Customer Reviews

The Da Vinci Code Illustrated Screenplay: Behind the Scenes of the Major Motion Picture

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I picked this book up because I was curious about how some of the dialog evolved from the novel to the movie.

I got those answers, and more: from reading the forewards, script notes, and seeing 100's of pictures from the set, this book helped me understand the filmmakers' worldview and artistic vision as they advanced the story beyond Dan Brown's printed pages.

I also really liked that this screenplay edition included lots of storyboards and behind-the-scenes depictions of the intricately constructed sets and props.

But unless you're really into the genre, you could probably get as much from thumbing through a borrowed copy in a half-hour as you would from buying and reading this book page-for-page.

Da Vinci Code aficionados and movie buffs will find a must-have with this lavishly illustrated volume commemorating the making of the film. First off, it's a generous size, 8 ½ by 10 ½" so the 275 images are quite compelling.

It's also interesting to note in Dan Brown's foreword how an author might feel about having his or her book made into a movie: "...a bit like sending a child off to boarding school in a foreign land. You know your child will be changed by the experience, and all you can do is hope you recognize her upon her return."

Needless to say he was quite pleased and considered watching the filming quite an adventure, as will those who peruse this book.

The cast as the world now knows is remarkable, and for this viewer could not have been better chosen. Why all the press discussion of Tom Hanks' hair when there is so much more to explore is quite beyond me. He is, of course, a fine actor and in excellent company with Ian McKellan and Alfred Molina.

Storyboards included in the text are especially revealing as readers are allowed to see how many of the scenes were visualized, in addition there are the wonderful shots of filming of and at the Louvre. All who have spent time in that museum will be delighted to pay a return visit to it via Pinewood Studios where the production designer built a 400 foot section of the Grand Gallery.

There's so much to be discovered in this volume - how a script is presented when lines are spoken in four different languages or that a 12 line car chase resulted in numerous filming days or how Newton's tomb was fully recreated.

If Brown's novel and the movie are on your A-List, you'll love this book!

- Gail Cooke

Just when you thought you had endured all the hype and universally conflicted opinion about Dan Brown, his controversial book, and the so-so movie version of 'The Da Vinci Code', up pops yet another souvenir of the secret codex. This time we are given the screenplay adaptation by Akiva Goldsman in its entirety (a feature that explains why so much of the novel's story was crammed into the crowded dialogue of the main characters) along with comments from Dan Brown, Director Ron Howard, and notes by Brian Grazer and John Calley.

But it seems the real purpose of publishing this book is to further hype the film, and the book is actually very handsome to peruse. Included are a generous number of photographs of not only the sets and actors, but also the digitally reconstructed venues that were verboten to the cameras. There are views of the Louvre that are breathtaking and recreated interiors of many of the cathedrals that play such a prominent role in the film. That is the enjoyable part of the book.

But to actually read the script with its stilted, chewy, linguistically lazy dialogue is an activity probably best left unread. Goldsman seems a martyr to the words of Brown and every opportunity to make the book into a movie was met with decisions that actually made the film the weaker for them.

But for those who need to have pendants, sweatshirts, caps and trinkets - like leaving Disneyland - then this is a souvenir book that is certain to satisfy. Look at the pictures and read the comments, but forget the dialogue of the clunky screenplay! Grady Harp, May 06

This is a very well put together and informative book that is not only exciting to read but opens the door to a lot of information and provides a "behind the scenes" look into many elements of the filmmaking process that people might not necessarily be aware of. As a former movie executive and now a professor in a film school, I found it a very realistic reflection of the movie business and use it in my courses.

Always have wanted to try to write a screenplay for one of my many favorite books - This book shows us that writing a screenplay is harder than it looks, getting the right information out without over-writing. The photos and storyboard are outstanding - taking you through the process of visualizing the characters and events. This is an excellent addition to all who loved the book, and now see its journey onto the big screen. A must for those interested in writing, illustrating, and pulling together cast and crew and locations of an already great story creating a great movie.

I bought it yesterday.
It is an amazing book. Really good. With some beautiful pictures and drawing in it.
If you love the movie - it is worth to buy it.

It has a foreword of Dan Brown and Ron Howard.

The author wants to fish out the contents of recent suspicions of the role and `function' manifestations of Judas.
Their observations may sound alien and dissimilar to many media discussions that have been going on in North America, and became more energetic during Easter.
I feel they brushed the whole debate aside.
The momentum given to the arguments whether there was a `conspiracy' between Jesus and Judas is the works of the media - the newspapers, radios, and the TV - based on analysis allegedly emanating from ancient Coptic manuscripts (third or fourth century) - named Gospel of Judas.
Analyzing, chemically, the ink of the manuscript remains controversial to me.
Was such action heretical?
I do not know but I believe this will lead to nowhere.
By rushing the information, which the National Geographic Society in Washington has uncovered, the media is trying to confuse our minds, like saying `there are more beautiful photographs of women than there are photographs of beautiful women'.
The American novelist James Cooper - has written, "" If the newspapers (media) are useful in overthrowing tyrants, it is only to establish a tyranny of their own"".
Cooper pronounced those words in the mid 1800's when there was abundant news but little resources of intelligence to verify.
Stunt news was then predominant.
And still is.
Anything that attracts attention, a public figure, whatever he did, is news.
Our century cannot be different from prior centuries when it comes to people trying to find proves and rationales for certain recorded actions and reactions that have taken place in previous times.
The quest for discovering new venues will never stop as long as the progress in chemistry and technology continues on such quick pace.
The point, though, is how the media is transmitting this data, and when.
For example: during the rule of the Bourbons in France, French gatherings in the royal court were very much similar to `séances' where learned individuals, for instance, persons of high ranking families (mainly ladies), tried to rationalize the spiritualistic messages delivered by the distinguished Bishops, and Cardinals who had been appointed by the Pope.
Such debates had notably been conducted in the short lull periods of peace times, when Europeans were not fighting each other and the material were printed by mass communication available during that era, but with restricted distribution.
In their space of relaxation, rich and well fed and triumphant individuals tended towards exaggeration, so they extended their conversations to philosophize subjects such as `it's impossible to believe there is a God', or those who wished to demonstrate the degree of their `learning capabilities', so to speak, talked of how sceptical they were about the existence of God but never professed true atheism.
Some agnostics were doubtful and noncommittal about the whole subject of religion and wanted to be showy about their `enormous knowledge' and their `abilities' to discover new subjects for discussion.
Some even equated such séances with Freemasonry.
Still, printed material on these meetings remained restricted.
Renowned individuals like Verdi, Brahms, Tchaicovsky, Talleyrain, and Robespierre were famous agnostics.
Interestingly, in their lives they were peculiar kind of men, of no fixed occupation, vagabonds (but many of their works, whether good or bad, will remain ageless) and in their eloquent mother language parlance, they pretended to have acquired the luxury of `discovering' better, bright and distinct ideas with a supernatural attributes to even doubt the existence of God.
And the media ran after them, propagated their views, and unearthed their personal memoirs and their mysterious and private exchange of intimated correspondence, much to the chagrin of the Church.
Nowadays, the term `Conspiracy Theory' is having the greatest ascendancy. Like agnosticism, and scepticism in the old days.
The media is treating `Conspiracy Theorists' like window-dressing articles of a new fashion, a means of improving appearance and giving artificial and false impression.
The media, to a group of conspirators, attributes any `action with a bang' to sinister design they have all performed together such as acts prohibited by law, or by means against the law.
But because human imagination is infinite, some media fat cats are going back in history to touch base with our Religion (Christianity)- and this book is not an exception and its related movie.
They are giving us the mental image of events that we always believed and perceived as real, as not anymore acceptable to the senses unless verified.
Think of it guys.
Isn't it strange that on Easter Sunday this year (2006) there have been more media talks about Judas than Christ?
As far as I am concerned, these persons are loquacious, and very forceful in their trivial discussions that one might be led to pursue their pattern of offensive and garrulous thesis, supported by deft cameras and skilful writers.
Many buy their books, which are becoming `best sellers', amid the sad division of our Church, and would agree with them on face value.

What a farce!