Sprinkling Holy Water on 'The Da Vinci Code'

New York Times ^ | August 7, 2005 | SHARON WAXMAN

[Mrs. Don-o]

But "Da Vinci," set for release in May, is shaping up as one of the movie world's more complicated exercises - so much so that Sony has dropped a scrim of secrecy over the affair, refusing to discuss anything but the barest details. The script has been closely controlled. Outsiders have been banned from the set. And those associated with the film have had to sign confidentiality agreements.

...their silence is a measure of concern about the potentially incendiary nature of the subject matter. The book, which is fiction, takes aim at central Christian dogma, claiming that Jesus had a child with Mary Magdalene, who was meant to be his true heir. It alleges an enormous coverup by the Roman Catholic Church, which, according to the book, usurped Mary's place in favor of a male-oriented hierarchy that has suppressed what Mr. Brown calls the "sacred feminine."

...Studio officials have consulted with Catholic and other Christian specialists on how they might alter the plot of the novel to avoid offending the devout..

"We came up with three things," Ms. Nicolosi said: the more ambiguous approach to the central premise, the removal of Opus Dei and amending errors in the book's description of religious elements in art....

[T]here are signs that the studio has not ruled out attracting religious moviegoers, including those who made an international sensation last year of Mel Gibson's film, "The Passion of the Christ."

"The phrase I heard used several times was 'Passion dollars'; they want to try to get 'The Passion' dollars if they can," said Ms. Nicolosi, referring to her conversations about the film. "They're wrong," she added. "It's sacrilegious, irreligious. They're thinking they can ride the 'Passion' wave with this.

And I said, 'Are you kidding me?' "

[danneskjold]

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