Ron Howard, US, 2006, Dur 149 mins
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany
Review by Carol Allen
Screenwriter Akiva Goldsman is faced with an almost impossible taskhere. If he leaves anything out, he'll upset the fans of Dan Brown'sbest-selling novel. If he keeps everything in, we'll all be in the cinema for weeks. He and Ron Howard have on the whole made a reasonable if somewhat dull compromise.
The story begins in the Louvre in Paris, where the curator has been murdered and his naked body laid out in a bizarre symbolic way. Symbologist Professor Robert Langdon (Hanks), called to the scene by the
investigating policeman (Jean Reno), soon realises he is the main suspect. With the help of the victim's granddaughter Sophie (Tautou), and pursued by both the police and Silas (Bettany), a murderous monk in
the thrall of an organisation called Opus Dei, Langdon sets out to solve the mystery, which, unless you've been on another planet recently, you will know involves clues buried in the paintings of Leonardo da Vinci
and the search for the Holy Grail, which turns out to be the blood line of Jesus Christ and Mary Magdalene. And that presents the filmmakers with the problem of sustaining interest in a mystery to which most
members of the audience already know the answer. The other problem is the nature of the detection process in the story, which is very cerebral, rather like a crossword puzzle with most of the clues coming from the characters' academic research. As a result, despite Howard's provision of clunky, acted-out illustrations from history, such as the story of the Knights Templar, the film is still heavy with very complicated and wordy dialogue, which often fails to make clear the logic of Robert's deductions. Reassuringly for members of the Catholic church, who have worried that the film might shake the faith of believers, this also makes the film's argument far less seductive and believable than it is
on the printed page.
The film looks very handsome with skilful melding of footage shot in unusual locations, such as the Louvre itself, with studio material. It is still a reasonably intriguing mystery, albeit somewhat plodding, slow
and light on physical action, apart from a car chase or two and the activities of Bettany as Silus. He provides the best moments of tension and manages to make the albino monk, who takes orders from his control, The Teacher, on a mobile phone in Latin (nice touch), both chilling and sympathetic. Hanks as Robert, however, is more of a cipher, a deduction machine rather than a rounded character. His dominant human characteristic is claustrophobia from being trapped in a well as a child. Tatou is appealing as Sophie, though, for plot revelation reasons, she has to say on our behalf "I don't follow" rather a lot.
Reno is a convincing Gallic cop, while Ian McKellen as the enigmatic Sir Leigh Teabing gives a witty performance, doing a good job with the long history lecture he has to deliver to Robert and Sophie. The
darker side of his personality is however rather clumsily handled.
As for the machinations of Opus Dei, largely represented by Alfred Molina with a rather silly accent, again the real life Catholic society of that name has little to worry about. They're far less sinister in the film than the book. And this is after all just a story, a fantasy - he made it up, guys - and is most unlikely to shake the faith of any convinced Christian.
Sony Pictures Home Entertainment have announced the UK Region 2 DVD release of The Da Vinci Code for 16th October 2006 priced at £24.99.
Released as a two-disc special edition features are detailed below…
- The Codes of The Da Vinci Code Feature - discover the hidden codes within the film
Plus featurettes:
- 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
- A Discussion with Dan Brown - Featurette on “The Da Vinci Code” author Dan Brown
- A Portrait of Langdon Featurette - Who is Robert Langdon? How was Tom Hanks chosen to play this iconic character? How did Tom Hanks become the character? What do Tom Hanks and Langdon have in common?
- Who is Sophie Neveu? Featurette - The long and challenging journey to the casting of Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu, including the actress' screen test with Tom Hanks
- Unusual Suspects Featurette - The international cast…Colourful, memorable and frightening characters
- Magical Places Featurette - A fascinating and surprising discussion about the cities and places that were chosen for the film locations
- Close- up on Mona Lisa Featurette - Ron Howard, his cast and colleagues share their experience working next to one of the most famous paintings in the world
- The Filmmaking Experience 2-Part Featurette - Ron Howard discusses his collaboration with his Director of Photography, the challenges faced by production and the excitement of bringing the book to the screen. Includes a DVD exclusive look at filming the last and revealing scene
- The Codes of “The Da Vinci Code” Featurette - Discusses the hidden codes and symbols in the film. Isolates images from the film, giving the viewer clues over time as to what they mean, eventually giving a detailed description of what the imagery was intended to mean
- The Music of “The Da Vinci Code” Featurette - Overview of creating the music for the film
- And a preview of the Angels and Demons movie
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