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• The Da Vinci Code

1. Dec 14, 2017 - Keystone Law's letter stated: “There are hundreds of similarities between “The Vatican Boys” and “The Da Vinci Code” which comprise copying.
2. May 18, 2006 - A 'Da Vinci Code' That Takes Longer to Watch Than Read. 'The Da Vinci Code,' which opened the Cannes Film Festival on Wednesday,.

The Da Vinci Code is a 2003 mysterythriller novel by Dan Brown. It is Brown's second novel to include the character Robert Langdon: the first was his 2000 novel Angels & Demons. The Da Vinci Code follows 'symbologist' Robert Langdon and cryptologistSophie Neveu after a murder in the Louvre Museum in Paris causes them to become involved in a battle between the Priory of Sion and Opus Dei over the possibility of Jesus Christ having been a companion to Mary Magdalene.

The novel explores an alternative religious history, whose central plot point is that the Merovingiankings of France were descended from the bloodline of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene, ideas derived from Clive Prince's The Templar Revelation (1997) and books by Margaret Starbird. The book also refers to The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail (1982) though Dan Brown has stated that it was not used as research material.

The Da Vinci Code provoked a popular interest in speculation concerning the Holy Grail legend and Mary Magdalene's role in the history of Christianity. The book has, however, been extensively denounced by many Christian denominations as an attack on the Roman Catholic Church, and consistently criticized for its historical and scientific inaccuracies. The novel nonetheless became a worldwide bestseller^[1] that sold 80 million copies as of 2009^[2] and has been translated into 44 languages. In November 2004, Random House published a Special Illustrated Edition with 160 illustrations. In 2006, a film adaptation was released by Columbia Pictures.

• 3Reaction

Plot[edit]

Louvre curator and Priory of Sion grand master Jacques Saunière is fatally shot one night at the museum by an albino Catholic monk named Silas, who is working on behalf of someone he knows only as the Teacher, who wishes to discover the location of the 'keystone,' an item crucial in the search for the Holy Grail.

After Saunière's body is discovered in the pose of the Vitruvian Man, the police summon Harvard professor Robert Langdon, who is in town on business. Police captain Bezu Fache tells him that he was summoned to help the police decode the cryptic message Saunière left during the final minutes of his life. The message includes a Fibonacci sequence out of order.

Langdon explains to Fache that Saunière was a leading authority on the subject of goddess artwork and that the pentacle Saunière drew on his chest in his own blood represents an allusion to the goddess and not devil worship, as Fache believes.

Sophie Neveu, a police cryptographer, secretly explains to Langdon that she is Saunière's estranged granddaughter, and that Fache thinks Langdon is the murderer because the last line in her grandfather's message, which was meant for Neveu, said 'P.S. Find Robert Langdon,' which Fache had erased prior to Langdon's arrival. However, 'P.S.' actually refers to Sophie, as the nickname given to her by her grandfather is 'Princess Sophie'. It does not refer to PostScript. Neveu is troubled by memories of her grandfather's involvement in a secret pagan group. However, she understands that her grandfather intended Langdon to decipher the code, which leads them to a safe deposit box at the Paris branch of the Depository Bank of Zurich.

Neveu and Langdon escape from the police and visit the bank. In the safe deposit box they find a box containing the keystone: a cryptex, a cylindrical, hand-held vault with five concentric, rotating dials labeled with letters. When these are lined up correctly, they unlock the device. If the cryptex is forced open, an enclosed vial of vinegar breaks and dissolves the message inside the cryptex, which was written on papyrus. The box containing the cryptex contains clues to its password.

Langdon and Neveu take the keystone to the home of Langdon's friend, Sir Leigh Teabing, an expert on the Holy Grail, the legend of which is heavily connected to the Priory. There, Teabing explains that the Grail is not a cup, but a tomb containing the bones of Mary Magdalene.

The trio then flees the country on Teabing's private plane, on which they conclude that the proper combination of letters spell out Neveu's given name, Sofia. Opening the cryptex, they discover a smaller cryptex inside it, along with another riddle that ultimately leads the group to the tomb of Isaac Newton in Westminster Abbey.

During the flight to Britain, Neveu reveals the source of her estrangement from her grandfather ten years earlier. Arriving home unexpectedly from university, Neveu secretly witnesses a spring fertility rite conducted in the secret basement of her grandfather's country estate. From her hiding place, she is shocked to see her grandfather with a woman at the center of a ritual attended by men and women who are wearing masks and chanting praise to the goddess. She flees the house and breaks off all contact with Saunière. Langdon explains that what she witnessed was an ancient ceremony known as hieros gamos or 'sacred marriage.'

By the time they arrive at Westminster Abbey, Teabing is revealed to be the Teacher for whom Silas is working. Teabing wishes to use the Holy Grail, which he believes is a series of documents establishing that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and bore children, in order to ruin the Vatican. He compels Langdon at gunpoint to solve the second cryptex's password, which Langdon realizes is 'apple.' Langdon secretly opens the cryptex and removes its contents before tossing the empty cryptex in the air.

Teabing is arrested by Fache, who by now realizes that Langdon is innocent. Bishop Aringarosa, head of religious sect Opus Dei and Silas' mentor, realizing that Silas has been used to murder innocent people, rushes to help the police find him. When the police find Silas hiding in an Opus Dei Center, he assumes that they are there to kill him and he rushes out, accidentally shooting Bishop Aringarosa. Bishop Aringarosa survives but is informed that Silas was found dead later from a gunshot wound.

The final message inside the second keystone leads Neveu and Langdon to Rosslyn Chapel, whose docent turns out to be Neveu's long-lost brother, whom Neveu had been told died as a child in the car accident that killed her parents. The guardian of Rosslyn Chapel, Marie Chauvel Saint Clair, is Neveu's long-lost grandmother. It is revealed that Neveu and her brother are descendants of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. The Priory of Sion hid her identity to protect her from possible threats to her life.

The real meaning of the last message is that the Grail is buried beneath the small pyramid directly below the La Pyramide Inversée, the inverted glass pyramid of the Louvre. It also lies beneath the 'Rose Line,' an allusion to 'Rosslyn.' Langdon figures out this final piece to the puzzle; he follows the Rose Line to La Pyramide Inversée, where he kneels to pray before the hidden sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene, as the Templar knights did before him.

Characters[edit]

Reaction[edit]

Sales[edit]

The Da Vinci Code was a major success in 2003 and was outsold only by J. K. Rowling's Harry Potter and the Order of the Phoenix.^[3]

Historical inaccuracies[edit]

The book generated criticism when it was first published for inaccurate description of core aspects of Christianity and descriptions of European art, history, and architecture. The book has received mostly negative reviews from Catholic and other Christian communities.

Many critics took issue with the level of research Brown did when writing the story. The New York Times writer Laura Miller characterized the novel as 'based on a notorious hoax', 'rank nonsense', and 'bogus', saying the book is heavily based on the fabrications of Pierre Plantard, who is asserted to have created the Priory of Sion in 1956.

Critics accuse Brown of distorting and fabricating history. For example, Marcia Ford wrote:

Regardless of whether you agree with Brown's conclusions, it's clear that his history is largely fanciful, which means he and his publisher have violated a long-held if unspoken agreement with the reader: Fiction that purports to present historical facts should be researched as carefully as a nonfiction book would be.^[4]

Richard Abanes wrote:

The most flagrant aspect... is not that Dan Brown disagrees with Christianity but that he utterly warps it in order to disagree with it... to the point of completely rewriting a vast number of historical events. And making the matter worse has been Brown's willingness to pass off his distortions as ‘facts' with which innumerable scholars and historians agree.^[4]

The book opens with the claim by Dan Brown that 'The Priory of Sion—a French secret society founded in 1099—is a real organization'. This assertion is broadly disputed; the Priory of Sion is generally regarded as a hoax created in 1956 by Pierre Plantard. The author also claims that 'all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents… and secret rituals in this novel are accurate', but this claim is disputed by numerous academic scholars expert in numerous areas.^[5]

Dan Brown himself addresses the idea of some of the more controversial aspects being fact on his web site, stating that the 'FACT' page at the beginning of the novel mentions only 'documents, rituals, organization, artwork and architecture', but not any of the ancient theories discussed by fictional characters, stating that 'Interpreting those ideas is left to the reader'. Brown also says, 'It is my belief that some of the theories discussed by these characters may have merit' and 'the secret behind The Da Vinci Code was too well documented and significant for me to dismiss.'^[6]

In 2003, while promoting the novel, Brown was asked in interviews what parts of the history in his novel actually happened. He replied 'Absolutely all of it.' In a 2003 interview with CNN's Martin Savidge he was again asked how much of the historical background was true. He replied, '99% is true… the background is all true'.

Asked by Elizabeth Vargas in an ABC News special if the book would have been different if he had written it as non-fiction he replied, 'I don't think it would have.'^[7]

In 2005, UK TV personality Tony Robinson edited and narrated a detailed rebuttal of the main arguments of Dan Brown and those of Michael Baigent, Richard Leigh and Henry Lincoln, who authored the book Holy Blood, Holy Grail, in the program The Real Da Vinci Code, shown on British TVChannel 4. The program featured lengthy interviews with many of the main protagonists cited by Brown as 'absolute fact' in The Da Vinci Code.

Arnaud de Sède, son of Gérard de Sède, stated categorically that his father and Plantard had made up the existence of the Prieuré de Sion, the cornerstone of the Jesus bloodline theory: 'frankly, it was piffle', noting that the concept of a descendant of Jesus was also an element of the 1999 Kevin Smith film, Dogma.

The earliest appearance of this theory is due to the 13th-century Cistercian monk and chronicler Peter of Vaux de Cernay who reported that Cathars believed that the 'evil' and 'earthly' Jesus Christ had a relationship with Mary Magdalene, described as his concubine (and that the 'good Christ' was incorporeal and existed spiritually in the body of Paul).^[8] The program The Real Da Vinci Code also cast doubt on the Rosslyn Chapel association with the Grail and on other related stories, such as the alleged landing of Mary Magdalene in France.

According to The Da Vinci Code, the Roman Emperor Constantine I suppressed Gnosticism because it portrayed Jesus as purely human. The novel's argument is as follows:^[9] Constantine wanted Christianity to act as a unifying religion for the Roman Empire. He thought Christianity would appeal to pagans only if it featured a demigod similar to pagan heroes. According to the Gnostic Gospels, Jesus was merely a human prophet, not a demigod. Therefore, to change Jesus' image, Constantine destroyed the Gnostic Gospels and promoted the gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John, which portray Jesus as divine or semi-divine.

But Gnosticism did not portray Jesus as merely human.^[10] All Gnostic writings depict Christ as purely divine, his human body being a mere illusion (see Docetism).^[11] Gnostic sects saw Christ this way because they regarded matter as evil, and therefore believed that a divine spirit would never have taken on a material body.^[10]

Literacy criticism[edit]

The book received both positive and negative reviews from critics, and it has been the subject of negative appraisals concerning its portrayal of history. Its writing and historical accuracy were reviewed negatively by The New Yorker,^[12]Salon.com,^[13] and Maclean's.^[14]

Janet Maslin of The New York Times said that one word 'concisely conveys the kind of extreme enthusiasm with which this riddle-filled, code-breaking, exhilaratingly brainy thriller can be recommended. That word is wow. The author is Dan Brown (a name you will want to remember). In this gleefully erudite suspense novel, Mr. Brown takes the format he has been developing through three earlier novels and fine-tunes it to blockbuster perfection.'^[15]

David Lazarus of The San Francisco Chronicle said, 'This story has so many twists—all satisfying, most unexpected—that it would be a sin to reveal too much of the plot in advance. Let's just say that if this novel doesn't get your pulse racing, you need to check your meds.'^[16]

While interviewing Umberto Eco in a 2008 issue of The Paris Review, Lila Azam Zanganeh characterized The Da Vinci Code as 'a bizarre little offshoot' of Eco's novel, Foucault’s Pendulum. In response, Eco remarked, 'Dan Brown is a character from Foucault's Pendulum! I invented him. He shares my characters' fascinations—the world conspiracy of Rosicrucians, Masons, and Jesuits. The role of the Knights Templar. The hermetic secret. The principle that everything is connected. I suspect Dan Brown might not even exist.'^[17]

The book appeared on a 2010 list of 101 best books ever written, which was derived from a survey of more than 15,000 Australian readers.^[18]

Salman Rushdie said during a lecture, 'Do not start me on The Da Vinci Code. A novel so bad that it gives bad novels a bad name.'^[19]

Stephen Fry has referred to Brown's writings as 'complete loose stool-water' and 'arse gravy of the worst kind'.^[20] In a live chat on June 14, 2006, he clarified, 'I just loathe all those book[s] about the Holy Grail and Masons and Catholic conspiracies and all that botty-dribble. I mean, there's so much more that's interesting and exciting in art and in history. It plays to the worst and laziest in humanity, the desire to think the worst of the past and the desire to feel superior to it in some fatuous way.'^[21]

Stephen King likened Dan Brown's work to 'Jokes for the John', calling such literature the 'intellectual equivalent of Kraft Macaroni and Cheese'.^[22]The New York Times, while reviewing the movie based on the book, called the book 'Dan Brown's best-selling primer on how not to write an English sentence'.^[23]The New Yorker reviewer Anthony Lane refers to it as 'unmitigated junk' and decries 'the crumbling coarseness of the style'.^[12] Linguist Geoffrey Pullum and others posted several entries critical of Dan Brown's writing, at Language Log, calling Brown one of the 'worst prose stylists in the history of literature' and saying Brown's 'writing is not just bad; it is staggeringly, clumsily, thoughtlessly, almost ingeniously bad'.^[24]Roger Ebert described it as a 'potboiler written with little grace and style', although he said it did 'supply an intriguing plot'.^[25] In his review of the film National Treasure, whose plot also involves ancient conspiracies and treasure hunts, he wrote: 'I should read a potboiler like The Da Vinci Code every once in a while, just to remind myself that life is too short to read books like The Da Vinci Code.'^[25]

Lawsuits[edit]

Author Lewis Perdue alleged that Brown plagiarized from two of his novels, The Da Vinci Legacy, originally published in 1983, and Daughter of God, originally published in 2000. He sought to block distribution of the book and film. However, Judge George Daniels of the US District Court in New York ruled against Perdue in 2005, saying that 'A reasonable average lay observer would not conclude that The Da Vinci Code is substantially similar to Daughter of God' and that 'Any slightly similar elements are on the level of generalized or otherwise unprotectable ideas.'^[26] Perdue appealed, the 2nd US Circuit Court of Appeals upheld the original decision, saying Mr. Perdue's arguments were 'without merit'.^[27]

In early 2006, Michael Baigent and Richard Leigh filed suit against Brown's publishers, Random House. They alleged that significant portions of The Da Vinci Code were plagiarized from Holy Blood, Holy Grail, violating their copyright.^[28] Brown confirmed during the court case that he named the principal Grail expert of his story Leigh Teabing, an anagram of 'Baigent Leigh', after the two plaintiffs. In reply to the suggestion that Henry Lincoln was also referred to in the book, since he has medical problems resulting in a severe limp, like the character of Leigh Teabing, Brown stated he was unaware of Lincoln's illness and the correspondence was a coincidence.^[29] Since Baigent and Leigh had presented their conclusions as historical research, not as fiction, Mr Justice Peter Smith, who presided over the trial, deemed that a novelist must be free to use these ideas in a fictional context, and ruled against Baigent and Leigh. Smith also hid his own secret code in his written judgement, in the form of seemingly random italicized letters in the 71-page document, which apparently spell out a message. Smith indicated he would confirm the code if someone broke it.^[30] After losing before the High Court on July 12, 2006, they then appealed, unsuccessfully, to the Court of Appeal.^[29][31]

In April 2006 Mikhail Anikin, a Russian scientist and art historian working as a senior researcher at the Hermitage Museum in St Petersburg, stated the intention to bring a lawsuit against Dan Brown, maintaining that he was the one who coined the phrase used as the book's title and one of the ideas regarding the Mona Lisa used in its plot. Anikin interprets the Mona Lisa to be a Christian allegory consisting of two images, one of Jesus Christ that comprises the image's right half, one of the Virgin Mary that forms its left half. According to Anikin, he expressed this idea to a group of experts from the Museum of Houston during a 1988 René Magritte exhibit at the Hermitage, and when one of the Americans requested permission to pass it along to a friend Anikin granted the request on condition that he be credited in any book using his interpretation. Anikin eventually compiled his research into Leonardo da Vinci or Theology on Canvas, a book published in 2000, but The Da Vinci Code, published three years later, makes no mention of Anikin and instead asserts that the idea in question is a 'well-known opinion of a number of scientists.'^[32][33]

Parodies[edit]

• The book was parodied by Adam Roberts and Toby Clements with the books The Va Dinci Cod, and The Asti Spumante Code, respectively, both in 2005.
• A 2005 telemovie spin-off of the Australian television series Kath & Kim parodied the film version as Da Kath and Kim Code in 2005.
• The 2006 BBC program Dead Ringers parodied The Da Vinci Code, calling it the 'Da Rolf Harris Code'.
• South African political cartoonistZapiro published a 2006 book collection of his strips entitled Da Zuma Code, which parodies the former deputy presidentJacob Zuma.
• A 2006 independent film named The Norman Rockwell Code parodied the book and film. Instead of that of a curator in the Louvre, the murder is that of a curator at the Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts.
• The DiCaprio Code, a 2006, seven-part animated series by Movies.com and Scrapmation.
• The book was parodied in the 2007 South Park episode 'Fantastic Easter Special' and Robert Rankin's novel The Da-da-de-da-da Code.
• The characters Lucy and Silas are parodied in the 2007 film Epic Movie, which begins with a scene similar to the opening of The Da Vinci Code, with Silas chasing the orphan Lucy.
• Szyfr Jana Matejki (Jan Matejko's Cipher) is a 2007 Polish parody by Dariusz Rekosz. A sequel, Ko(s)miczna futryna: Szyfr Jana Matejki II (Co[s]mic Door-frame: Jan Matejko's Cipher II), was released in 2008. The main character is inspector Józef Świenty, who tries to solve The Greatest Secret of Mankind (Największa Tajemnica Ludzkości) – parentage of Piast dynasty.
• The book was parodied in the 2008 American Dad! episode 'Black Mystery Month', in which Stan Smith searches for the controversial truth that Mary Todd Lincoln invented peanut butter.
• In 2008, it was parodied in the second series of That Mitchell and Webb Look as 'The Numberwang Code', a trailer for a fictional film based on a recurring sketch on the show.
• The book's plot is parodied in 'The Duh-Vinci Code', an episode of the animated TV series Futurama.
• The book was parodied in the Mad episode 'Da Grinchy Code / Duck', in which the greatest movie minds try to solve the mystery of the Grinch.
• The book's theme of conspiracy theories is parodied in the 2007 MC Solaar single 'Da Vinci Claude'.

Release details[edit]

The book has been translated into over 40 languages, primarily hardcover.^[34] Major English-language (hardcover) editions include:

• The Da Vinci Code (1st ed.), US: Doubleday, April 2003, ISBN0-385-50420-9.
• The Da Vinci Code (spec illustr ed.), Doubleday, November 2, 2004, ISBN0-385-51375-5 (as of January 2006, has sold 576,000 copies).
• The Da Vinci Code, UK: Corgi Adult, April 2004, ISBN0-552-14951-9.
• The Da Vinci Code (illustr ed.), UK: Bantam, October 2, 2004, ISBN0-593-05425-3.
• The Da Vinci Code (trade paperback), US/CA: Anchor, March 2006.
• The da Vinci code (paperback), Anchor, March 28, 2006, 5 million copies.
• The da Vinci code (paperback) (special illustrated ed.), Broadway, March 28, 2006, released 200,000 copies.
• Goldsman, Akiva (May 19, 2006), The Da Vinci Code Illustrated Screenplay: Behind the Scenes of the Major Motion Picture, Howard, Ron; Brown, Dan introd, Doubleday, Broadway, the day of the film's release. Including film stills, behind-the-scenes photos and the full script. 25,000 copies of the hardcover, and 200,000 of the paperback version.^[35]

Film[edit]

Columbia Pictures adapted the novel to film, with a screenplay written by Akiva Goldsman, and Academy Award winner Ron Howard directing. The film was released on May 19, 2006, and stars Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon, Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu, and Sir Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing. During its opening weekend, moviegoers spent an estimated $77 million in America, and $224 million worldwide.^[36]

The movie received mixed reviews. Roger Ebert in its review wrote that 'Ron Howard is a better filmmaker than Dan Brown is a novelist; he follows Brown's formula (exotic location, startling revelation, desperate chase scene, repeat as needed) and elevates it into a superior entertainment, with Tom Hanks as a theo-intellectual Indiana Jones.' 'it's involving, intriguing and constantly seems on the edge of startling revelations.'

The film received two sequels: Angels & Demons, released in 2009, and Inferno, released in 2016. Ron Howard returned to direct both sequels.

See also[edit]

References[edit]

1. ^Wyat, Edward (November 4, 2005). 'Da Vinci Code' Losing Best-Seller Status'Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. The New York Times.
2. ^'New novel from Dan Brown due this fall'. San Jose Mercury News. Archived from the original on June 4, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
3. ^Minzesheimer, Bob (December 11, 2003). ''Code' deciphers interest in religious history'. USA Today. Archived from the original on January 10, 2010. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
4. ^ ^abFord, Marcia. 'Da Vinci Debunkers: Spawns of Dan Brown's Bestseller'. FaithfulReader. Archived from the original on May 27, 2004. Retrieved April 29, 2015.
5. ^'History vs The Da Vinci Code'. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
6. ^Kelleher, Ken; Kelleher, Carolyn (April 24, 2006). 'The Da Vinci Code' (FAQs). Dan Brown. Archived from the original on March 25, 2008. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
7. ^'Fiction'. History vs The Da Vinci Code. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
8. ^Sibly, WA; Sibly, MD (1998), The History of the Albigensian Crusade: Peter of les Vaux-de-Cernay's 'Historia Albigensis', Boydell, ISBN0-85115-658-4, Further, in their secret meetings they said that the Christ who was born in the earthly and visible Bethlehem and crucified at Jerusalem was 'evil', and that Mary Magdalene was his concubine – and that she was the woman taken in adultery who is referred to in the Scriptures; the 'good' Christ, they said, neither ate nor drank nor assumed the true flesh and was never in this world, except spiritually in the body of Paul. I have used the term 'the earthly and visible Bethlehem' because the heretics believed there is a different and invisible earth in which – according to some of them – the 'good' Christ was born and crucified.
9. ^O'Neill, Tim (2006), '55. Early Christianity and Political Power', History versus the Da Vinci Code, archived from the original on May 15, 2009, retrieved February 16, 2009.
10. ^ ^abO'Neill, Tim (2006), '55. Nag Hammadi and the Dead Sea Scrolls', History versus the Da Vinci Code, archived from the original on May 15, 2009, retrieved February 16, 2009.
11. ^Arendzen, John Peter (1913), 'Docetae', Catholic Encyclopedia, 5, New York: Robert Appleton, The idea of the unreality of Christ's human nature was held by the oldest Gnostic sects [...] Docetism, as far as at present known, [was] always an accompaniment of Gnosticism or later of Manichaeism.
12. ^ ^abLane, Anthony (May 29, 2006). 'Heaven Can Wait'Archived October 12, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. The New Yorker.
13. ^Miller, Laura (December 29, 2004). 'The Da Vinci crock'Archived September 18, 2011, at the Wayback Machine. Salon.com. Retrieved 2009-05-15.
14. ^Steyn, Mark (May 10, 2006) 'The Da Vinci Code: bad writing for Biblical illiterates'Archived June 11, 2013, at the Wayback Machine. Maclean's.
15. ^Maslin, Janet (March 17, 2003). 'Spinning a Thriller From a Gallery at the Louvre'Archived April 8, 2016, at the Wayback Machine.
16. ^Lazarus, David (April 6, 2003). ''Da Vinci Code' a heart-racing thriller'. San Francisco Chronicle.
17. ^Zanganeh, Lila Azam. 'Umberto Eco, The Art of Fiction No. 197'Archived October 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine. The Paris Review. Summer 2008, Number 185. Retrieved 2012-04-27.
18. ^Yeoman, William (June 30, 2010), 'Vampires trump wizards as readers pick their best'(PDF), The West Australian, archived from the original(PDF) on August 4, 2011, retrieved March 24, 2011.
19. ^'Famed author takes on Kansas'. LJWorld. October 7, 2005. Archived from the original on August 30, 2009. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
20. ^'3x12', QI (episode transcript).
21. ^'Interview with Douglas Adams Continuum'. SE: Douglas Adams. Archived from the original on May 19, 2011. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
22. ^'Stephen King address, University of Maine'. Archive. Archived from the original on October 13, 2007. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
23. ^Sorkin, Aaron (December 30, 2010). 'Movie Review: The Da Vinci Code (2006)'. The New York Times. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
24. ^'The Dan Brown code', Language Log, University of Pennsylvania (also follow other links at the bottom of that page)
25. ^ ^abEbert, Roger. 'Roger Ebert's review'. Sun times. Archived from the original on October 10, 2012. Retrieved January 4, 2011.
26. ^'Author Brown 'did not plagiarise'Archived November 28, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, August 6, 2005
27. ^'Delays to latest Dan Brown novel'Archived April 6, 2016, at the Wayback Machine, BBC News, April 21, 2006
28. ^'Judge creates own Da Vinci code'. BBC News. April 27, 2006. Archived from the original on September 5, 2007. Retrieved September 13, 2009.
29. ^ ^ab'Authors who lost 'Da Vinci Code' copying case to mount legal appeal'. Retrieved July 12, 2006.
30. ^'Judge rejects claims in 'Da Vinci' suit'. MSNBC. MSN. April 7, 2006. Archived from the original on July 6, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
31. ^'Judge rejects claims in 'Da Vinci' suit'. MSNBC. MSN. April 7, 2006. Archived from the original on July 6, 2006. Retrieved February 3, 2009.
32. ^Page, Jeremy. 'Now Russian sues Brown over his Da Vinski Code', The Sunday Times, April 12, 2006
33. ^Grachev, Guerman (April 13, 2006), 'Russian scientist to sue best-selling author Dan Brown over 'Da Vinci Code' plagiarism', Pravda, RU, archived from the original on October 7, 2012, retrieved May 13, 2011.
34. ^'World editions of The Da Vinci Code', Secrets (official site), Dan Brown, archived from the original on January 27, 2006.
35. ^'Harry Potter still magic for book sales', Arts, CBC, January 9, 2006, archived from the original on October 13, 2007.
36. ^'The Da Vinci Code (2006)'. Box Office Mojo. Archived from the original on May 13, 2013. Retrieved December 16, 2006.

Further reading[edit]

• Pullum, Geoffrey K. 'The Dan Brown code.'
• Schneider-Mayerson, Matthew.

External links[edit]

• The Da Vinci Code (official website), Dan Brown
• The Da Vinci Code (official website), UK: Dan Brown
• Mysteries of Rennes-le-Château
• The Da Vinci Code and Textual Criticism: A Video Response to the Novel, Rochester Bible, archived from the original on December 12, 2010
• Walsh, David (May 2006), 'The Da Vinci Code, novel and film, and 'countercultural' myth', WSWS (review)

The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mysterythriller film directed by Ron Howard, written by Akiva Goldsman, and based on Dan Brown's 2003 best-selling novel of the same name. The first in the Robert Langdon film series, the film stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Sir Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jürgen Prochnow, Jean Reno, and Paul Bettany. In the film, Robert Langdon, a professor of religious symbology from Harvard University, is the prime suspect in the grisly and unusual murder of Louvre curator Jacques Saunière. In the body, the police find a disconcerting cipher and start an investigation.^[3] A noted British Grail historian named Sir Leigh Teabing tells them that the actual Holy Grail is explicitly encoded in Leonardo da Vinci's wall painting, The Last Supper. Also searching for the Grail is a secret cabal within Opus Dei, an actual prelature of the Holy See, who wish to keep the true Grail a secret to prevent the destruction of Christianity.

The film, like the book, was considered controversial. It was met with especially harsh criticism by the Roman Catholic Church for the accusation that it is behind a two-thousand-year-old cover-up concerning what the Holy Grail really is and the concept that Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene were married and that the union produced a daughter, and for its treatment of the organizations Priory of Sion and Opus Dei. Many members urged the laity to boycott the film. In the book, Dan Brown states that the Priory of Sion and 'all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents and secret rituals in this novel are accurate'.

The film grossed $224 million in its worldwide opening weekend and a total of $758 million worldwide, becoming the second-highest-grossing film of 2006, behind Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest. The film received generally negative reviews from critics. It was followed by two sequels, Angels & Demons (2009) and Inferno (2016).

• 3Production
• 4Catholic and other reactions
• 5Censorship
• 6Cast response
• 7Reactions to the film
  • 7.4Box office response
• 10Sequels

Plot[edit]

Jacques Saunière, the Louvre's curator, is pursued through the Grand Gallery by an albinoCatholicmonk named Silas, who demands the location of the Priory's 'keystone' to find and destroy the Holy Grail. Saunière gives him a false lead and is murdered. When the police arrive, they find his body posed like Da Vinci's Vitruvian Man. The police captain, Bezu Fache, sends his lieutenant, Jérôme Collet, to summon American symbologistRobert Langdon, in the midst of signing autographs after one of his public talks, to examine Saunière's body.

At the museum, Langdon is shown the body, and a secret message, readable only by blacklight, that contains an out-of-order Fibonacci sequence. Sophie Neveu, a police cryptographer and Saunière's granddaughter, reveals to Langdon that Fache planted a tracker on him after finding the words 'P.S. Find Robert Langdon' at the end of Saunière's secret message, leading Fache to believe Langdon murdered Saunière. The two get rid of the tracker, distracting the police, and sneak around the Louvre, finding more clues in Leonardo da Vinci's works, eventually leading to Langdon to deduce that Saunière was the grand master of the Priory of Sion.

Silas is revealed to be working for an anonymous person named the Teacher, along with members of Opus Dei, led by Bishop Aringarosa. Evading the police, Langdon and Sophie travel to the Depository Bank of Zurich, where they access a safe deposit box of Saunière's, using the Fibonacci sequence. Inside the box is a cryptex, a cylindrical container that can only be safely opened by turning dials to spell a code word, and which contains a message on papyrus. The police arrive outside and Langdon and Sophie are aided by the bank manager, Andre Vernet, only for him to attempt to take the cryptex and murder them. Langdon disarms Vernet and flees with Sophie and the cryptex.

The two visit Langdon's friend, Sir Leigh Teabing, a Holy Grail expert who walks using crutches, who claims the Grail is not a cup but instead Mary Magdalene, Jesus Christ's wife. Teabing argues that she was pregnant during His crucifixion, and the Priory was formed to protect their descendants. The Opus Dei have been trying to destroy the Grail to preserve the credibility of the Vatican. Later, Silas breaks into Teabing's house, but Teabing, using one of his crutches, disables him. The group escapes to London via Teabing's private plane, along with his butler, Remy Jean. They travel to the Temple Church, but the clue to unlocking the cryptex is a red herring. Silas is freed by Remy while claiming to be the Teacher and taking Teabing hostage, dumping him in the car trunk, and taking Silas to hide out in an Opus Dei safe house. Teabing, who is revealed to be the Teacher, later poisons Remy and sends the police after Silas. Silas is shot by police after accidentally wounding Aringarosa, who is promptly arrested by Fache, who resents being used to hunt Langdon.

Langdon and Sophie are confronted by Teabing, who wants to bring down the Church for centuries of persecution and deceit. The trio goes to Westminster Abbey to the tomb of Isaac Newton, a former grand master of the Priory. Teabing demands that the pair open the cryptex. Langdon tries and then tosses the cryptex into the air. Teabing dives for it, catches it, but vinegar dribbles and the papyrus thought destroyed. The police arrive to arrest Teabing, who realizes Langdon must have solved the cryptex's code and removed the papyrus. The code is revealed to be 'APPLE', after the apocryphal myth of the apple which led Newton to discover his law of universal gravitation. The clue inside the cryptex, which tells of the Grail hiding ''neath the rose', leads Langdon and Sophie to Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland.

Inside the chapel, they discover Magdalene's tomb has been removed. Langdon, after searching through documents, realizes that Sophie's family died in a car crash, that Saunière was not her grandfather but her protector, and that she is the last descendant of Jesus Christ. The two are greeted by several members of the Priory, including Sophie's grandmother, who promises to protect her. Langdon and Sophie part ways, the former returning to Paris. While shaving, he cuts himself and has an epiphany when his blood curves down the sink, reminding him of the Rose Line. Realizing the true meaning of the cryptex clue, he follows the line to the Louvre, concluding the Holy Grail, the sarcophagus of Mary Magdalene, is hidden below the Pyramide Inversée. Langdon kneels above it.

Cast[edit]

• Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon
• Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu
• Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing
• Alfred Molina as Bishop Aringarosa
• Jürgen Prochnow as André Vernet
• Jean Reno as Police Captain Bezu Fache
• Paul Bettany as Silas
• Étienne Chicot as Lieutenant Jérôme Collet
• Jean-Yves Berteloot as Remy Jean
• Jean-Pierre Marielle as Jacques Saunière
• Charlotte Graham as Mary Magdalene
• Hugh Mitchell as young Silas
• Seth Gabel as Michael the Cleric
• Marie-Françoise Audollent as Sister Sandrine
• Francesco Carnelutti as Prefect
• Rita Davies as Elegant Woman at Rosslyn
• Denis Podalydès as Flight Controller
• Author Dan Brown and his wife make cameos (forefront) in the first scene of the book signing scene.
• The Templar Revelation authors Lynn Picknett and Clive Prince make a brief appearance as passengers on a bus.

Bill Paxton was director Ron Howard's first choice for the role of Robert Langdon, but had to decline as he was beginning filming for the television series Big Love.^[4]

Production[edit]

Development[edit]

The film rights were purchased from Dan Brown for $6 million.^[5]

Filming[edit]

Filming had been scheduled to start in May 2005; however, some delays caused filming to begin on June 30, 2005.^{[citation needed]}

Location[edit]

The Louvre gave permission to film relevant scenes at their premises. A replica of the Mona Lisa was used during filming as the crew was not allowed to illuminate the original work with their lighting. During the on site filming at the Louvre the Mona Lisa's chamber was used as a storage room. Westminster Abbey denied the use of its premises, as did Saint-Sulpice. The Westminster Abbey scenes were instead filmed at Lincoln and Winchester cathedrals,^[6] which both belong to the Church of England. (Westminster Abbey is a Royal Peculiar, a church or chapel under direct jurisdiction of the monarch; whereas Saint-Sulpice is a Roman Catholic institution.)

Due to the denial of a location permit for Saint-Sulpice,^[7] 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.^[8]

Lincoln Cathedral reportedly received £100,000 in exchange for the right to film there, with filming there occurring between August 15 and 19, 2005, mainly within the cloisters of the cathedral. The cathedral's bell, 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 a 61-year-old woman named Sister Mary Michael demonstrated against the filming. Sister Mary Michael spent 12 hours praying on her knees outside the cathedral in protest against what she saw as the blasphemous use of a holy place to film a book containing heresy.^[9]

Winchester Cathedral answered criticism by using its location fee to fund an exhibition, lecture series and campaign to debunk the book.^[10] 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 used as a filming location, with its art-deco terminal building utilized in a night shoot for the scenes at 'Le Bourget' Airport.^[11]

Filming also took place elsewhere in the United Kingdom.^[12] Locations included King's College London campus; Fairfield Halls (Croydon); the Temple Church (London); Burghley House (Lincolnshire) and Rosslyn Chapel and Rosslyn Castle (Midlothian, Scotland) make an appearance at the final of the film.

Studio shoots[edit]

The filmmakers shot many of the internal scenes at Pinewood Studios;^[13] the opening sequence in the cavernous 007 Stage at Pinewood Shepperton, where the interior of the Louvre was recreated.^[14] In this sequence, Hanks' character 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, was tasked with creating a naked photorealistic silicone body for the scene. Lighting effects were utilized to obscure the body's genitalia, a technique also used on television programs such as NCIS.^[15]

Pinewood's state-of-the-art Underwater Stage was used to film underwater sequences.^[16] 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 (86 °F) to create a comfortable environment to work in for both cast and crew.^[17]

Alternate versions of 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.

Catholic and other reactions[edit]

The Vatican[edit]

At a conference on April 28, 2006, the secretary of the Congregation for the Doctrine of the Faith, a Vatican curial department, Archbishop Angelo Amato specifically called for a boycott of the film; he said the movie is 'full of calumnies, offences, and historical and theological errors'.^[18]

Cardinal Francis Arinze, in a documentary called The Da Vinci Code: A Masterful Deception, urged unspecified legal action against the makers of the film. He was formerly Prefect of the Congregation for Divine Worship and the Discipline of the Sacraments in the Vatican.^[19]

Opus Dei[edit]

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 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'^[20] 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'.^[21] The organization also encouraged the studio to clearly label the movie as fictitious 'and that any resemblance to reality is pure coincidence'.^[21]

According to a statement by Manuel Sánchez Hurtado, Opus Dei Press Office Rome,^[22] 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[edit]

U.S. Catholic bishops launched a website, JesusDecoded.com, 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.^[23] 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'.^[24]

Peru[edit]

The Peruvian Episcopal Conference (CEP) declared the movie—and the book—as part of a 'systematic attack on the Catholic Church'.^[25] Furthermore, the Archbishop of Lima, the 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.'^[26]

NOAH[edit]

The National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation (NOAH) expressed concern about Silas' character giving people with albinism a bad name.^[27] However, the filmmakers did not change his appearance.

Censorship[edit]

The film was banned in a number of countries, including among others Syria,^[28]Belarus,^[29] and Lebanon.^[30] In Jordan, authorities banned the film claiming it 'tarnishes the memory of Christian and Islamic figures and contradicts the truth as written in the Bible and the Quran about Jesus'.^[31] In Iran, it was banned due to protests by Muslim and Christian minorities.^[32]

China[edit]

Although The Da Vinci Code was passed by Chinese censors, it was abruptly removed by authorities from public view in mainland China, after 'a remarkable run in China, grossing over $13 million',^[33] due to protests by Chinese Catholic groups.^[34]

Egypt[edit]

Both the book and the film were banned in Egypt due to pressure from Coptic Christians. Some Muslims compared the film to the Danish cartoons that had caused a controversy earlier that year.^[35] Hafez Abu Saeda, of the Egyptian Organization for Human Rights stated that 'This violates freedom of thought and belief … This is fiction. It's art and it should be regarded as art.'^[36]

Faroe Islands[edit]

The biggest cinema in the Faroe Islands, Havnar Bio, decided to boycott the film, effectively blocking it from the other smaller cinemas, which rely on second-hand films from this source, because it seems to be blasphemous in their point of view. Its CEO, Jákup Eli Jacobsen, says that 'he fears losing the operating license if it exhibits blasphemy in the cinema'.^[37]

A private initiative by the individual Herluf Sørensen has arranged the movie to be played, despite the boycott by Havnar Bio. The movie played at the Nordic House in the Faroe Islands from June 8 to 9, 2006.^[38]

India[edit]

There was a huge outcry in many states by the Christian and the Muslim minorities to ban the film from screening in India for the perceived anti-Christian message. Possibly the largest reaction occurred in Kolkata where a group of around 25 protesters 'stormed' Crossword bookstore, pulled copies of the book off the racks and threw them to the ground. At the same day, a group of 50–60 protesters successfully made the Oxford Bookstore on Park Street decide to stop selling the book 'until the controversy sparked by the film's release was resolved'.^[39]

The film was allowed to be released 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 work of fiction.^[40] 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.^[41]

The film has been totally banned in some states such as Punjab, Lakshadweep, Goa, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Mizoram, Jammu and Kashmir, Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh.^[42][43] The Andhra Pradesh High Court subsequently reversed the State Government's order banning the screening of the film in the state; the State Government had previously banned the film based on the objections lodged by Christians and Muslims.^[44]

Pakistan[edit]

Pakistan banned The Da Vinci Code for showing what officials called blasphemous material about Jesus. Christian groups, along with the Muttahida Majlis-e-Amal held protests against the film calling for a global ban.^[45]

Philippines[edit]

The Philippine Alliance Against Pornography (PAAP) appealed to then 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'^[46] 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.^[47]

However, Cecille Guidote Alvarez, Philippine Presidential Adviser on Culture and the Arts, said the Philippine government would not interfere in the controversy about the film and leaves the decision to the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board's (MTRCB) rating.^[48] Eventually, MTRCB decided to give The Da Vinci Code an R-18 rating (restricted to those 18 years of age and above) despite PAAP's opposition to showing it.^[49]

Samoa[edit]

The film was banned outright in the Independent State of Samoa after church leaders watching a pre-release showing filed a complaint with film censors.^[50]

Solomon Islands[edit]

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

Sri Lanka[edit]

Sri Lanka is also one of the countries that banned the film from being released.^[52] It was banned by presidential order of Mahinda Rajapakse.Public Performances Board to ban the screening of the movie 'The Da Vinci Code' in local cinemas and on local television channels. Apparently the Catholic Bishops Conference made the appeal through an epistle. 'The decision to ban the film was taken on an appeal by the Catholic Bishops Conference in Sri Lanka.'^[53]

Thailand[edit]

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.^[54][55]

Cast response[edit]

Tom Hanks' response[edit]

Hanks told the Evening Standard that those involved with the film '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.'^[56] He said it is a mistake 'to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a huge-budget motion picture like this.'^[56]

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.'

Ian McKellen's response[edit]

Also at Cannes, 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.'^[57]

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.^[58]) McKellen responded:

Reactions to the film[edit]

Cannes Film Festival[edit]

According to the Associated Press, 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.'^[60]

Protests[edit]

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 film was banned from all theaters and the set by the local MTRCB as an R18 movie for the Philippines.^[61] In Pittsburgh, protesters also showed up at a special screening of the film the day before its widespread release.^[62] Protests also occurred at the filming sites, but only a monk and a nun stood in a quiet protest at the Cannes premiere.^[57] In Chennai, India, the film was banned for a two-month period to appease local Christian and Muslim groups.^[63]

Critical reception[edit]

The Da Vinci Code received a 25% approval rating on the film review aggregate website Rotten Tomatoes based on a sample of 224 reviews and an average rating of 4.7/10. The critics consensus states: '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.'^[64] The film was poorly received at the Cannes Film Festival, where it debuted.^[60]

Michael Medved gave the film a negative review, citing it as 'an attack on religion'.^[65]Anthony Lane of The New Yorker addressed the concerns of Catholics in his film review, stating that the film 'is self-evident, spirit-lowering tripe that could not conceivably cause a single member of the flock to turn aside from the faith.'^[66] In his Movie Guide, Leonard Maltin called the film 'a letdown in every respect.'^[67] Director Howard noted that the overwhelmingly negative reviews were 'frustrating' to him.^[68]

Conversely, Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times (who had spoken very negatively of the novel) gave the film three out of four stars, stating, 'The movie works; it's involving, intriguing and constantly seems on the edge of startling revelations.' Of the storyline, he also commented, 'Yes, the plot is absurd, but then most movie plots are absurd. That's what we pay to see.'^[69] 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.'^[70]

Although many critics gave mixed to negative reviews of the film, critics praised the performances of McKellen as well as Bettany.^[71]

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 No. 2.^[72] The film earned a Razzie Award nomination for Ron Howard as Worst Director, but lost to M. Night Shyamalan for Lady in the Water.

Box office response[edit]

Opening weekend[edit]

The film opened with an estimated $31 million in box office sales on its opening day, averaging $7,764 per screen.^[73] During its opening weekend, moviegoers spent an estimated $77 million in America, and $224 million worldwide.^[2]The Da Vinci Code is the best domestic opening for both Tom Hanks and Ron Howard.^[74]

It also enjoyed the third biggest opening weekend for that year (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.^[75]) This has led some critics, particularly in the UK, to moot the idea of the 'critic-proof film'.^[76]

Ranking and gross[edit]

• Number 1 film at the USA box office during its first week grossing more than $111 million.^[77] Fifth-highest gross of 2006 in the USA, and grossed $758 million worldwide in 2006—the second-highest of 2006.^[2] Its worldwide total made it the 51st-highest-grossing film, and the highest-grossing film in the franchise.^{[citation needed]}
• On June 20, 2006, it became only the second film of the year to pass the $200 million mark in the USA.^[78]

Accolades[edit]

Home media[edit]

The film was released on DVD on November 14, 2006 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.^[79]
3. A 'special edition gift set' that includes a two-disc DVD set, working cryptex, and replica Robert Langdon journal.^[80]

All DVD sets include an introduction from director 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 174 minutes.^[79]

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.^[81]

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

The Da Vinci Code was also released on UMD for the Sony PlayStation Portable (PSP) on the November 14, 2006.

Sequels[edit]

Angels & Demons[edit]

Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman, with the help of Jurassic Park screenwriter David Koepp, adapted Angels & Demons (a Dan Brown novel published before The Da Vinci Code) into a film script,^[82] which was also directed by Howard. Chronologically, the book takes place before The Da Vinci Code. However, the filmmakers re-tooled it as a sequel. Hanks reprises his role as Langdon in the film, which was released in May 2009 to moderate (but generally better) reviews.

Inferno[edit]

Sony Pictures produced a film adaptation of Inferno, the fourth book in the Robert Langdon series, which was released in October 2016^[83] with Ron Howard as director, David Koepp adapting the screenplay and Tom Hanks reprising his role as Robert Langdon.^[84] Filming began on April 27, 2015, in Venice, Italy, and wrapped up on July 21, 2015.^[85] On December 2, 2014, Felicity Jones was in early talks to star in the film.^[86] Bollywood actor Irrfan Khan was cast as The Provost.^[87] Danish actress Sidse Babett Knudsen was added to the cast as Elizabeth Sinskey.^[88]

See also[edit]

• The Da Vinci Treasure – A mockbuster produced by The Asylum
• National Treasure - film about the Knights Templar Treasure

Da Vinci Code Full Movie

References[edit]

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2. ^ ^abcd'The Da Vinci Code (2006)'. Box Office Mojo. Retrieved December 16, 2006.
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4. ^Twister, Titanic, Apollo 13, and Aliens star Bill Paxton dies
5. ^'Ask Men'.
6. ^'Film locations in South East England'. Archived from the original on October 1, 2012.
7. ^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)
8. ^Robertson, Barbara (May 19, 2006). 'The Da Rainmaker Code'. cgsociety.org. The CG Society. Retrieved March 1, 2013.
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14. ^WHAS11news: Fire chars British set of new Bond movie, Katie Fretland, July 30, 2006
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17. ^Pinewood Studios – Underwater Stage Pinewood Studios – Water FilmingArchived September 16, 2007, at the Wayback Machine
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20. ^'Group urges disclaimer on 'Da Vinci Code' film'. Hürriyet Daily News. April 17, 2006. Archived from the original on August 18, 2016.
21. ^ ^ab'Opus Dei demands Da Vinci Code disclaimer'. the Guardian. April 18, 2006.
22. ^Sánchez Hurtado, Manuel (May 17, 2006). 'The Other Code'. ROM: Opus Dei Press Office.
23. ^Jesus Decoded' Web site launched to counter 'Da Vinci Code' claimsArchived June 1, 2012, at the Wayback Machine
24. ^Patterson, John (April 21, 2007). 'Down with this sort of thing'. the Guardian.
25. ^RPP Noticias – 'Código da Vinci' presenta grandes falsedades, afirman obispos del Perú
26. ^Cardenal Cipriani pide a fieles abstenerse de ver 'El Código Da Vinci'
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29. ^http://iqna.ir/fr/news/1478889/le-film-da-vinci-code-interdit-au-bélarus
30. ^'Da Vinci' unlikely to pass Egypt censors TribLIVE
31. ^Egypt bans 'The Da Vinci Code'
32. ^https://mobile.nytimes.com/2006/07/26/books/27davinci.html
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34. ^Kahn, Joseph. 'China Cancels 'Da Vinci' Movie'. The New York Times.
35. ^Coptic pressure bans 'Da Vinci Code' in Egypt
36. ^Egypt: Da Vinci Code based on Zionist myths
37. ^'Faereysk kvikmyndahus snidganga Da Vinci lykilinn'. mbl.is. May 12, 2006.
38. ^'Norðurlandahúsið'. Upcoming.org.
39. ^'Novel earns vandal wrath - Code controversy deepens with warning from protesters'. The Telegraph. May 18, 2006.
40. ^'India censors clear Da Vinci Code'. BBC. May 18, 2006.
41. ^'India's Supreme Court rejects pleas to ban 'Da Vinci Code'
42. ^Sony Pictures statement on `Da Vinci Code` – Sify.com
43. ^''The Da Vinci Code' banned in State'. The Hindu. Chennai, India. June 2, 2006.
44. ^'High Court quashes A.P. ban on film '. The Hindu. Chennai, India. June 22, 2006.
45. ^'Pakistan bans Da Vinci Code film'. BBC News Online. June 4, 2006.
46. ^Araneta, Sandy (April 19, 2006). 'Anti-pornography group asks GMA to ban 'The Da Vinci Code''. philstar.com.
47. ^'Anti-pornography group asked GMA to Ban 'The Da Vinci Code''. Philippine Headline News. Philippines. April 19, 2006. Archived from the original on April 21, 2006.
48. ^'Palace sidesteps 'Da Vinci' storm'. The Manila Times. Philippines. April 19, 2006. Archived from the original on May 15, 2006.
49. ^''Da Vinci Code' for adults only, says film review body'. Philippines: inq7.net. May 17, 2006.
50. ^Johnston, Martin. 'Samoa bans Da Vinci Code'. The New Zealand Herald.
51. ^'SOLOMON ISLANDS TO BAN 'THE DA VINCI CODE'Archived May 10, 2009, at the Wayback Machine, Solomon Islands Broadcasting Corporation, May 26, 2006
52. ^SRI LANKA: Presidential ban of the Da Vinci Code film is an act of dictatorship without any basis in law — Asian Human Rights Commission
53. ^Asian Human Rights Commission Retrieved 2011-03-14.
54. ^'The Da Vinci Code' can be shown uncut
55. ^IHT ThaiDay – Manager Online
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57. ^ ^abCharlotte Higgins (May 18, 2006). 'Fans out in force for Da Vinci premiere – but even kinder reviews are scathing'. The Guardian. London. Retrieved March 7, 2010.
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Sources[edit]

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' July 30, 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,' May 19, 2006, webpage: PinewoodShep-Stage.
• Philip Pullella, 'Boycott Da Vinci Code film,' Reuters, April 28, 2006, web: ScotsmanVatDVC. Retrieved August 22, 2006.
• Us Weekly, 'Ian McKellen Unable to Suspend Disbelief While Reading the Bible,' US Weekly, May 17, 2006: (has Video clip).

External links[edit]

The Da Vinci Code

• The Da Vinci Code on IMDb
• The Da Vinci Code at AllMovie
• The Da Vinci Code at Rotten Tomatoes
• The Da Vinci Code at Box Office Mojo
• The Da Vinci Code at Metacritic
• The Da Vinci Code at the TCM Movie Database
• The Da Vinci Code at the American Film Institute Catalog