DVD Talk has put out a review of the extra features found in the upcoming DVD release of The Da Vinci Code.  Tellingly, the reviewer notes that "none delve too deeply into their subject matter, such as the 'Discussion with Dan Brown' which could have looked closely at the differences between the novel and the film but instead charts the success of the book and how Dan is handling his new found fame."  Hmm. It sounds a bit self-serving.

Other features are discussed, most dealing with the making of the movie within a technical frame work ("How does one shoot a major motion picture in historic places" and such, which is probably an interesting discussion.) However, conspicuously absent from the review is any mention of the expert or authority on history or documents that can lend credence to the underlying theme for the story.  Note this point: "One featurette that offers very little is the 'Close-up on Mona Lisa', in which the cast and crew simply offer their thoughts on Leonardo's famous painting and how wonderful it was be in the Louvre with it all alone."   So, there are no art historians brought in to discuss the Mona Lisa, but we do get t o hear the cast's experiences and thoughts about the painting. 

This all seems kind of fluffy, especially when you consider that Canadian scientists have just finished an infra red and a three dimensional scan of the Mona Lisa.  You can see this for yourself on CNN's Web site.  Among the things they found were that the Mona Lisa wore a hair net (in accordance with her higher economic class) and that she had just recently had a baby.

My point is this, the Da Vinci folks and Dan Brown in particular really had an opportunity to answer some of their critics, but instead chose to talk about themselves and their views on the movie, the Mona Lisa and everything else.  It's a very post-modern approach - viewing great works of art only from the perspective of "how did it make you feel?"   It may be that the director's voice over of the movie speaks directly to the codes.  We'll see, but I don't expect to hear any historians on that narration. 

Lenny Esposito

As audiences and fans of Ron Howard's film version of The Da Vinci Code to be released on November 14 here in the U.S., European fans will get to cut to the head of the line. The movie will be released October 16 across most of Europe, giving the Old World a month's lead on Americans. GMTV, the U.K.'s most popular morning television show, is jumping on the promotions bandwagon by offering a trip to Paris contest.

I'm sure that Sony Pictures will be playing all the angles on this one, hoping to generate some more news and controversy in Europe prior to the U.S. release. Stay tuned.

Lenny Esposito

It was reported in the Times of Zambia that Dan Brown has chosen to partner with the defrocked Zambian Archbishop Emmanuel Milingo, who was recently excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, about an upcoming novel dealing with exorcism. Milingo, who has previously been described as a "loose cannon" by fellow Catholic clergymen, has had a history of questionable behavior.

Milingo was first ordained as an archbishop at the age of 39, which made him one of the youngest archbishops to hold the post in modern times. However, he began performing faith healing services throughout Europe and on Italian television, drawing on indigenous African rituals. Milingo also performed mass exorcisms.

In 2001, Milingo was married to a South Korean woman by, Rev Sun Myung Moon, the founder of the Unification Church, or "Moonies" as they have sometimes been called. Milingo's official Web page is still operated by the Unification church.

Now, why do I draw attention to all this? Simply because it demonstrates the depth of Dan Brown's "research" into religious topics. Whatever your position on Milingo and his trials with the Catholic Church, it should be painfully obvious that he would not be the first place you would turn to find unbiased and accurate information on things like exorcism and Roman Catholicism. There are obviously many other academic sources, both pro-Catholic and anti-Catholic, who could provide Brown with a better picture of the theological underpinnings of exorcism. However, he chose a sensationalistic self-promoter like Milingo.

On one hand, I get that Brown is striving for controversy to sell his stories and sensationalistic tales will be easier to write. But, as more people buy into Brown's "facts" about religion and the Da Vinci Code, we must remember how deep his sources really are.

Lenny Esposito