|
By novel’s end, Brown’s millions of readers may echo the words of one of the characters, editor Jonas Faukman, who asks, “But with all these books written about it, why isn’t this theory more widely known?”
(page 164) To which the main character, Robert Langdon, admits, “These books can’t possibly compete with
centuries of established history, especially when that history is endorsed by the ultimate bestseller of all time…the Bible.”
For all who love the Christ and trust his Word, believing the martyred apostles who were “eyewitnesses of his majesty”
(2 Peter 1:16), a novel like
The Da Vinci Code gives us an opportunity to examine the facts and present the truth in love. No story is greater than the one contained in Scripture, the true story of the Son of God who died for our sins, then rose that we might have eternal life.
Two thousand years ago Mary Magdalene—neither prostitute nor goddess, neither wife of Jesus nor his equal—witnessed his mighty resurrection and heeded the command of Jesus to “go…and tell”
(John 20:17). And so she did: “I have
seen the Lord!” (John 20:18). May we follow in her footsteps, seeing the Christ with new eyes, then declaring his glorious truth to a world longing for answers.
What
about the movie, The Da Vinci Code?
As
a film, I found The Da Vinci Code less than engaging. Even a
director as talented as Ron Howard and an actor as gifted as Tom Hanks
aren’t able to make us care about the characters or their quest for the
Holy Grail.
The
dialogue is wooden, even amusing at times; in a pivotal scene, Hanks as
academician Robert Langdon exclaims, “I have to get to a library
fast!” The conspiracy plot is true to the novel, which is to say, sadly
convoluted. My scribbled notes are filled with words like “hokey” and
“corny” and “silly”—but to be fair, I felt the same way about
the scavenger-hunt movie, National Treasure.
Tom
Hanks seems uncomfortable in his role, while Ian McKellen as the
shapeshifting Sir Leigh Teabing enjoys himself, and Paul Bettany as the
misguided monk, Silas, makes us cringe; his scenes of self-mortification
are very difficult to watch.
Having
been to Paris, London, and Rosslyn Chapel in Scotland, I was ready to be
transported to those places via film, but was instead dropped into each
location without much scene-setting. The lighting is murky throughout,
nighttime scenes abound, and choppy editing makes some of the action
sequences hard to follow. Subtitles are needed to translate frequent uses
of both French and Latin dialogue, an approach which diminishes rather
than heightens the drama. Flashbacks are intentionally grainy and hence
hard to follow.
As
is often the case, many aspects of the novel do not move to the screen
successfully. Russell Crowe deciphering an intricate code in A
Beautiful Mind made for fascinating cinema, with certain words
illuminated as if by magic; when the same screenwriter, Akiva Goldsman,
has cryptologist Tom Hanks handling anagrams like child’s play while
crouching near a murdered museum curator, the result is less effective.
For those who haven’t read the book, the film version includes a host of
look-alike characters and cryptic explanations; no wonder Tom Hanks often
appears confused.
French
actress Audrey Tautou as Sophie Neveu also furrows her brow on many an
occasion, even as she offers disparaging comments about religion. On
entering a church, she asks, “Why do they make them so scary?” And she
tells Silas, “Your God doesn’t forgive murderers. He burns them.”
Odd that she would be so negative on issues of faith, only to be
identified later as the descendent of Jesus and Mary Magdalene.
On
the positive side, Hans Zimmer provided a solid, atmospheric soundtrack.
And some of the spurious claims in the novel do not, I’m relieved to
report, appear in the film. Perhaps moviegoers will be prompted to turn to
their history books, seeking the truth about Constantine and the Nicene
Council, or search through a Bible for some mention of Christ’s alleged
marriage to Mary M. and instead discover the truth about Jesus.
Unlike
in the novel, Langdon remains skeptical about the notion of Mary Magdalene
as the Holy Grail through most of the film, falling to his knees at the
supposed burial place of Mary M. only in the closing frames. He tells
Sophie of a time in his childhood when he was trapped at the bottom of a
well and “prayed to Jesus to keep me alive,” confessing that perhaps
he was not alone in that well. But when Langdon says of Jesus’ nature,
“Why does it have to be human or divine?” and concludes, “Maybe
human is divine,” my heart sank. Jesus is both Son of God and
Son of Man (Matthew 26:63-64). And though we are made in God’s image
(Genesis 1:27), we are not divine creatures.
Sir
Teabing makes the most inflammatory statements in the film. “As long as
there has been one true God, there has been killing in his name,” he
proclaims, clearly stating his plan to “drive this church of lies to its
knees” so “mankind can be set free,” directly contradicting the
promise of Scripture, “It is for freedom that Christ has set us free”
(Galatians 5:1).
What
to do with The Da Vinci Code? Let the following questions the movie
raises serve as discussion points and be prepared to offer grace-filled,
biblical answers, “speaking the truth in love” (Ephesians 4:15). The
entertainment value of a movie matters little; the spiritual worth of an
individual matters greatly.
Robert
Langdon: “How do we find original truth?”
The
fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom; all who follow his precepts
have good understanding. Psalm 111:10
Teach
me your way, O Lord, and I
will walk in your truth; give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your
name. Psalms 86:11
Sir
Leigh Teabing: “What is the source of God’s power on earth?”
Yours,
O Lord, is the greatness and
the power and the glory and the majesty and the splendor, for everything
in heaven and earth is yours. Yours, O Lord,
is the kingdom; you are exalted as head over all. 1
Chronicles 29:11
But
you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be
my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends
of the earth. Acts 1:8
Sister
Sandrine: “Jesus had but one true message.”
You
know the message God sent to the people of Israel, telling the good news
of peace through Jesus Christ, who is Lord of all. Acts 10:36
Jesus
answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the
Father except through me.” John 14:6
Robert
Langdon: “What matters is what you believe.”
Jesus
said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. He who believes in me
will live, even though he dies; and whoever lives and believes in me will
never die. Do you believe this?" John 11:25-26
For
it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with
your mouth that you confess and are saved. Romans
10:10
May
God, the source of all truth, fill you with his Holy Spirit, so that you
may believe and proclaim the message of Christ, rejoicing when others
respond to his Good News!
© Copyright 2004, 2006 Liz Curtis Higgs
|
