Film Review

By Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat

The Da Vinci Code
Directed by Ron Howard
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment 05/06 DVD/VHS Feature Film
PG-13 for disturbing images, violence, thematic material

Dan Brown's theological novel The Da Vinci Code has sold sixty million copies and that alone testifies to its multidimensional pleasures. First of all, it is genuine page-turner that keeps us alert and engaged with its surprises. Second, it is about the search for the Holy Grail, a source of fascination for centuries in the worlds of history, art, and fiction. Third, it is about the attempt to decode an enigmatic message that holds a great secret. Fourth, it touches upon a conspiracy within the Catholic Church to keep women down and to denigrate the role of Mary Magdalene in early church history. Fifth, it opens the door for many spiritual seekers to think afresh about Jesus, sexuality, the Divine Feminine, and the great mysteries that cannot be contained in dogmas.

The film, directed by Ron Howard, embraces all these themes; it's a quest film that sustains our interest. Robert Langdon (Tom Hanks), a Harvard professor of religious symbology, is in Paris for a lecture. He is summoned to the Louvre, where the body of the curator, Jacques Sauniere (Jean-Pierre Marielle), has been discovered. The dead man, who was to meet with Langdon the next day, has a pentagram painted on his nude torso. There is also a mysterious message and a number scrawled on the floor in blood.

Police detective Sophie Neveu (Audrey Tautou) from the Paris police cryptology division arrives on the scene and realizes that the scholar has nothing to do with the murder. She turns out to be Sauniere's granddaughter and decides to team up with Langdon to decipher the message found at the crime scene. It doesn't lead to the identity of the killer as the police suspect but has a far greater meaning: it points to the legend of the Holy Grail and some documents about Jesus that the Catholic church has been hiding for centuries.

As Robert and Sophie continue on their quest, they are dogged by a French police captain (Jean Reno) and by Silas (Paul Bettany), an albino monk who works for Bishop Aringarosa (Alfred Molina) of Opus Dei, a powerful and conservative Catholic organization who wants to protect the institution from what it views as heresies. He is looking for the keystone unlocking the secret of the Holy Grail. On the other side are the interests of the Priory of Sion to protect the documents which could change forever the church; Sir Isaac Newton, Botticelli, Victor Hugo, and Leonardo da Vinci have all been members of this secret society.

Robert and Sophie connect with Sir Leigh Teabing (Ian McKellen), a wealthy and zealous man of mystery who makes a strong case against the obfuscations and suppressions of the Catholic Church in its attempt to keep its tradition intact. After several betrayals and power plays by various ambitious characters, these three travel to London where the quest leads them to the Temple church, founded by the Knights Templar in 1185, and then to Westminster Abbey and the tomb of Sir Isaac Newton.

In our era, a great and fierce battle is being waged by zealous, rigid, and close-minded Christians against more progressive Christians and spiritual seekers who are open, curious, and hospitable about Christianity and all religions. One reason why this film will speak to so many people is that we can empathize with Robert and Sophie as they realize the extent of the conspiracy to suppress the truth about the Holy Grail and to keep quiet the important role of women in church history. We also can connect with their deep desire to get to the bottom of things.

Robert and Sophie are mentors of openness as they plow through one mystery after another. Openness as a spiritual practice has become more important than ever these days when government, corporations, and church institutions use secrecy and spin doctors to cover up the truth and protect themselves and their power base. The film no doubt will be championed by those who are curious about learning more about the Sacred Feminine, the life of Mary Magdalene, and the humanity of Jesus. (See our list of many varied and fascinating resources we have covered on these subjects.)

Those of us who believe that openness is a prerequisite for spiritual growth in a complex world know that God loves diversity. Hence, we can tolerate differences and see no need to destroy someone else's position in order to make room for our own. The Da Vinci Code is making a great contribution by encouraging dialogue about Christianity and creating awareness of the diversity within the early church. Because of this novel, thousands have been spurred on to read the Gnostic Gospels and to re-envision the role of Mary Magdalene in the Christian community. And any movie that salutes the staying power of the Sacred Feminine is something worth celebrating in a time when chauvinism is strutting its last hour upon the stage.

The movie has some problems. Far too many codes and puzzles are solved in an instant, and the police, like those in a lot of comedies, always arrive too late or in the wrong place. Screenplay writer Akiva Goldsman could have left some of the chase sequences out to cut down the running time. Nonetheless, these are only minor irritants and disappointments. In the end, The Da Vinci Code leaves us pondering the many mysteries of Mary Magdalene. It opens our minds and for a few moments our hearts. And that is no small feat. We close with a witty and provocative thought by Lily Tomlin: "The mind is like a parachute; it only works when it is open."

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Special DVD features include: First Day on the Set with Ron Howard; featurette: Director Ron Howard introduces the film and the excitement of beginning production at the Louvre in Paris; featurette on The Da Vinci Code author Dan Brown; featurette: A Portrait of Langdon; featurette: Who is Sophie Neveu?; featurette: Unusual Suspects — The International Cast — colorful, memorable and frightening characters; featurette: Magical Places; featurette: Close-up on Mona Lisa; featurette: The Filmmaking Experience Part 1 — includes a DVD exclusive look at filming the last and revealing scene; featurette: The Filmmaking Experience Part 2; featurette: The Codes of The Da Vinci Code; featurette: The Music of The Da Vinci Code; and a DVD ROM — "Da Vinci Code" Puzzle Game PC Demo.

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by Frederic and Mary Ann Brussat