The Da Vinci Code
Printed From: History Community ~ All Empires
Category: Scholarly Pursuits
Forum Name: Literary Pursuits
Forum Discription: all things relating to the written word
URL: http://www.allempires.com/forum/forum_posts.asp?TID=13232
Printed Date: 17-Apr-2024 at 21:18
Software Version: Web Wiz Forums 9.56a - http://www.webwizforums.com
Topic: The Da Vinci Code
Posted By: parthenon
Subject: The Da Vinci Code
Date Posted: 09-Jul-2006 at 10:11
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Days ago, I watched the US movie The Davince Code, which left me with very deep impression. However, due to the great cultural differences between East and West, i really have many to ask. I then refered to the book ,but found it little cultural elements contained to help me understand.
I never thought that Davince's paitings could have so many misterious meanings, as to religious, I know little, as to history, i am fasinated by it.
and now i am doning more readings about western history and civillization(That film really contributes in that sense.),for the stories are long , it takes time.
Here, i just want to know, how you think about the movie, and the religious conflicts in Europe,and also the history.
------------- After all, tomorrow is another day.:) |
Replies:
Posted By: Frederick Roger
Date Posted: 09-Jul-2006 at 10:18
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Read Umberto Eco's "Foucault's Pendulum" and then we can talk. ------------- |
Posted By: mamikon
Date Posted: 09-Jul-2006 at 13:18
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The book was very intensing, the movie was beyond horrible...Godzilla vs. Mothra horrible
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Posted By: Aelfgifu
Date Posted: 09-Jul-2006 at 15:49
Indeed!
The Da Vinci Code book was crap, never read anything more unoriginal. Havent seen the movie. One can only deal with so much frustration and bad amusement.
Dan Brown did not take the trouble to invent any of his theories himself, he just copy-pasted it from others. What annoyed me most was the infantile tone of the book. I hate writers who dont resect their readers intelligence. And I thought the lead character a really irritating guy. VEry hard to enjoy a book when you dislike the hero.
Eco deals with a lot of the same themes, only on a far more intellectual level, and in spite of being quite big, it is more exiting. ------------- 
Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears. |
Posted By: edgewaters
Date Posted: 09-Jul-2006 at 17:13
| The DaVinci Code is a novel, that is, a work of fiction. |
Posted By: Akolouthos
Date Posted: 09-Jul-2006 at 18:01
Couldn't agree with you more. If I had been forced to read one more page where the one "academic authority" looked to the other "academic authority" for "professional" confirmation of something completely bogus, deeply misleading or substantially unsubstantiated I would have screamed. Then again, I despise being patronized.
-Akolouthos
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Posted By: Guests
Date Posted: 10-Jul-2006 at 01:13
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The movie (and Tom Hanks) were imbecelic. The book was a good "whodunnit", not a work of fact.
"Church is trying to surpress the Holy Feminine", yeah right what about the Virgin Mary? She was most certainly not a man.
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Posted By: Giannis
Date Posted: 10-Jul-2006 at 04:16
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I agree with all of you, the book wasn't a big deal after all. But, it made a lot of young people to get some interest on history, something that Eco can't do.
Umberto Eco is one of my favorite writers, but his novels are a little bit difficult for common readers (without historical, phylosophical knowledge).
-------------  Give me a place to stand and I will move the world.
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Posted By: Aelfgifu
Date Posted: 10-Jul-2006 at 04:32
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What I really hated was the part with the mirror writing. Somewhere at the beginning, he spends several pages explaining Leonardo's mirrorscript, on which the 'professor' supposedly studied a ling time. But when, somewhere later, he gets it under his nose, he is not even able to recognise it. I mean, was there anybody who did not see it was mirrorscript as soon as you turned the page?
And this is supposed to be an expert? I'm glad my professors do know what they are talking about...
But I agree Giannis, Eco can be though. I had trouble following Foucaults pendulum at times. -------------
Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears. |
Posted By: gcle2003
Date Posted: 10-Jul-2006 at 05:44
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I go with Aelfgifu and the rest, though they understate the case.
It isn't even a good who-dunnit. Too many factual errors about the present day let alone history.
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Posted By: boomajoom
Date Posted: 23-Jul-2006 at 20:36
Perhaps they'll claim she was in the sequel: "The Michelangelo Message". It will propose that Mary was really a Roman man named Marius who travelled to Palestine during the reign of Augustus and impregnated Mary Magdalene's mother, who in turn gave birth to Jesus. Then Jesus and Magdalene re-instituted the ancient Egyptian practice of sibling marriage in the royal family, hence how it ties to the whole Da Vinci Code thing. All of this is, naturally, presented in Michelangelo's painting in the Sistine Chapel. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Image:God2-Sistine_Chapel.png See here, the old guy is really Marius. The female figure to his left is Magdalene's mother, and Adam is really Jesus. The other figures with Marius represent certain church fathers who supressed the truth. ------------- http://www.languapedia.com - Languages & Linguistics |
Posted By: Aelfgifu
Date Posted: 24-Jul-2006 at 05:04
 , you funny!-------------
Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears. |
Posted By: Red Russian
Date Posted: 24-Jul-2006 at 14:57
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The Movie was VERY bad, I read the book, and the book WOULD have been interesting if i hadn't already heard that information and cliams in OTHER books!
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Posted By: Aelfgifu
Date Posted: 24-Jul-2006 at 15:21
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Nope, even if the book would have been an original story, the main personages would still be unsympathetical and annoying, and the style would still be childish and patronising. It would still be a bad book. -------------
Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears. |
Posted By: Cywr
Date Posted: 08-Aug-2006 at 18:58
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I started reading the book, that was ages ago and i've already lost interest very early. Not a good sign, on the other hand, it is competing with two Terry Pratchett books for my attention, which is some pretty stiff competition as far as i'm concerned. -------------  Arrrgh!!"
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Posted By: Aelfgifu
Date Posted: 09-Aug-2006 at 03:32
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Nothing beats a Terry Pratchett book! All competition can just give up and go home! -------------
Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears. |
Posted By: morticia
Date Posted: 09-Aug-2006 at 13:47
Right on Aelfgifu!  ------------- "Morty Trust in God: She will provide." -- Emmeline Pankhurst |
Posted By: Cywr
Date Posted: 20-Aug-2006 at 15:24
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Well, finished it a few days ago. Its not bad. Its not good either. The characters seem a little shallow and rely too much on stereotypes, and the story has its twists but is meh, but really, this isn't any different from your average 'best seller'. Massivly over hyped, both on the 'alternative history' front, and on the dissing the vatican/opus dei front if you ask me, as the vatican isn't really involved, and the opus dei are simply being used. Meh. I'l skip the movie. ------------- Arrrgh!!"
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Posted By: vulkan02
Date Posted: 21-Aug-2006 at 12:43
I never read it or watched the movie simply because it's too popular with the masses, anything very popular isn't usually worth the attention.
------------- The beginning of a revolution is in reality the end of a belief - Le Bon Destroy first and construction will look after itself - Mao |
Posted By: Cywr
Date Posted: 21-Aug-2006 at 14:16
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I'd be carefull with that, despite being a firm believer in the 95% rule*, sometimes, the masses are watching it because they percieve that everyone else is watching it, and sometimes those everyone else are watching it because someone with god taste told them too. *that 95% of books, movies, music etc. is crap, even if enjoyable. ------------- Arrrgh!!"
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Posted By: vulkan02
Date Posted: 21-Aug-2006 at 17:48
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Not only that but some friends who read it told me that it "tries to disprove religion" so i thought ... can't you do that by just thinking for a bit!. At least not to completely disprove it but to question it. Why should i read a whole book simply for that matter? Instead I could spend it in here arguing with you about it.
------------- The beginning of a revolution is in reality the end of a belief - Le Bon Destroy first and construction will look after itself - Mao |
Posted By: Cywr
Date Posted: 21-Aug-2006 at 17:54
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It doesn't really, it challenges the standard narative of Jesus' life and such, without actualy dismissing him entirely, but it is so blatently fiction, even simple geographical details are muddled up. I don't see how that entirely disproves christianity, let alone religion peroid. ------------- Arrrgh!!"
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Posted By: vulkan02
Date Posted: 21-Aug-2006 at 18:02
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Well then its even better that I avoided this one using the 95% rule, it looks like a very fuzzy piece of crap. Besides i don't usually use the rule on everything that comes out. For example Ive seen the LOTR trilogy but that's because i read the books before and for the most part the movies were a very good adaptation save for a few omitted characters and events. Hell ive even watched Pirates of the Carribean : Dead Man's chest just for the fun of it.
------------- The beginning of a revolution is in reality the end of a belief - Le Bon Destroy first and construction will look after itself - Mao |
Posted By: Cywr
Date Posted: 23-Aug-2006 at 18:22
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Hmm, i've been playing Gabriel Knight III (similar theme), which is older than the Da Vinci Code, and its reminded me just how unoriginal alot of the stuff in the book is.
------------- Arrrgh!!"
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Posted By: Aelfgifu
Date Posted: 27-Aug-2006 at 18:17
That seems a strange way to think. It is like others on this forum who say they dont like Venice because there are too many tourists... Well, F*** the tourists, and the masses.
I am not going to be stopped from enjoying some of the most beautiful things ever created just because others like it too.
 (this of course not being appliccable to the DVC, which still is my number one on the "Disappointment of the Century"-list)Gabriel Knight, now there is a blast from the past. I absolutely loved I and II, but III annoyed the heck out of me. The interface is so irritatingly clumsy, I never even left the hotel... Is it worth a retry? -------------
Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears. |
Posted By: Cywr
Date Posted: 27-Aug-2006 at 18:55
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Certainly, and yes, the interface was very different from the Sierra games I was used to and loved, but you get the hang of it in the end, the time slots were slightly annoying too. That said I never played GKI and II, only the Space Quest/Kings Quest/Police Quest/Hero Quest games, which all have a similar and very intuitive interface. The game sort of parallels some the plot devices featured in Da Vinci Code, albeit in a different setting and with different twists and a curious ending. Neat little storyline, and with a little bit of character development from the main characters who I guess are carryovers from the previous instalments of the series. It is virtually entirely puzzle orientated (with no possibility of dying) until the end, when there are a few, what you might call 'perfect timing' challenges (jumping from a moving object), where missing kills you (but lets you immediately try again), and a few puzzles with deadly results if attempted wrongly (but with the instant retry, makes for a fast learning curve). The time slots are sometimes annoying, as you can’t progress until you have done the necessary things required for that time slot. This can often mean running around talking to everyone to see if there is a line of conversation which has not been followed entirely to its end, or even an object that needs to be looked at (this is different from other Sierra point-and-click adventure games I’ve played that to a degree let you do different things in your own time as it were). I need to get back into adventure style games, but ones that are more puzzle orientated, and not so much arcade/action orientated (that seemed to flood the market in the wake of the Success of Tomb Raider (hugely overrated game IMHO). So that’s Sierra type stuff, and LucasArts; the brilliance that was Day of the Tentacle, and the sublime Monkey Island series, though the later instalments of Indiana Jones series went somewhat into the arcade/action direction. And basically anything that lives up to that. *Edited for bloody awfull English ------------- Arrrgh!!"
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Posted By: vulkan02
Date Posted: 27-Aug-2006 at 23:37
I was being a little playful there don't take me too seriously but i think there's always stuff out there that will remain mostly hidden to the masses and are better than whats popular. I would not rather like Venice because of its sewer water surroundings rather than the tourists, great destination to go with a girlfriend though. ------------- The beginning of a revolution is in reality the end of a belief - Le Bon Destroy first and construction will look after itself - Mao |
Posted By: Aelfgifu
Date Posted: 28-Aug-2006 at 06:45
I know you were being playful, I was speaking in partial jest as well.
 Still, there is thruth in both our remarks....
I do not like the opinion of the masses either, but for Venice I have to make an exeption. I was there saturday afternoon. I was staying in Verona, which is about 1.5 hrs by train, and we only had half a day, but I would not have missed it for the world. It was my third visit there, and I still love it. The water may be not too clean, but you can't see that, it looks beautiful. And as long as you stay out of the main tourist roads, it is not too busy at all.
If I ever get rich, I will buy me a second house there. (which will be when pigs fly, most likely, but hey, one has to dream...
 )@ Cywr: Sounds a lot like one and two, you cannot die, and you have to do everything in order. Still, if they are available in and XP compatible version, they are very much worth trying! I have GKIII right here, now I might try and play it again... thanx !
 * edited for very embarrassing spelling mistakes. -------------
Women hold their councils of war in kitchens: the knives are there, and the cups of coffee, and the towels to dry the tears. |
Posted By: vulkan02
Date Posted: 28-Aug-2006 at 12:47
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I still havent visited Italy yet but i have an old friend of mine who lives in this little town tourists are crazy for called Rimini that I want to visit. Btw isn't Venice slowly submerging in the water a couple of cm every year? Better build that future house with a couple of meters of extra foundation height Aelf or else you going to waste your money for nothing.
------------- The beginning of a revolution is in reality the end of a belief - Le Bon Destroy first and construction will look after itself - Mao |