Just another Grail Quest

[caddyman]

I have just watched The Da Vinci Code on DVD.

I enjoyed it. It's not an all time classic, but it's no howler, either. If anything the story works better as a movie (provided you pay attention) than it does as a book; at least a book written in Dan Brown's turgid prose. ellefurtle faded well before halfway and I can't say, hand on heart, that I think she was enjoying it much before she fell asleep, but I found it to be entertaining enough. I quite like Ron Howard as a director (my, my, hasn't Richie Cunningham done well for himself), you rarely get a poor turn out of Tom Hanks, Ian McKellern, Jen Reno and Alfred Molina and Audrey Tautou does well enough even if she is nowhere near as good as her performance in Amélie.

The cinematography was occasionally rich and sometimes a little heavy handed with the symbology, but I guess given the source material it had to be, and the point was laboured more than once. Again, that is a regular fault of modern movie making, which assumes a very low intelligence from audiences, rather than a specific indictment of this movie.

I think the film has a couple more viewings in it - certainly there it is more fun than the book. Six out of ten, I'd say. Solid but not spectacular.

Once again I find myself amused by the thought of the howlings from certain religious interests. Precisely how weak does a believer's faith have to be, to be turned on its head by a story that professes to be nothing but entertainment? If God exists, isn't He big enough and powerful enough to display His displeasure if displeased He is, at "blasphemy" if such it is? The story even goes out of its way to distance the conspirators from the Catholic Church, pointing out that the Vatican would have them all excommunicated if ever they were discovered and as for the much-vaunted bashing of Opus Dei, even that organisation regardless of its affinities, proclivities and agendas in real life, is incidental to the plotters' motives. One of the prime movers is a bishop of Opus Dei as is his lackey. But so is the French policeman who abandons them when he realises that they are the wrong-doers, rather than Robert Langdon, the hero of the movie.

The reactions of these easily upset factions is far more revealing than anything in the movie or book, which after all is merely fiction professing to be nothing else.

Comments

[ladkyis.livejournal.com]

I am now tempted to watch the movie. I just need to know if there is anything that would trigger the nightmares because Mr M loses a lot of sleep when I get them.

[ysharros.livejournal.com]

His prose *is* pretty turgid. But then, so is Hanks' acting these days, so maybe it's a match made in DaVinci heaven.

I've not seen it yet, and can't decide if I will or won't - having read this I probably will as long as it's turned into a week-long rental at the DVD place. ;-)

[fencingsculptor.livejournal.com]

Good review deffinately a fair reflection of the movie.

I enjoyed it too though unless it hits the £2.99 giveaway DVD section of the shops I won't be buying it...even though it DOES show the woods out the back where I go camping !!

I am Catholic and had to listen to the asinine ramblings of the Church warning that the film was blasphemous and would undermine the Church and peoples faith. It reminded me of the controvesey over the Life of Brian actually.

And needless to say I wasn't surprised in the least when the world moved on pretty much without a squeak after the movie was released.

The church doesn't seem too open to drawing distinctions between Religion and faith...the former being a set of rules to control and the latter being an internal means of empowerment. I am comfortable with my faith but am often a little resentful of the presentation and application of the rules. It wouldn't bother me if there was a bloodline leading back to Christ. The faith is based on what he did and stood for rather than what he was. The church has yet to fully satisfy me on all the supernatural stuff we are supposed to take their word for.

I agree about the laboured story telling - I was surprised to see this from Ron Howardand wondered if it was studio imposed.

Personally I would only watch it again for Audrey Tautou.

She is just soooooo lovely !

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

There is a couple of "wince" moments, but nothing to make you faint or need a bucket and mop...

[binidj.livejournal.com]

I choose not to watch it purely because I find the notion of spending a couple of hours yelling "get your theology right you bunch of c***s" at a television/cinema screen to be less than entertaining.

[velvet-the-cat.livejournal.com]

Having read the book (and actually enjoyed it) I watched the film too. I look a less than willing Dan with me and he was a bit bemused by the central character's reaction to certain circumstances. The book justified them, the film on reflection was lacking in explanation. To be honest, I think it only really makes sense why Langdon would 'run' at the start having read 'Angels and Demons' too, but that might just be me...

But I still hold out on my opinion that Hanks does not equal Langdon - completely mis-cast for me and his wardrobe was far too good! ;o)

[bluesman.livejournal.com]

As a Christian, I found the book and the film jolly laughable. Those people whose faith is shaken by the drivel in both obviously don't have much. To others, who think the bible is also fiction, good luck.

Having said that, I'd also like to read Holy Blood, Holy Grail, from whose daft premise D Brown wrote his book. My faith won't be shaken by such piffle, so I think I'm safe. Hmm, does that sound a bit smug? I didn't mean it to!

Life of Brian all over again!

[caddyman.livejournal.com]

HBHG is a cracking good read, even if the conclusions are dubious. The research is wonderful, but lots of good stuff gets stapled together to make a continuous storyline (history, they would say), when there are clear leaps of logic between the otherwise good bits.

The Da Vinci code, bizarrely, has a court ruling in its favour stating that it is not based upon HBHG, though much of it clearly is; the prime baddy's name is even an anagram of the surnames of the authors of HBHG!