Film-Novel Comparison Essay

Through the transformation of text to film of The Da Vinci Code, a best selling novel by Dan Brown, many aspects are lost in translation. Some main plot details were kept as precise as possible, but because of this accuracy the film compromised the overall fast and suspenseful pace of the novel. In addition, some of the forces working against the protagonist Robert Langdon seem to be confused by the screenwriter of the film. Lastly, the relationship status between the two main protagonists disappointed the movie goers as they unrealistically did not develop a romance with each other. The result is a somewhat bland movie that failed to engage viewers with suspense that the novel so easily accomplished.

The film kept many of the main story details accurate, such as the murder scene at the beginning which triggers a chain of events and many of the settings and locations. In contrast, many minor details that contributed to a better atmosphere and mood failed to appear on the film. One example of this is how in the novel Silas, the antagonist, is actually an albino with vivid red eyes, while in the film he has blue eyes, not even being close to how menacing blood red eyes would have been. Additionally, Langdon’s view on the church was toned down to be more moderate and restrained in the film during a discussion with Leigh Teabing when compared to the novel, making viewers think the writers were biased on the more aggressive views the character had in the novel. Scenes from the film were fairly long and moderately paced, whereas the novel frequently had short chapters that switched between the different character groups and often had minor cliffhangers, edging the reader to keep turning the pages.

By the end of the film, the antagonist forces got portrayed significantly different compared to the novel. Teabing, the true villain behind all the murders, was the one manipulating Bishop Aringarosa and his albino monk disciple he brought up in the church. In the film, the bishop and Silas are portrayed as selfish people who just wanted to secure for their sect a place in the church, even though it is revealed they were manipulated. This is shown by how the French police arrests Aringarosa angrily and without mercy. In the novel, the feeling of pity after having learned they were manipulated is more strongly represented, as the French police give sympathy to the bishop. Aringarosa even plans to attempt to repent for his sins of murder by distributing the Vatican cash bonds he had received as payment to the families of the victims.

The two hour and thirty minute long journey of the film created an exciting quest that revolved around the two protagonists Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu. All through the movie many hardships and riddles were accomplished as they became dragged in a winding roller coaster ride of thrills and suspense; however, the end produced a most unsatisfactory conclusion to viewers. They had gone through so much and finally had some time to relax alone, but in the end they just gave a friendly hug and went their separate ways. Their relationship with each other in the end was extremely unrealistic considering what they had gone through. The novel made sure the two kissed and made plans to meet each other again in a few months, which was a much more realistic and satisfactory result of their relationship.

To conclude, the film adaption of The Da Vinci Code ultimately failed to capture the tense and suspense building traits that the novel had, and its opinions became more toned down to try and lessen the controversy the novel was already abundant with.

Final Essay

The plot of The Da Vinci Code by Dan Brown is the most crucial aspect of the novel. Since the novel is a mystery and thriller type, the plot is abundant with mythology, historical facts, clues and riddles. The setting of the novel is almost as important as the plot. Without the setting, the workings of the plot could not have occurred. In other words, the plot and the setting are completely dependent on each other. The next most important aspect of the novel is the theme. Because the story’s contents and claims are highly controversial, the theme allowed Dan Brown to tell readers that he takes a neutral standpoint regarding religious opinions, much like the protagonist of the story. Lastly, the characters of the novel are probably the least important aspect of The Da Vinci Code. It is as if the characters are manipulated by the plot itself, unable to break out and do something out of line.

As the plot begins, readers are instantly sucked in by the mysterious way the victim died, and the anonymous forces moving in place, ready to drive the story. The Da Vinci Code begins in the Louvre Museum in Paris, France, where an Opus Dei monk named Silas approaches Jacques Sauniere, curator of the museum, with murderous intent. After demanding and receiving the fake secret of the Holy Grail, he shoots the curator, letting him bleed to death. In the final moments of his life, Sauniere arranges his body in the image of Da Vinci’s Vitruvian Man and leaves invisible messages on the floor, ensuring the secret of the Grail would not be lost.

Sauniere’s odd actions brings symbology professor Robert Langdon, the protagonist, to help police understand what happened, unknowing the police actually suspect him of the murder. He is stealthily rescued by Sauniere’s granddaughter Sophie Neveu, the police’s cryptology agent. Eventually, the pair escapes to the mansion of Robert’s friend, Leigh Teabing, a historian and Holy Grail chaser, with Silas in hot pursuit. Along the way, the duo finds a chest containing the map to the Grail, which can only be opened by a password; otherwise it will erase the contents of the map.

After cracking many riddles, the trio goes to London, England, where they believe the final clue rests. They are betrayed by Teabing’s manservant Remy, forcing them to give up the chest. Later, a mysterious man lures the duo into a closed area. It is revealed the man pulling the strings in the background is Teabing, driven mad by his obsession with the Grail, murdering Neveu’s grandfather and others. Teabing orders Langdon by gunpoint to open the chest containing the map, but Langdon tells him he is stumped, after secretly opening the chest and pocketing the map. He throws the chest in the air. As Teabing scrambles for it, the police arrive and arrest Teabing.

The duo solves the final clue, leading them to Rosslyn Chapel, where Neveu finds her long lost family who is the bloodline of Jesus and Mary.

After returning to Paris, Langdon realizes the Grail is hidden in the ground below an inverted pyramid structure.
All of this would not be possible without the setting, since they work co-dependent with each other in order to deliver its plot and attach a connection for its readers.
The intriguing backdrop of the artsy European city of Paris, France, entices readers as the book’s primary setting is introduced. Its ancient works of famous art such as The Mona Lisa and Madonna of the Rocks stored in the Louvre Museum and the famous Parisian Church of St. Suplice is more than enough to create a believable setting begging to be explored. These landmarks are effectively juxtaposed by The Da Vinci Code’s time period which is modern and contemporary, highlighted by the use of technological gadgets such as cell phones and GPS devices.

The secondary setting of the novel set in Great Britain is used exclusively for the plot, as Brown uses the historic objects that factually exist there. Time passes by in a reasonable pace, with the story never having any time breaks; virtually every hour has a scene. In total, the novel’s story spanned for a few days. The season assumed is early spring or late summer as it is revealed the protagonist puts on a tweed coat at night; there were no implications of snow.
Just the mere reality that the artifacts of the Middle Ages really exist as described in the book already gives readers an emotional connection to the setting of this novel. From the poorly lit corridors of the Louvre Museum to the fortune-costing estate of fictional character Leigh Teabing, The Da Vinci Code never fails to deliver feelings of awe, fright, and foreboding as it is skillfully weaved into the small letters of text.

To conclude, the setting of The Da Vinci Code has presented itself as an important aspect of the book that works close with its partner, the plot.

In the next aspect, many prevalent themes are expressed throughout the course of Dan Brown’s best-selling mystery novel. In the plot, Brown believes the thick wall between religious belief and certain truths of the world should not exist. Projecting his message through the male protagonist, Robert Langdon, who is unreligious, Brown thinks that faith is not a negative thing; it can bring great joy to people.

Additionally, people who have strong enough faith should be able to accept other ideas, like how the Bible is abundant with metaphors as pointed out clearly in the novel, instead of believing
what is said is literally the truth.

Secondly, a religious group largely involved in the main plot was sexist to women. This helped Brown express a major theme: to never underestimate women. The female protagonist and police officer Sophie Neveu, strove to prove all the men wrong by showing she was as capable as any man. In one instance, the head of the French Judicial Police, Bezu Fache, unknowingly allowed Sophie to sneak a message to Robert. In another instance, Sophie easily solved a puzzle two highly educated men could not solve.

Lastly, Brown questions the accuracy of history, quoting the famous French leader Napoleon Bonaparte: “What is history but a fable agreed upon?” Using the characters, he brings up many questions about renowned stories such as the life of Jesus Christ, and modern day stories like Disney’s The Little Mermaid. Brown takes these stories and interprets them in his own point of view, stating theories by sifting through hidden symbols and texts, perhaps attempting to make readers think about how there may be messages hidden from view in everyday life.

In conclusion, the main controversy that surrounded this book as it became popular was already answered with the theme, creating a thrilling mystery that expresses fundamentally good themes.

The last and least important aspect of the novel centers on Robert Langdon, the protagonist of The Da Vinci Code, who is a middle-aged intelligent and athletic man with motives strongly supported by his occupation.

Langdon is best described in one sentence by a fictitious magazine article featuring him. Boston Magazine describes Langdon as “Harrison Ford in Harris tweed.” This sentence rings true in such a precise way, as Brown directly describes his physical appearance by weaving in the physical descriptors; he is described as a man with black, graying hair, having blue eyes and a square jaw with a dimpled chin. His fitness is implied to be in very good shape as Brown states he was a diver during boarding school and played water polo collegiately.

It is obvious Langdon is very academic and intellectual as he is a professor teaching at Harvard. Teaching religious symbology, Langdon proves himself as a smart man throughout the novel by having to fly overseas to Paris to deliver a lecture on his major to a large audience, digging through his enormous store of knowledge in his brain to solve the various riddles and puzzles presented to him, and by being the author of several non-fiction books and textbooks about symbology.

The protagonist is a man who is selfless, hard-working and generally good-willed. As he is faced with many dilemmas and high-risk tasks, he never gives up and abandons his friends. A great example would be when his friend Leigh Teabing is fake-kidnapped by the antagonist; Langdon puts the safety of Teabing in importance and thus becomes lured in his trap, all because of his good-will.

Langdon is at first unwillingly put, if not forced, into the plot by the series of events that happened. As he discovers the plot is driven by something strongly related to his specialization at Harvard, it is obvious he briefly throws away his selflessness and becomes motivated by his thirst for knowledge in his major. Without this motivation, Langdon would not be able to solve the puzzles and strive to take the plot through to the end.

The antagonist of the novel is an albino monk who is a devout Catholic, following orders to prevent the downfall of his sect, Opus Dei. A person versus person conflict is created as he works against Langdon by constantly tracking him down, attempting to disable him and take a key item vital to the plot. It is interesting to note that although the antagonist is supposed to work against the protagonist, it was his actions in the beginning of the story that sparked Langdon’s involvement in the plot.

By the end of the story, Langdon is a changed man. His pursuit of the Holy Grail helped him obtain an incredible amount of knowledge most scholars would die for. He also realizes that things are not always the way they seem, and even a trusted friend can be turned into a psychotic killer in search for a truth meant to change the entire world. His friend-turned-traitor’s actions in turn gave Langdon that earthshaking truth he will carry with responsibility for the rest of his life.

To sum up, Robert Langdon is well-built intellectual man transformed into a less naïve man, enlightened with knowledge and a certainty about the Christian religion.

The Da Vinci Code is a captivating novel that is absolutely reliant on its plot and setting in order to provide readers with a thrilling story. The theme is the voice of Brown which answers the controversies surrounding the ideas expressed throughout the novel, and lastly, the characters do not help create more impact on the story; instead the characters are dragged along by the plot making them the least important aspect of the novel.