent collaborator Akiva Goldsman reveals the surprise elements of the story in a very subtle manner and keeps us guessing with every clue. The cast is good in their roles, particularly Paul Bettany as the murderous monk Silas and Sir Ian McKellen as Teabing. Bettany portrays to perfection his character's blind faith in his order, Opus Dei. Silas disregards and mutilates himself for a cause he never questions, suffering for the past he never doubts. McKellen's Teabing is passionate and almost fanatical; I held my breath during his monologue about the early history of Christianity. I did not think Hanks and Tautou had much chemistry, which was a bit of a hindrance to the film's dynamics. Hanks is pretty convincing as Langdon, though, while Tautou only needs those big, dark eyes to express the emotional turbulence her character is going through. I should also add that the character of Sophie is a wonderful female character -- very intelligent, quick-thinking and graceful -- and that I hope to learn even more about her in the novel.

The story itself was what I loved the most about this film. These ideas are the stuff of discussion, not of foaming-at-the-mouth lectures. Frankly, I have never and will never understand why people get offended over stories that do not match their views of the world. The Da Vinci Code makes us re-examine religious history with its clever concepts. Why would we not do that? Personally, I see the Bible as a collection of inspiring stories for us to interpret, not a folder of unwavering facts for people to argue over. Furthermore, the Catholic church is certainly a powerful enough institution to protect any secrets it may have. Whether or not there are any secrets to guard, we can rest assured that the Church not only possesses the resources to do so, but also the fierce will to do what is necessary to preserve its immense power.

8/10