Da Vinci Code

**badsekktor** · May 17th, 2006 03:19 PM

sino meron pa existing copies nung ebook ng digital fortress saka yun deception point? pa-email naman po! badsekktor*yahoo.com

**theveed** · May 17th, 2006 03:42 PM

digital fortress di ko pa nababasa... might as well since nabasa ko na iba, pasend nadin kung sino meron hehe

**stinkaboy** · May 17th, 2006 04:18 PM

Da Vinci Code’ for adults only, says film review body

First posted 03:33am (Mla time) May 17, 2006
By Bayani San Diego Jr.
Inquirer

Editor's Note: Published on Page A1 of the May 17, 2006 issue of the Philippine Daily Inquirer

LEONARDO DA VINCI himself would’ve been shocked.

A three-member committee of the Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) gave an R-18 rating to the controversial Hollywood film “The Da Vinci Code,” which is directed by Oscar Best Director Ron Howard and topbills Oscar Best Actor Tom Hanks.

The movie is based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown which “chronicles a murder investigation that could uncover a secret that has been protected since the days of Christ.”

The R-18 rating for “Da Vinci” is surprising, according to a source in Columbia Pictures, the Philippine office of Sony Pictures Releasing International, producer of “Da Vinci.”

Filipino employees of Columbia Pictures are not allowed by its head office in the United States to speak to the media. The Columbia source spoke to the Inquirer on the condition of anonymity.

“We will not appeal the R-18 rating because it might get an X on its second screening,” the source said.

R-18 rating, however, would mean that it will not be shown in SM malls nationwide because of the cineplex’s ban on adult-themed films.

SM has a huge chunk of the movie market, 40 to 50 percent of the ticket sales, according to Macie Imperial, director for acquisitions and marketing of Sky Films, which released the award-winning film “Brokeback Mountain” in the Philippines.

Ang Lee’s “Brokeback Mountain” also received an R-18 from the MTRCB and, as such, was not shown in SM cinemas.

Earlier, Columbia sent the Inquirer an official statement that stated that “Da Vinci” earned “favorable ratings” in countries with large Catholic populations. It was “classified appropriate for children” in Poland (89.8 percent Catholic), France (88 percent), Belgium (75 percent) and Slovakia (68.9 percent), as well as in China, Japan, Romania, Finland, Norway, Israel, Czech Republic and Turkey.

“Da Vinci” was given a PG-13 in the United States and an R-rating in Singapore and Spain.

‘Mature discernment’

In the committee report, the MTRCB members explained that they found that the movie’s “thematic, verbal and visual content … requires mature discernment.”

The committee that reviewed the film consisted of journalist Edmund Sicam, academician Betty Molina and lawyer Eric Mallonga. The screening was held in the Columbia Pictures office in Manila yesterday at 9 a.m. and the result was released by two in the afternoon of the same day.

“We allow screenings outside of the MTRCB office for sensitive films,” board chair Marissa Laguardia explained. “The distributor requests exclusive screenings for security reasons, to prevent piracy.”

According to Laguardia, she sat through the “two-hour screening, as an observer, meaning I cannot overturn the committee’s decision.”

Laguardia shared her personal views on the film in a phone interview with the Inquirer yesterday: “It will not sway the [Catholic] beliefs I’ve held since childhood. It’s a suspense-thriller, a work of fiction. It only aims to entertain.”

Film is balanced

In any case, Laguardia described the movie “as balanced … In the end, Tom Hanks’ character had uplifting [lines of] dialogue. He said that ‘Jesus is a human inspiration … an extraordinary man … and what matters is what you believe in.’”

Laguardia opined that the film would open a healthy debate, “a discussion on what is true and fictitious. I believe it was explained well in the film. Still, that requires an audience above 18. Only a mature mind can discern, determine and separate fact from fiction.”

The committee report echoed Laguardia’s sentiments: “Minors, who are highly impressionable, should not be allowed … because of the thematic issues raised on the divinity and celibacy of Jesus Christ and the inner workings of the Catholic Church.”

However, the film “didn’t merit an X rating because it doesn’t constitute a clear, express or direct attack on the Catholic Church or religion … arguments are tackled within an academic discourse or theoretical context by the movie’s characters.”

No SM mall shows

Imperial told the Inquirer: “Brokeback earned a lot of money throughout its four-week run in theaters like Robinsons, but we could have doubled our box-office grosses if only we had SM, which comprises almost 50 percent of the market.”

In spite of the SM ban, the distributor “ordered 70 prints of ‘Da Vinci,’ the biggest number of prints we’ve requested in three decades,” according to the Columbia source.

“Columbia will just have more screenings and more theaters in other cineplexes, to compensate for SM’s nonparticipation,” said the source. “We will open as scheduled on May 18.”

Ric Camaligan, first vice president of SM Leisure Inc. which operates SM Cinemas, confirmed that SM would stand by its R-18 ban. “We will not show it.”

SM, in fact, pulled out the movie’s trailers and posters while waiting for the MTRCB’s decision.

A work of art

Columbia’s official statement, however, stated that “the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) already went on record that it would not take steps to censor or block the showing of the movie in local theaters.”

The statement quoted Monsignor Pedro Quitorio, CBCP spokesperson, as saying “the bishops view ‘Da Vinci’ as a work of art and not of science or history, so they do not see it as a threat to the teachings of the Church. If the faith of the people is strong, it would not be destroyed by one novel (or movie).”

In the same statement Sony Pictures spokesperson Jim Kennedy was quoted as saying: “Many religious leaders, including the Opus Dei, agree that the release of the film can provide a unique opportunity to educate people about their work and beliefs.”

In fact, Opus Dei spokesperson Joey Magalona commented in the same Columbia statement: “The more you hide it, the more people will look for it … [what’s needed is] parental guidance so when doubts (among the young) arise, you can fix them right away.”

**badsekktor** · May 17th, 2006 04:25 PM

san kaya ako manonood? bad trip! wala sa sm!

**_Qwerty_** · May 17th, 2006 06:43 PM

nag open reservation sa GB3 at around 8.15pm last night.. mahal ha.. 170.00 for cinema 1 and 2 plus 20.00 reservation..

**Monseratto** · May 17th, 2006 11:28 PM

Originally Posted by Dvorak

nag open reservation sa GB3 at around 8.15pm last night.. mahal ha.. 170.00 for cinema 1 and 2 plus 20.00 reservation..

Ganon din sa Shang, 170.00 din at fully booked yung 7 + pm na showing. I guess the Church did the movie a favor...

**stinkaboy** · May 18th, 2006 01:32 AM

showing na ba sa mga robinsons cinema?

**empy** · May 18th, 2006 10:10 AM

boo to the MTRCB! i guess they think pinoys are not capable of thinking for themselves...or maybe they think that the faith of their countrymen is so weak that a 2-hour movie can instantly undo a lifetime of teachings and values

Originally Posted by lightning099

Critics crucify 'Da Vinci Code' in Cannes

palagay ko mali ang casting nila dun sa leading lady. Audrey Tautou?? bakit hindi si Monica Belluci?? :inlove: