Behind the Hype an Ordinary Movie

Film: The Da Vinci Code
Cast: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany
Director: Ron Howard

If one were to take a poll on what drives people forward, the front-runners may be money, religion and sex. The dark horse will be conspiracy theories. Don’t we love believing that we don’t know many a thing because someone somewhere is covering it up?

Dan Brown rode on his imagination and the so-called "biggest cover-up of all time" to make The Da Vinci Code one of popular publishing’s major milestones. When Tom Hanks and Ron Howard signed on, the silver screen version became the most awaited film of 2006. Then the Hollywood hype factory took over. The Catholic Church was in no mood to give any more publicity to the book or the film by asking for an outright ban. But many of its followers worldwide were not so smart. The controversy raged, the publicity got wider and the studio bigwigs rubbed their green hands in glee.

Here’s a cryptic summary. Robert Langdon (Hanks), a Harvard professor of Symbology is asked to help solve the strange clues found at a murder scene. Police officer Sophie (Tautou) warns him of a bigger conspiracy. The two hit the road, solving one crazy puzzle after other. Side players include the Catholic Church, the ancient organisation Priory of Sion, the secretive Opus Dei, the Holy Grail, the mortality of Jesus Christ, and, towering over them all, the genius of Leonardo da Vinci.

Tom Hanks looks and acts bored. Reluctant auditioner Audrey Tautou is still not convinced that she should be Sophie. The talent of Jean Reno and the looks of Paul Bettany are wasted. Ian McKellen is delightful, thank God for small mercies.
Ron Howard has tried to keep close to the book while keeping the cinematic needs in mind. Hans Zimmer’s music is apt.

At its Cannes premiere, the film was greeted with derisive hoots and catcalls. There were catcalls and whistles when I saw it on Friday, too. But these were more confused than derisive. Many people felt they were being part of some kind of cinematic history. The Da Vinci Code is nothing of the sort. It is just a Hollywood summer movie, a murder mystery. But the hint of conspiracy and the overpowering hype just makes people more curious. In a couple of weeks the hysteria would have died out. But, by then, the studio would have made enough money to make Angels and Demons. And they will take our money again. How is that for a conspiracy theory?