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Cannes Film Festival, Da Vinci Code

Da Vinci Code movie bombs before media audience

Father B.F. Heffernan
Thursday, May 18, 2006

Cannes-Last night, Cannes Film Festival hosted the world premiere of The Da Vinci Code movie. Never was a debut so globally hyped. Never was a movie so awaited; never was excitement globally greater. Everywhere in Cannes, and I suspect around the water coolers of the world, it was the talk of gatherings. all their eggs of happiness were in two baskets called Howard and Brown--two gladiators who would slay Jesus and remove the last bastion of man's moral freedom.

But hardly had the theatre reels started rolling than the hype started unravelling, the eggs started cracking and the swords started melting. after the show, the theatre goers as planned headed for a special restaurant. But theirs was not a triumphant march of sharing in Caesar's victorious conquest, but more like an embarrassed defeat, and confused foot soldiers stealing back into the city.

Sitting in an Italian restaurant `Lara', known for its superb Caesar like dishes--pasta and other Italian delicacies.--I was watching the theatre goers return; not triumphant with heads held high and shoulders back; but heads hung low, eyes cast down like a dog with his tail between his legs; questioning why a professional producer like Ron Howard--the Napolean Bonaparte of the screen, could make such a terrible movie. The sight of a priest only added to their guilty feeling "that they shouldn't have gone to see Jesus slandered in such a way, anyway."

at a table between husbands and wives or friends, there was little of the happy conversation that usually follows a good movie.

Some, with crest fallen faces came by my table; wanting to talk. When I asked about the movie, they put both thumbs down like a colosseum full of people when asked by Caesar if he should spare the Christians or send them to the lions.

"What's wrong with the movie?" "Dull! Boring! Disappointing! Too long!" they chorused. The producer must have known that they had a poor movie; that it would get a thumbs down from the media; so they kept it under wraps till the very last moment. Now Sony may recall it, say they've fixed it and reissue it. But will anyone believe them? "Once fooled--shame on you! Twice fooled--shame on me."

Next day when the media met the cast, one attendee said that financier Sony appeared to already be distancing itself from the movie, handing out a flyer stating that labelling Da Vinci as fiction was Tom Hank's call and not Sony's. They also had an old actor softening the book's offensive parts with thoughtful questions. Since Sony has a lot of other merchandise to sell, and their sales are down, they may have felt they couldn't afford to turn off all its Christian customers around the world.

The low key Prayer in front of the Palais Theatre was conducted by Sister Mary MichaelI of England. The very effective nun from England headed up the Rosary, Chaplet of Mercy, other prayers and hymns. She asked me to join her at times. We gave interviews and teaching sessions to the media, TV, radio and newspaper. Sister Mary Michael was especially good at this, keeping the goodwill of the media, security guards and interested onlookers. as prayer ended, we just held up a 2-foot-high corpus cross, and the media flocked around us like doves for a feast; like we were the stars. Cameras were clicking, and flashes were going off everywhere, like a bad lightning storm. `Like Jesus Christ Super Star! Who do they say that you really are?'

as well as turning off the Christians, Sony, Brown and Hanks have another worry about turning off the Jews. about this, a woman contacted me through Canada Free Press. Space doesn't allow me to write about it today. But it will be in a future column.

To Reach Father Heffernan by CELL PHONE in Cannes, France Dial 011 33 685 8800 30



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