[Da Vinci Code] Film officials have held talks with Catholic groups and other organisations despite Dan Brown, the author, insisting that “it's only a novel and therefore a work of fiction”, The New York Times reported yesterday.
The Catholic League is calling for Ron Howard, the film's Oscar-winning director, to include a disclaimer acknowledging that the movie is fiction.
The Da Vinci Code, which is being filmed this summer with locations including Winchester Cathedral and Rosslyn Chapel, near Edinburgh, is based on a novel that has sold 25 million copies worldwide. Among its more controversial claims is that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, a former prostitute, and that she bore him a child. This has been denounced as virulently anti-Catholic and a risible hoax.
Opus Dei, the Catholic organisation, is particularly concerned about its own depiction, because it is a central villain in the book. Its members are depicted acting unethically for the sake of God, the Church or Opus Dei, whereas the organisation is a Roman Catholic institution that adheres to Catholic doctrine and condemns immoral behaviour.
We don't follow the controversy closely, but who is this Dan Brown guy? He's emphasizing that the book is a work of fiction? We could be wrong, but we thought he maintained a demure disposition that the book is based on facts. If we recall correctly (we flipped through the book, but never read it), the introduction of the book was entitled, "Facts." He's now distancing himself from that?
Typically, we think publicity creates more film sales, hence Catholics could hurt themselves by protesting. But in this case, the book has gotten a ton of publicity and Catholics' decision to "take the high road" for the first two years of its publication just added fuel to the idea that the book is somehow legitimate as a work of historical fiction.
We say, "Swing away, Merrill."
