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Word on 'Da Vinci Code' ? Not good.

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Old 05-22-06, 02:17 PM
  #201  
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Originally Posted by Peep
Why didn't you just ask them? I spent a while talking about the movie with my friends after we saw it. Most of us, including myself, hadn't read the book and none of us were confused by the story.
A valid question. But me and my friends that I saw it with (a married couple) only have the time to discuss as we walk to our cars. As soon as it ended my friend asked me if it was like the book and I think I said something like, "Not really."

I don't agree with people who say that the movie followed the book quite closely. Maybe in vague terms it did, and in general it did....but a lot of IMPORTANT elements were left out. In addition to some things already mentioned by other posters, the beginning and ending are different from the book as well.

Spoiler:
Somebody has already mentioned earlier that in the book, Langdon learns of Sauniere's murder from Collet when Collet goes to Langdon's hotel room. Langdon has already been asleep for a couple hours after his lecture. In the movie, Langdon goes from his lecture to a book signing--where Collet collects Langdon for a ride to the Louvre. So why the fuck does Fache think Langdon did it? Besides the fact that Bishop Aringarosa told him (which again, is a departure from the book). Langdon has a fucking alibi..."I was at a fucking lecture attended by a thousand people and I've been at this book signing ever since then. When would I have time to go to the Louvre and kill Sauniere?" In the book, because some time has passed since Langdon gave the lecture and he was awoken by Collet (and therefore doesn't have an alibi), Fache believes that it was possible Langdon could've slipped out and killed Sauniere.

There are a bunch of other key plot elements that were missing but I'm not in the mood to write them all down.

Also, and this is insignificant because it doesn't have anything to do with the plot...but when Langdon figures out where the Holy Grail is at the very end of the book, he actually goes into the Louvre where the "blood" and "chalice" meet, not outside the Louvre above the point where the two meet.


Old 05-22-06, 02:32 PM
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Originally Posted by immortal_zeus
Spoiler:
Somebody has already mentioned earlier that in the book, Langdon learns of Sauniere's murder from Collet when Collet goes to Langdon's hotel room. Langdon has already been asleep for a couple hours after his lecture. In the movie, Langdon goes from his lecture to a book signing--where Collet collects Langdon for a ride to the Louvre. So why the fuck does Fache think Langdon did it? Besides the fact that Bishop Aringarosa told him (which again, is a departure from the book). Langdon has a fucking alibi..."I was at a fucking lecture attended by a thousand people and I've been at this book signing ever since then. When would I have time to go to the Louvre and kill Sauniere?" In the book, because some time has passed since Langdon gave the lecture and he was awoken by Collet (and therefore doesn't have an alibi), Fache believes that it was possible Langdon could've slipped out and killed Sauniere.
Thar really irritated me too, especially coming as the very first scene and not mentioning the absurdity of a book-signing organized in the middle of the night. I guess it's part of the general plan to make Fache look like a stupid bad guy when he is really an astute and moral individual. They also needed Langdon to have a published book about "The Sacred Feminine" since in the novel this book is still a project, which would have needed more explanation. I guess they started changing things merrily as they went along until they realized they had totally transformed the novel and it was too late to go back. The most irritating part of the film for me is
Spoiler:
that generic old lady saying "I'm your grandmother" when it has already been established that Saunière isn't Sophie's biological grandfather, which begs the question: "Who is this woman now, her biological grandmother on her real father's or real mother's side, or else Saunière's widow, or somebody sent in from the social services agency, or what, and why should would we care? And, more importantly, should Sophie care at this point?"
It's a bit like Darth Vader saying: "Luke, I am your father!" and Luke answering: "Do you mean, biological, foster, adoptive or legal guardian?" It's an incredible anticlimax.

Last edited by baracine; 05-22-06 at 02:48 PM.
Old 05-22-06, 03:13 PM
  #203  
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I'm sure this has been mentioned, but I for one thought Tom Hanks was terribly miscast...

what actor springs to mind who would have played Robert Langdon better?
Old 05-22-06, 03:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Giles
I'm sure this has been mentioned, but I for one thought Tom Hanks was terribly miscast...

what actor springs to mind who would have played Robert Langdon better?
I thought the same thing, but nobody came to mind right away.
Old 05-22-06, 03:21 PM
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Easy: Clint Howard.
Old 05-22-06, 03:26 PM
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Originally Posted by immortal_zeus
Spoiler:
Somebody has already mentioned earlier that in the book, Langdon learns of Sauniere's murder from Collet when Collet goes to Langdon's hotel room. Langdon has already been asleep for a couple hours after his lecture. In the movie, Langdon goes from his lecture to a book signing--where Collet collects Langdon for a ride to the Louvre. So why the fuck does Fache think Langdon did it? Besides the fact that Bishop Aringarosa told him (which again, is a departure from the book).

Spoiler:
This is simple to explain. Fache thinks Langdon did it because he erased the last line written in blood before he invited Langdon there, just like in the book. The line that says P.S. Find Robert Langdon. Langdon himself tells Fache that if he were laying there dying and wrote a message, it would identify the killer.

And who cares if he enters the Louvre or not at the end? It was obvious in the movie what was meant
Old 05-22-06, 03:38 PM
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Originally Posted by Giles
I'm sure this has been mentioned, but I for one thought Tom Hanks was terribly miscast...

what actor springs to mind who would have played Robert Langdon better?
That actor is mentioned on page 9 of the book. Langdon is embarrassed by an article quoted by his female fans, which describes him as "Harrison Ford in Harris Tweed". It's not every day the author of a best-seller goes out of his way to name the actor who should portray his hero in the film version. That line didn't make it in the film, not surprisingly...
Old 05-22-06, 03:42 PM
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Originally Posted by kcbrett5
Spoiler:
This is simple to explain. Fache thinks Langdon did it because he erased the last line written in blood before he invited Langdon there, just like in the book. The line that says P.S. Find Robert Langdon. Langdon himself tells Fache that if he were laying there dying and wrote a message, it would identify the killer.

And who cares if he enters the Louvre or not at the end? It was obvious in the movie what was meant
That part of the explanation doesn't make sense anymore if Langdon's actions have been public knowledge all night, i.e. the lecture and the book signing.
Old 05-22-06, 03:47 PM
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Originally Posted by Giles
what actor springs to mind who would have played Robert Langdon better?
Russel Crowe.
Old 05-22-06, 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted by Josh Hinkle
Russel Crowe.
Is Langdon supposed to be a brooding asshole?
Old 05-22-06, 05:12 PM
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Speaking of Clint Howard, where was he?

Methinks he would've been perfect as one of the Inquisitors in one of Langdon's flashback stories.
Old 05-22-06, 05:27 PM
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Lecture in the morning, book singing at night...lots of time in between, hopefully all your minds are at rest.
Old 05-22-06, 05:30 PM
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Originally Posted by clemente
Lecture in the morning, book singing at night...lots of time in between, hopefully all your minds are at rest.
The lecture was in the evening. Did anybody else notice the signs in the Louvre pointing to the "Monna Lisa" with two "n"'s?
Old 05-22-06, 05:32 PM
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Originally Posted by Mondo Kane
Speaking of Clint Howard, where was he?

Methinks he would've been perfect as one of the Inquisitors in one of Langdon's flashback stories.

I was almost distracted through out the entire movie trying to spot him in there somewhere. I didn't see him, though.


I really enjoyed the movie and felt totally satisfied afterwards. I only wish that Silas was more menacing, as he was in my mind when I was reading the book.
Old 05-22-06, 05:34 PM
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The Da Vinci Code - 3.5/5

Not a bad film by any means - extremely well made and designed.
The 1st hour/hour and a half moves along at a frantic pace and is very exciting, (some things in the book are missing in the film, though in general the film is very close to the book) - however the concluding parts (when the action moves to London) are less compelling and the pace slows right down.
Jean Reno is very good, seeming very like Fache in the book, and I also liked Ian McKellen who can play eccentrics very well!
Paul Bettany does suprisingly well as the creepy Albino monk Silas, a fanatical member of Opus Dei. The scene where he flagilates himself is a bit nasty!
However, crucially faults lie with the main characters. Tom Hanks and Audrey Tatou (thankfully lacking Ruth Kelly haircut) aren't "bad" as such, but they look uncomfortable and lack any real chemistry with each other. Hanks was miscast IMO. I imagined Langdon as someone younger.
Even though the film is obviously fiction, it doesnt stop Hanks delivering a little speech at the end to calm down the Christian Right.
Old 05-22-06, 05:40 PM
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Originally Posted by kcbrett5
Spoiler:
This is simple to explain. Fache thinks Langdon did it because he erased the last line written in blood before he invited Langdon there, just like in the book. The line that says P.S. Find Robert Langdon. Langdon himself tells Fache that if he were laying there dying and wrote a message, it would identify the killer.


Originally Posted by baracine
That part of the explanation doesn't make sense anymore if Langdon's actions have been public knowledge all night, i.e. the lecture and the book signing.
Exactly. Like I said earlier, he's already got an alibi.
Spoiler:
It doesn't matter what Sauniere wrote. In the book, Fache thinks it's Langdon cause of the "PS Find Robert Langdon" thing AND because Langdon was supposedly in his hotel room sleeping with no alibi. If he went straight from the lecture to the book signing, he has an alibi.


Spoiler:
And who cares if he enters the Louvre or not at the end? It was obvious in the movie what was meant
Nobody cares. I don't. I stated that it was insignificant. I was just pointing out another deviation from the book.

Old 05-22-06, 06:59 PM
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Originally Posted by baracine
Did anybody else notice the signs in the Louvre pointing to the "Monna Lisa" with two "n"'s?
Ne-ver mind!

It turns out "Mona" is the old Italian abbreviation of "Madonna", which means "Mrs.", and that since the modern abbreviation of "Madonna" is "Monna", the Italian-language signs at the Louvre now point to the "Monna Lisa". (See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mona_Lisa )

Ron Howard, though, is still a clown.
Old 05-22-06, 09:43 PM
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Maybe they should have called it The McDaVinci Code...



That's Ronald ("Howard") McDonald, 7th from the left, in the clown suit.

Last edited by baracine; 05-23-06 at 09:16 AM.
Old 05-22-06, 11:42 PM
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Originally Posted by immortal_zeus
Exactly. Like I said earlier, he's already got an alibi.
Spoiler:
It doesn't matter what Sauniere wrote. In the book, Fache thinks it's Langdon cause of the "PS Find Robert Langdon" thing AND because Langdon was supposedly in his hotel room sleeping with no alibi. If he went straight from the lecture to the book signing, he has an alibi.
Spoiler:
In the movie (and the book), Langdon tells Collet that he was scheduled to meet Sauniere that night, and that Sauniere didn't show up even though he waited for him for an hour. So Langdon had to have time unaccounted for between the lecture and book signing. It's being assumed that he went from lecture to book signing, but it seems that he didn't.
Old 05-23-06, 12:33 AM
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I'm amused at the accusation of a hugely popular (airport-quality... this ain't high literature) book that got its success primarily due to midwestern America being dumbed down for midwestern America for the movie adaptation. Especially when said movie was riding the controversy bandwagon all the way to the bank.

Isn't it much more likely that the (already accused of being overly talky) movie had some parts removed or consolidated due to length, or Akiva just generally being a hack? I really can't see anybody in the chain of command for this film trying their damndest to make sure it doesn't offend anyone.
Old 05-23-06, 02:38 AM
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Hey,

Unfortunately I havent read ALL of the book yet, doh!
Paul Bettany was good, somehow less menacing than I thought he'd be.
Spoiler:
A nicely acted scene is when Sophie asks him "Did you kill my grandfather?" Also what was the scene at the end with the old lady saying to Sophie "I am your grandmother" all about? I'm 24 and my grandparents are 88 and 92.
Old 05-23-06, 02:50 AM
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Originally Posted by grim_tales
Spoiler:
Also what was the scene at the end with the old lady saying to Sophie "I am your grandmother" all about? I'm 24 and my grandparents are 88 and 92.
Spoiler:
When you finish the book you'll see. It is her grandmother. I'm 29 and my grandparents are only in their 80s, so the age difference is different for everyone.
Old 05-23-06, 07:32 AM
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Originally Posted by Mad Dawg
Spoiler:
In the movie (and the book), Langdon tells Collet that he was scheduled to meet Sauniere that night, and that Sauniere didn't show up even though he waited for him for an hour. So Langdon had to have time unaccounted for between the lecture and book signing. It's being assumed that he went from lecture to book signing, but it seems that he didn't.
Spoiler:
The murder start at 10:46 P.M. (book and film). Assuming Langdon was waiting for Saunière "for cocktails" (in another public place?) after his lecture and waited for an hour, he would have proceeded to the book-signing - which usually follows a lecture - around 11:46 P.M. and his public would have been waiting for his autograph a whole hour. The sensible thing to do, of course, would have been for Langdon to proceed with the book-signing while awaiting word from Saunière on his cellphone and that would still have placed him in the public eye all night. Long story short: None of this makes any sense at all... As Homer Simpson would say: "This story takes place in a faraway magic land of make-believe called France..."

Last edited by baracine; 05-23-06 at 08:14 AM.
Old 05-23-06, 07:38 AM
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Originally Posted by sethsez
I'm amused at the accusation of a hugely popular (airport-quality... this ain't high literature) book that got its success primarily due to midwestern America being dumbed down for midwestern America for the movie adaptation. Especially when said movie was riding the controversy bandwagon all the way to the bank.

Isn't it much more likely that the (already accused of being overly talky) movie had some parts removed or consolidated due to length, or Akiva just generally being a hack? I really can't see anybody in the chain of command for this film trying their damndest to make sure it doesn't offend anyone.
Akiva is a hack all right and I can clearly see everybody in the chain of command trying their damnedest to make sure the film doesn't offend anyone - except the poor sods who liked the book, of course (who are going to buy tickets anyway, out of curiosity). This airport-quality novel has just been downgraded to Greyhound-Bus-terminal quality...

Last edited by baracine; 05-23-06 at 08:46 AM.
Old 05-23-06, 07:56 AM
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I guess you'll be happy to hear that Akiva has been given the greenlight to start adapting Angels and Demons, then ....


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