The Da Vinci Code

[xpgeek]

I just saw it this morning, and I liked it. It has its faults yes, its a bit long, and moves a bit slow at times, but all in all it was pretty good. Not the best film I've ever seen, but far from the wreck the major reviews make it out to be. I should say too I have read the book, and I saw it with a friend who has not read the book, and he liked it very much too.

[xpgeek]

Seems all the controversy, which I predicted, just made people want to see it more.

The Da Vinci Code made 29 million dollars on its opening day, thats just Friday, not counting yesterday yet. And, it broke the box office record in Italy, a country that claims a good 90% of its population to be devout Roman Catholics.

[zimagirl79]

I have not read the book, and doubt I will see the movie until it's out on dvd. The controversy sure has done the move a lot of good though.

I find it amusing that so many suposedly intelligent people fail to remember that this is a movie made from a book that is fiction. No one is making a big deal out of the fact that the book takes liberties with other facts, such as the glass pyramid at the Louvre has 673 glass panes, not 666. Saying it has 666 makes for dramatic impact, but that's all.

I may have to get my hands on the book and read it all instead of just bits and pieces so I can learn more of what all the hoopla is about.

[xpgeek]

"All the protests and all the bad reviews could not prevent "The Da Vinci Code" from recording a $224 million worldwide opening, the second-biggest debut ever at the global box office."

[Uguel]

I think that even the Author Dan Brown must be very surprised by his own success too! :) I got a book last weekend and I can read '' More than 40 Million Sold'' on the backcover. I also read an article where the author said that a great part of his book is fictionnal but still, I agree, many people take his novel for gospel, some members of the clergy deplore it, I say ''some'' because I just read on the BBC not long ago an article (that reported the words of a bishop) '' the good thing about it is that many people feel a new ''engouement'' or interest for Jesus something that would never have happened if they had not read the book''. Many religious will take the opportunity to talk of Jesus and religion like they haven't done since a long time!

[xpgeek]

It is a work of fiction yes, people forget that far too easily. The book, and the film, are based on real theorys and 'possible' fact and then blows them all wayy out of proportion to make a good fictional story.

They had to call the police at a movie theater in New York over the weekend, a Christian protest group was throwing rocks at people going in to see it.

Personally, I'll say again, personally, as in my personal opinion, not trying to start a religion debate here but, I have major issues with the organized church, and don't think it would be a bad thing if the film in the least makes people start to wonder and question the things the church has taught them. As Ian McKellan kind of said in the film, the bible didn't just fall out of the sky you know, it was written by a man, whose own personal beliefs and values went into it. Personally, I do believe Jesus existed, I just believe he was a man, an ordinary everyday man, that got brutally crucified by the Romans, and was far from the only one realize too, the Romans crucified people all the time in those days, and the story got remembered, and retold, and as most storys become as they get passed around, became very exaggerated. That can be said about a lot of the storys of the bible. David and Goliath, has been practically, I say practically, proven to be the story of a real battle that got very exaggerated. David was a small ten or twelve year old Muslim boy, was extremely common for boys as young as eight to be forced into the army in those times, and Goliath was a big 6 feet tall hulking Greek soldier laden down with heavy armor plating. Wouldn't have been hard for small David to run circles around this huge, and weighed down, slow soldier. And, one last thing I'll say, the church says the painting, DaVinci's The Last Supper, is a table full of men, no way not possible that thats a woman says the church, and I'll admit I've seen the painting a million times in my life, every week on the wall of my church when I went as a kid, but it wasn't until the idea was presented to me in the DaVinci Code that I really looked closely at it, and it is CLEARLY a woman. Anyway, all my personal opinion here, not trying to change anyones mind on anything, just presenting my opinion.

[Uguel]

Well, I won't go into a religious debate either for there are so many aspects to consider that it will be too long to explain here. Like what did the bible really say, and when it was said, what was the context at that time? Were some of the ideas or concepts biased by the writers at that time and then ''adapted'' or modified again to match with the Church ideology? That might never finish! But it is good to keep our mind open and not going on our way with blinders on.

every week on the wall of my church when I went as a kid, but it wasn't until the idea was presented to me in the DaVinci Code that I really looked closely at it, and it is CLEARLY a woman. Anyway, all my personal opinion here, not trying to change anyones mind on anything, just presenting my opinion.


I always found that she looks like a woman but personally that was not something that would disrupt me, or change something in my faith. What bothered me the most about religion is the attitude that goes ''this is the best religion'' and that we shall obey everything they say almost blindly without questioning and that all the other religions are wrong and so on.
I agree with you.

On the other hand, personally, I read the bible, especially Jesus' teachings, I can feel that there are really some sound advice and a very strong message in there not really something that I would ever feel when I was going to church and listened to the priest's homilies. His peaceful teachings differ a lot with the ''Old Testament'' which is mostly based on heritage, ancestry, i.e. the 12 patriarchs are presented as ancestors of the tribes of the later Israeli descendancy. Also I find that the tone of the O.T. is much more warlike than the gospels, maybe that's why I like the new testament best. And of course, it is possible that even Jesus' message, or some parts of it, has been modified to serve some specific purpose but I still believe that those writings are not ordinary ones!


And to come back to Dan Brown's book, it can have the benefit of prompting us to look freshly at what we may have been taking for granted! :wink:

[xpgeek]

I, was raised a Catholic by my Irish Catholic mother, but then when I was about 15 I got really into history and world affairs and just learned a whole lota things and went I think I believe in God but damn this church is so full of it. I consider myself an Agnostic now officially, I think there probly is a God, but I am very certain everything the major religions say about him is wrong. I can't imagine him being very happy about, people fighting over differing opinions about him, is a nice way to put it, I used to get myself in trouble for saying it another way, I used to say, thou shall not kill, someone rubbed the rest of the sentence off it I think, cause I think it either used to or should say too 'unless its another religion, then slaughter them all'.

[FisionChips]

And to come back to Dan Brown's book, it can have the benefit of prompting us to look freshly at what we may have been taking for granted!

I really recommend reading Holy Blood, Holy Grail first. It is much less a work of fiction than the Da Vinci Code and does much better for not having a whodunnit plot involving the mystery surrounding the murder of an elderly curator.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0099682419/qid=1148543245/sr=8-1/ref=sr_8_xs_ap_i1_xgl/026-6802637-7062811#product-details

[Uguel]

thanx FisionChips, I'll have a look! :wink: