About a year ago my mother in law bought me a copy of the DaVinci Code by Dan Brown. DaVinci Code was one of those books that hit you with a big display the second you walked into Borders or Barnes and Noble and a nonreading guy like me thought "That looks boring." But, since I was reading it for free I gave it a try and found I liked it. The book excelled at creating it's own world of secret societies, alternate histories and little logic puzzles. I don't pretend to be a scholar of anything legitimately academic so I can't argue for or against what the book claims, but I found it a fun read just the same. It successfully created excitement, tension and mystery. And since I'm not religious, the Church bashing built into the storyline didn't bother me.
Well, the book was such a hit with readers that Hollywood decided to make a Ron Howard movie out of it. Ron Howard, a respected director that makes humanistic, middle of the road, positive message films (Apollo 13!) tackling a book that suggests Jesus was a man and not the Son of God sounded interesting. Tom Hanks, a guy who wins Best Actor Oscars like most people breathe air, was chosen as the lead actor. Audrey Tautou, the French impish ingenue of Amelie (2002) came aboard as the female lead. This movie had so much pedigree. So much potential. So much controversy. So boring.
The movie sucks the life out of the novel revealing all the weak points of the book. Naturally, a book that delves as much into History with a capital H cannot have everything make it to the screen. With a book like this, the script is automatically regulated to becoming Cliff Notes to what was originally written. But, without the pseudo-intellectual hoo hah, what's left is a pretty standard chase thriller with sketchy characters forever rambling expository dialogue. At least Ian MacKellen (Magneto!) looked like he was having fun hamming it up as a disabled historian.
To compound the problem, Howard downplays most of the interesting parts. All of the "shocking" bits of self mutilation, Eyes Wide Shut (2001) style sex societies and religous conspiracy take a backseat to Tom Hanks jet black hair helmet. Hanks uses his Oscar validated talent to give a hollow Harrison Ford impersonation. All the Ford hallmarks (the mind racing pauses, finger pointing, the uptight yet shambolic stride) show up. Since Dan Brown allegedly based the lead character on Ford, I guess that shouldn't be surprising. I just haven't seen an actor slavishly imitate another so vividly since Travolta and Cage went at it in Face Off (1998).
DaVinci Code-the movie is the equivalent of being stuck in an elevator with an insane conspiracy theorist. The guy who's like "You think you know history, but I KNOW HISTORY and if you knew what I knew the World would be Anarchy my friend." Like meeting Dennis Hopper if he was like the characters in all those movies he's in.
The DaVinci Code did do one thing for me, it reminded me that there are many different points of view to History and that it doesn't have to be accepted at face value. Even what DaVinci Code claims shouldn't be taken that way, it's not like Leonardo DaVinci was actually at the Last Supper he painted it out of his imagination. So I learned something. And now I know. And knowing is half the battle!
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