"The Da Vinci Code" -- About the Film
Published in Entertainment News
The Da Vinci Code is a feature film based on the novel by Dan Brown, scheduled for release (in the US) on May 19, 2006, with an opening screening on 17 May at the Cannes Film Festival. It is directed by Ron Howard.
Plot
The film follows a professor of symbology, Robert Langdon, as he is called to the scene of a grisly murder in the Louvre. Along with a young French cryptographer, Langdon tries to solve the message left by the victim in order to preserve a secret, kept for thousands of years, which could revolutionise the Christian faith.
Cast
* Tom Hanks as Robert Langdon
* Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu
* Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing
* Alfred Molina as Bishop Aringarosa
* Paul Bettany as Silas
* Jean Reno as Bezu Fache
* Jürgen Prochnow as Andre Vernet
* Etienne Chicot as Lt. Jerome Collet
* Jean-Pierre Marielle as Jacques Sauniere * Hugh Mitchell as Young Silas
* Jean-Yves Berteloot as Remy Legaludec
* Seth Gabel as Michael the Cleric
Filming
The film rights were purchased from Dan Brown for US$6,000,000. Filming had been scheduled to start in May 2005; however, some delays caused filming to begin on June 30, 2005.
Permission to film on the premises was granted to the film by the Louvre, while Westminster Abbey denied the use of its premises, as did Saint-Sulpice. Lincoln Cathedral, belonging to the Church of England, however, agreed to act as a substitute for Westminster Abbey, and reportedly received 100,000 pounds in exchange for the right to film there. Filming at Lincoln Cathedral took place in August 2005. Filming also took place at Temple Church in London.
As well as shooting on location in France, London and Germany, the filmmakers shot many of the internal scenes at Pinewood Studios. The film's opening sequence was filmed in the cavernous "Albert R. Broccoli's 007 Stage" at Pinewood Studios where the interior of the famous Louvre gallery was recreated, away from the priceless paintings in the actual Louvre gallery in France.
In the film's opening sequence Robert Langdon, played by Tom Hanks, discovers a body in the Louvre gallery. David White of Altered States FX, a prosthetics and special makeup effects company which is based at London's Shepperton Studios was tasked with creating a naked photo real silicone body for the scene.
Pinewood's state-of-the-art Underwater Stage was used to film underwater sequences. The stage opened in 2005 after four years of planning and development. The water in the tank is filtrated using an ultra violet system which creates crystal clear water and a comfortable environment to work in for both cast and crew. The tank is permanently filled and the water is maintained at 22 degrees (72 degrees F).
Critical Backlash
Lead Actor Tom Hanks has publically denounced those who wish to boycott the film based on its Biblical and historical inaccuracies. While admitting to the Evening Standard that "[Those involved with the movie] always knew there would be a segment of society that would not want this movie to be shown," he adds that "the [film's] story...is loaded with all sorts of hooey and fun kind of scavenger-hunt-type nonsense." Hanks went on to diminish the critical value of Da Vinci Code bashers by saying that if "[They] are going to take any sort of movie at face value, particularly a huge-budget motion picture like this, [they'd] be making a very big mistake. While not downplaying the movie itself, Hanks stated that "all it is is dialogue," adding that dialogue "never hurts."
Marketing campaign
The film's teaser trailer was released in the summer of 2005, a full year before the film's worldwide release. It was released before a single frame of the movie had been shot. It features crevices with some hidden symbols and was later revealed as an image of Da Vinci's most famous painting, the Mona Lisa.
The court case brought against Dan Brown by Richard Leigh and Michael Baigent, the authors of the non-fiction book Holy Blood, Holy Grail has added to the film's publicity.
Trivia
* Julie Delpy and Kate Beckinsale were two of the original actresses considered for the role of Sophie.
* Since the crew was not permitted to shine light on the Mona Lisa, a replica was used to film instead. (The film crew used the Mona Lisa's chamber as a storage room.)
* The 61-year-old Roman Catholic nun Sister Mary Michael from Our Lady's Community of Peace and Mercy in Lincoln spent 12 hours praying on her knees outside Lincoln Cathedral in protest against what she sees as the blasphemous use of a holy place to film a book which she considers to contain heresy.
* Lincoln Cathedral's bell "Great Tom" which strikes the hour was silent for the first time since World War II while filming took place in the cathedral between 15 and 19 August 2005.
Ratings
BBFC: 12A Contains flagellation and other moderate violence.
Hong Kong: IIA Not Suitable for Children
MDA Singapore NC16: Mature Content
MPAA: PG-13 for Disturbing Images, Some Nudity, Thematic Material, Brief Drug References and Sexual Content.
OFLC: M for Moderate Violence, Moderate Themes
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