From the furor over The Da Vinci Code, you'd think World War III was about to erupt. Dan Brown's blockbuster - first the book, now the movie opening today - has ignited a fight among many Christians over whether it should be shunned as blasphemy or used as a starting point to win converts.
Let's take a deep breath here. This is a work of fiction. Why not treat it like other popular novels of historical fiction, such as The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel or Lincoln by Gore Vidal?
It's easy to see how The Da Vinci Code, if taken as historical fact, could be offensive. Its plot questions the foundations of Christianity. The bare-bones story, for anyone still in the dark, is that a professor of religious symbolism unravels clues to "discover" that Christianity is built on a falsehood: Jesus was not divine. He married Mary Magdalene and left descendants. This has been covered up for centuries by the Roman Catholic church and assorted men of history.
But the film is not a documentary, nor even a docudrama like The Passion of the Christ, which aroused passions of its own as churches touted its veracity. The Da Vinci Code is a pulp fiction romp, given superficial credibility by an artful splicing of history and beguiling supposition. It plays on popular fascination with conspiracies, suspicions about the Catholic Church, and the idea of explosive hidden truths that could change the world. The book has sold more than 40 million copies in 44 languages. The movie, despite tepid reviews, will reach millions more.
The Da Vinci backlash has ranged from a Vatican cardinal and several religious groups urging a ban or boycott, to Thailand banning it then relenting with a notice to audiences that it is fiction.
The bans and boycotts overlook what can be gained from engaging works of historical fiction. Like an adult version of the Harry Potter books that have gotten kids to read (if only fleetingly), The Da Vinci Code has provoked passionate debate on the origins of Christianity, Renaissance art and architecture, and the meaning of the Holy Grail. Tours are booming to places in France, England and Scotland described in the book.
Trying to force beliefs on others is counterproductive. The only reasonable approach is dialogue and openness. In fact, many churches are taking just that path, through study groups, marketing campaigns and sermons picking apart the historical and theological claims. And while some Da Vinci places - notably the St. Sulpice church in Paris and Westminster Abbey - have disavowed any association, others, such as the Louvre, have embraced it because it brings people, no matter how they get there, into contact with great works of art.
The Da Vinci Code is entertainment, not theology. If it arouses intellectual curiosity, so much the better. As author Brown has suggested, if Christianity has withstood heretical ideas and fierce attacks through the centuries, it needn't have to worry about a thriller writer from New Hampshire.
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Is anyone not offended by this movie??? For those that read the book...we all know Silas was an albino with red eyes....
Now they wanted that changed as well? Its bad enough they had a red headed character played by a brunette (I wont even mention my Tom Hanks argument)...but now this??? They fought Ron Howard to use a real albino...and they wanted even more changed.... (see highlight).
Albinos Condemn 'Da Vinci' Assassin
May 16 3:56 PM US/Eastern
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By DAVID GERMAIN
AP Movie Writer
LOS ANGELES
The notion of Christ as a family man is not the only raw nerve "The Da Vinci Code" has touched. Albinos are bothered that one of their own has yet again been depicted as a villain.
Dan Brown's best seller begins its worldwide debut Wednesday with Tom Hanks as the cryptologist pursuing a 2,000-year-old mystery that could reveal Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married and that the Vatican covered it up.
Among his co-stars is Paul Bettany, the British actor playing monk- assassin Silas, an albino with red eyes who carries out a series of bloody murders to secure the secret of the Holy Grail, a trove of lost Christian documents that could prove Jesus had wed.
Critics cite a long list of albinos cast as heavies by Hollywood: The dreadlocked twins in "The Matrix Reloaded," a powder-haired hit man in the Chevy Chase-Goldie Hawn crime romp "Foul Play," the pasty zombies in "The Omega Man," a sadistic killer in "Cold Mountain," even the wicked executioner in the fairy-tale comedy "The Princess Bride."
Michael McGowan, an albino who heads the National Organization for Albinism and Hypopigmentation, said "The Da Vinci Code" will be the 68th movie since 1960 to feature an evil albino.
"Silas is just the latest in a long string," McGowan said. "The problem is there has been no balance. There are no realistic, sympathetic or heroic characters with albinism that you can find in movies or popular culture."
People with albinism have little or no pigmentation in their skin, eyes and hair.
McGowan said his group asked "Da Vinci Code" director Ron Howard's production outfit, Imagine Entertainment, not to bleach Silas' hair or make his eyes red, but "that fell on deaf ears."
When offered the role, Bettany initially thought mainly of the makeup challenge, saying past attempts to lighten non-albino actors' pigmentation had not looked realistic.
Bettany said he looked at Silas not as an evil albino but as a man damaged by his harsh upbringing. In the book, Silas was an abused child who wound up on the streets, was scorned as an outcast, turned to violence and landed in prison.
"I thought, this man's a psychopath, and he's not a psychopath because he's an albino," Bettany said. "He's an amalgamation of everything that sort of happened to him in his life. How his father treated him and the things he saw his father do to his mother, and he happens to be preternaturally gifted at hurting people. ...
"I think it's no more a comment on albinos than it is on monks, and no more a comment on monks than it is on people who wear sandals," Bettany said.
Many readers found Silas a tragic character despite his misdeeds, viewing him more as a lost sheep than a villain.
McGowan said his group plans no boycotts or picketing. Instead, the group aims to use the movie's popularity to raise awareness about the realities of albinism. He said he enjoyed most of the book and plans to see the movie.
"We understand that millions read it and when they go to the movie, they're going to want to see the albino monk-assassin," McGowan said. "It's the cumulative effect of having one evil albino character after another that was disturbing to me."
This whole PC business is getting ridiculous. People need to have an open mind and a sense of humor. It's like we can't say anything, do anything, read anything, portray anything without pissing SOMEONE off. Whatever happened to the good ol' days when no one was offended. pretty soon we aren't gonna be able to make pollack jokes because they'll protest. Blonds are gonna unite and say they don't like being portrayed as dumb.
don't we always make russians and middle easterns portray terrorists in movies? are they gonna cry? are we gonna have to start portraying terrorists as canadians... doesn't really make for a good story now DOES IT!
They fought Ron Howard to use a real albino...and they wanted even more changed.... (see highlight). 