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Da Vinci Code on the silver screen
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It starts with a murder at the Louvre. It ends with the solution to a mystery that could change the belief structure of millions of people. “The Da Vinci Code” is a novel that’s plot is affecting the level of religious study and discussion around the world. It has inspired people to take a closer look at their beliefs, to learn more about the roots of Christianity, and take a look at the life of Jesus Christ and his apostles.
Published in 2003, “The Da Vinci Code,” by Dan Brown, has gone on to be a national best seller and a major motion picture directed by Ron Howard and staring Tom Hanks. The book spawned a national debate over the beginnings of the Catholic Church and the role Mary Magdalene might have played in its birth. Controversy has followed the book and the film. The religious sect Opus Dei does not fare well in “The Da Vinci Code,” and the secret society The Priory of Sion is elevated to significant historical importance.
“The Da Vinci Code” has gone far beyond being just a book, it has become a phenomenon. An Amazon.com search for the book leads to 267 search results, a Google search results in 125 million pages. There is plenty of material out there to help wile away the summer hours. But like any bestselling book, the movie adaptation cannot be too far behind.
Ron Howard signed on to direct and instantly nabbed Tom Hanks for the role of Robert Langdon. Robert Langdon, the hero of our story, started the novel “The Da Vinci Code” in a lecture hall, explaining all the mysteries of symbols to a group of students. After a few hours, Langdon has to solve a murder to clear his name, and solve the mystery that men have killed for. The man murdered was Jacques Sauniere, the curator at the Louvre in Paris. Sauniere left a cryptic note next to his body. With the help of Sophie Neveu, played by Audrey Tautou, a cryptologist and Sauniere’s granddaughter, Langdon unlocks clues and puzzles buried in artworks and around Paris and London.
The novel progresses at a quick pace that has most people staying up all night to finish. There is never a point where the book can be put down safely without the brain continuing to whirl. Dan Brown manages to weave together fact and fiction in a fun and exciting story. The book contains action and adventure, mystery, history, and a little bit of romance.
The film does not manage to keep the same adventurous air. At no point is the audience ever concerned for the safety of Langdon and Neveu. That was the whole reason to keep turning the pages of the novel, to see if they made it out of one situation or another alive. But in the film, each solution is presented to us before there is ever a safety concern. The answer is shown before any question can be posed. There is also a severe lack of character development in the film. The characters never evolve from the person they are at the beginning of the film. Sure their knowledge level increases but we never get to understand them, we never find out why they are embarking on this quest except that Ron Howard told them to.
“The Da Vinci Code”, the novel, is far superior to the film. I enjoyed the book and hoped to enjoy the film as well but no such luck. The level of excitement and fun camaraderie in the novel is lackluster and forced in the film. By the time the movie ends, the audience is almost relieved to be released. It’s difficult to cram the action of 400 pages into a two- hour film. It will be curious to see how much more of the story will be added in to the DVD release. Until that time, I would stick to the book. The film is not just a bad adaptation of the book, but it’s just not that entertaining of a movie. Not something to spend eight dollars on. Go to the library, or a used book store and find a copy of “The Da Vinci Code”. It will be a better way to spend the money.
Megan Curtis
Culture Writer
