The Da Vinci Code: The Church Responds

No one disputes Dan Brown's popular novel as a work of fiction, but the paragraph at the beginning of the book stating that "the Priory of Sion—a European secret society founded in 1099—is a real organization" and that "all descriptions of artwork, architecture, documents…and secret rituals in this novel are accurate” has caused some Christians to take umbrage. In The Da Vinci Code: The Church Responds, which compiles two separate documentaries (“The Da Vinci Code: A Masterful Deception” and “The Da Vinci Files”) and three short reports, Catholic leaders and scholars, writers, and art historians from Europe and the U.S. weigh-in on Opus Dei, the Christian cover-up, the role of Mary Magdalene, and other aspects of the novel. Offering up comments that seem based more upon opinion than research, the interviewees here are not presented in any logical order (and even include the Italian Minister of Culture and a psychiatrist, who share their two-cents worth on what Italians think of the book). Given the fact that interest in Brown's bestseller (published in 2003) has waned somewhat, this program feels a bit dated. Optional. Aud: P. (L. Stevens)