The Da Vinci Code

[Joesitz (RIP)]

Has anyone read it? I started it yesterday and I'm now halfway through. That's fast for me. It's a page turner! Anyway, don't tell me the ending. I'll finish it tonight or tomorrow.

Joe

 

[show 42]

Wow Joe, I think half the country has read it. It is a page turner for sure. When you finish that, read Brown's "Angels and Demons" and "Deception Point".......42

 

[BridgetJ]

On the same subject, I've enjoyed these books:

by Richard Abanes

The Truth Behind the Da Vinci Code

or this by Hank Hanegraaff & Paul L. Maier

The Da Vinci code: Fact or Fiction

Obviously, I'm not saying that anyone here is taking Brown's book as factual history (it says "fiction" on the book afterall), but for anyone who wants to know the truth behind it, these are a great start!

 

[heyang]

Did you know they are making it into a movie? Ron Howard is directing. Tom Hanks plays Robert Langdon and the girl who stars in Amelie plays Sophie.

The Catholic Church didnt' denounce the book until after the announcement of it being made into a movie, which was after the book had been on the best seller list for well over a year.

I enjoyed reading this book so much, especially since I had no idea what it was about. Angels and Demons is even more 'timely' since it involves the death of the Pope. Dan Brown is working on the 3rd in the Robert Langdon series - it's supposed to be about the Masons and is set in Washington DC. I've heard that there are already Da Vinci Code tours in Paris and Angels & Demon tours in Rome.

I went to a Barnes & Noble discussion group about this book. The consensus by the experts it that it is a great read and is welcome in that it opens discussion. However, they did warn that some of the detail is not precise and that the storyline is based upon the thesis published as Holy Blood, Holy Grail, which is not considered good research. The authors of the thesis set about to prove their theory, but made no real effort to disprove it, too.

As a non-Catholic, I don't get the brouhaha. It's just another possible truth.

Hope I didn't ruin anything for you Joe.

BTW, his other 2 books (Digital Fortress and Deception Point) aren't as good as the Robert Langdon books - IMHO. I did enjoy them, but not as much.

 

[show 42]

Heyang, I've already finished "Deception Point" and am halfway through "Digital Fortress".........I think what I miss the most about these two books is Robert Langdon, but they are still good reads. I am a little concerned about casting Tom Hanks. I like his acting, but I am wondering if he's a good fit for this type of character. Only time will tell, I guess.......42

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

A little trivia. I live in a building designed by I.M.Pei who is mentioned in his description of Paris (The Pyramid). I also live close to the Opus Dei building. It sits on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 34th Street (next to Yeshiva University). It's in the very quiet neighborhood of Murray Hill. The building is fairly tall but extremely plain and no hint of anything religious about it. I tried to enter it one day and was stopped by a guard. Very mysterious this Opus Dei.

If the headquarters figures in the story (I haven't finished reading it yet) I just might see Tom Hanks. I don't think it will make a good movie. The author is a very descriptive writer and as you read you picture the characters in your own mind. I don't see Hanks as Langdon. I could see Pitt as Langdon and Jolie as Sophie.
What a block buster that would make.

Joe

 

[Sara7000]

I've read both the Da Vinci Code and Angels and Demons and I loved both of them! I´m not sure about the casting for the movie either, but as a Swede I'm proud to say that they´re considering Peter Stormare as Silas, I don´t know if he´s doing it though.

 

[Dee4707]

I am currently reading Angels and Demons and Joe, I know what you mean about it's a fast read. I only read before I go to sleep and I am 1/2 through the book in just a few nights. I am really enjoying the story.

I have not read the Da Vinci Code but they did a good story about it on MSNBC.

Dee

 

[Skate Sandee]

Sir Ian McKellen was just cast in the movie as Leigh Teabing.

 

[brad640]

A little trivia. I live in a building designed by I.M.Pei who is mentioned in his description of Paris (The Pyramid). I also live close to the Opus Dei building. It sits on the corner of Lexington Avenue and 34th Street (next to Yeshiva University). It's in the very quiet neighborhood of Murray Hill. The building is fairly tall but extremely plain and no hint of anything religious about it. I tried to enter it one day and was stopped by a guard. Very mysterious this Opus Dei.

Oh! Be careful, Joe. You don't want to end up on Opus Dei's hit list. I love I.M. Pei's designs, especially the National Gallery in D.C. I like the pyramid in the Louvre courtyard, but the upside down one on the way to the subway was like something you would see at any mall.

I thought Harrison Ford would have been great in the lead role, and I'm glad they cast Audrey Tautou. She was great in Dirty Pretty Things as a woman of ambiguous motives and she is gorgeous.

I don't understand why some feel the need to analyze the book as if it was factual. There have been many other fictional works dealing with religious themes that were enjoyed for their entertainment value. Like with Raiders of the Lost Ark, no one did an expose to point out that Nazis never really found the Ark of the Covenant.

 

[RealtorGal]

I read "The Da Vinci Code" in one day! I could not put it down! I enjoyed "Angels and Demons" but it was nowhere near as good and I dragged out reading it. It just wasn't a page turner for me.

Banning a book in this day and age is obscene.

 

[missBella]

wow, Joe!

I just borrowed this book from the library yesterday and I thought that I must be one of the few people who haven't read it yet... and then I saw your thread. creepy...
Can't wait to start reading it.

 

[heyang]

Brad640, My 1st choice for Langdon was a young Harrison Ford, too. Ford's the quintessinal hapless Professor. Tom Hanks is a wonderful actor, but I can't see him in a 'superhero' role.


One of the panelists said that DaVinci Code is a fast read because of the length of the chapters, too. You look and see it's only a few pages; so, you decide to read just one more - then the next one is only a few more; so, you keep on reading just a few more.

I can't wait for the 3rd Langdon book.

 

[show 42]

Good observation, heyang..........all of Dan Brown's books have short chapters, so they're all "fast reads", I guess. 42

 

[RealtorGal]

I think Tom Hanks is a wonderful choice. Robert Langdon isn't supposed to be your James Bond type of hero; he's supposed to be a regular guy caught up in a situation that turns him into a hero by circumstance only.

 

[Joesitz (RIP)]

I can't wait for the 3rd Langdon book.

At this rate of Langdon stories, I can see one of the Networks working like mad to make a TV serial out of this. I can see their staff writers trying to copy the Dan Brown style.

Joe

 

[heyang]

Did anyone see National Treasure starring Nicolas Cage? Based upon the commercials, it seemed to be based on the symbology of US currency - similar to all of the symbolism used in the Dan Brown books.

 

[nicole_l]

I loved National Treasure! My only complaint was that it ran a little long.

 

[show 42]

I too loved "National Treasure" and just bought the DVD......it has an alternate ending and some deleted scenes that are an added bonus. The DVD also came with a paperback book about the symbols on the American dollar bill.....just started reading it.........42

 

[heyang]

Here's a link to the movie trailer

http://www.apple.com/trailers/sony_pictures/da_vinci_code/large.html

Also, the producers got permission to film in le Louvre. That's a big deal because the lights can cause damage to the works of art.