|
Paris, 17th May 2006 (CNA) - “The
Da Vinci Code: A film which, finally, the Church has little to be concerned
about.” These are the words from Signis, the Catholic communication association,
after viewing the much announced movie yesterday.
As the movie was presented
yesterday at the opening of the Cannes Movie Festival, in France, many
Christians from different backgrounds and sensibilities were anxious about the
release of the film of The Da Vinci Code, directed by Ron Howard.
The Catholic association
described the film as “simply a popular entertainment. While the early scenes
set us on an exciting treasure hunt, the wordiness of the drawn out twists of
the later part of the film will disappoint many cinemagoers.”
“The film wants rather to please
everyone and not upset them too much. The writers have added quite a number of
dialogue exchanges which downplay the more controversial statements of the novel
about the Church, the divinity of Jesus, the role of Mary Magdalene and even
Opus Dei.
Signis wished that “the Church
can benefit from this phenomenon in explaining the theological foundations of
faith and the hopes of all Christians.”
Signis is a non-governmental
organization that includes members from 140 countries. As the "World Catholic
Association for Communication", it brings together radio, television, cinema,
video, media education, Internet, and new technology professionals.
The association usually through
an ecumenical jury, is one of only three Juries, along with the Official Jury
and the Jury of the Film Press (Fipresci), entitled to give awards and
commendations in the official competition.
The Ecumenical Jury has a
particular perspective on the films. It honors works of artistic quality which
witnesses to the power of film to reveal the mysterious depths of human beings
through what concerns them, their hurts and failings as well as their hopes. |
