The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 American mystery-thriller film directed by Ron Howard. The screenplay was written by Akiva Goldsman and based on Dan Brown's worldwide bestselling 2003 novel, The Da Vinci Code . It was produced by Howard with John Calley and Brian Grazer and released by Columbia Pictures in the United States on May 19, 2006.
Due to controversial and inaccurate historical interpretations and perceived anti-Catholic elements, the film proved highly controversial in the Philippines, a highly religious country in Southeast Asia in which Catholicism is widely practised. Many organisations protested and organised boycotts against the showing of The Da Vinci Code in the Philippines.
The Philippine Alliance Against Pornography (PAAP) appealed to Philippine President Gloria Macapagal Arroyo to stop the showing of The Da Vinci Code in the Philippines. They branded the film as "the most pornographic and blasphemous film in history" and also requested the help of Pope Benedict XVI, the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) and other religious groups to stop the showing of the film. [1] The PAAP also compared Dan Brown to Adolf Hitler. [2]
However, Cecille Guidote Alvarez, Philippine Presidential Adviser on Culture and the Arts, said Malacañang will not interfere in controversy about the film and leaves the decision to the Movie and Television Classification Board's (MTRCB) rating. [3] Eventually, MTRCB decided to give The Da Vinci Code an R-18 rating (restricted to those under 18 years of age) despite PAAP's opposition for showing it. [4]
Jaro Archbishop Angel Lagdameo, president of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines (CBCP), expressed through a pastoral letter that even though The Da Vinci Code is a work of fiction, it "shapes the imagination, stirs emotions and forms mental associations" and added that "Brown has created the impression that his fiction is historical fact." [5] Before the pastoral letter was written, Lipa Archdiocese Archbishop Ramon Arguelles, CBCP senior member, wrote Consoliza Laguardia, chairperson of the Movie and Television Classification Board (MTRCB), and requested her to prohibit the film's showing in the Philippines, where the majority are Christians, because of its "sacrilegious" and "blasphemous" nature.
Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, Archbishop of Manila, said that the film is a "vicious attack on the divinity of Jesus Christ." He also added that "not since the time of the Presbyter Arius was there an attack on the divinity of Jesus Christ, which was as vicious and as momentarily profitable as this venture of Dan Brown and Sony Film Productions." [6] Although the CBCP and Rosales did not categorically demand a ban of the film, they have issued guidelines for Filipino Catholics on watching the movie.
Just like MTRCB's rating, Mario Sobrejuanite, vice chairman of the Catholic Bishops Conference of the Philippines-Catholic Initiative for Enlightened Movie Appreciation (CBCP-Cinema), rated The Da Vinci Code as R-18 and stated that the film is something that Catholics should not be afraid of. [7] However, the CBCP-Cinema rated the moral assessment on the film as "disturbing."
Then-Bacolod diocese vicar general Monsignor Victorino Rivas, unlike some clergymen, approached the controversy with care, stating that the film, just like the book, was only a work of fiction, further emphasizing that "Dan Brown is a novelist and not a historian" and that there is nothing from either book or film to believe in. He urged locals, parishioners, and his staff to watch the film in order to fill their curiosity.
The Moro Islamic Liberation Front Deputy Chairman Khaled Musa appealed to the MTRCB to ban the film, arguing that the film is blasphemous not only to Catholics but also to Muslims because Jesus Christ is considered one of the Prophets of Islam. Musa recalled Jyllands-Posten Muhammad cartoons controversy with regards to this film and further explained that freedom of expression should not "invade" freedom of religion. [8]
The City Councilors of Manila passed a resolution to ban the film, labelling it as "offensive and contrary to established religious beliefs which cannot take precedence over the right of the persons involved in the film to freedom of expression." [9] The Councilors who concur to the resolution cited the Revised Penal Code of the Philippines stating that showing a film that offends a religion is a crime, while Councilors who opposed the decision noted that the film is only fiction and for entertainment. It was stated that cinema owners not heeding to the ban would face a one-year jail term and a Php 5,000 fine, and those persons selling DVD or VCD copies of the film could be fined Php 3,000 and jailed for up to six months. It was not banned in any of the other cities in Metro Manila, making the film easily accessible to citizens living in the capital.
The SM Supermalls, the largest chain of shopping malls in the Philippines, prohibited the showing of The Da Vinci Code in all of their movie theaters throughout the country. This decision is in line with their policy for not showing films that were rated by MTRCB as R-18. [10]
Although The Da Vinci Code was banned in the City of Manila and all SM Malls, it was still shown in other cinemas all over the Philippines. [9] Robinsons Malls Movieworld, Gaisano Cinemas, Ayala Malls Cinemas, and Glorietta Cinemas are a few of the cinema companies that screened the film.
The film's sequels, Angels and Demons and Inferno , were permitted nonetheless to be shown in all SM Malls nationwide.
Despite The Da Vinci Code's R-18 rating by the MTRCB, Filipino Congressman Bienvenido Abante Jr. rallied to abolish the MTRCB for allowing the film to be shown. [11] Abante, who is also the president of the Metropolitan Baptist Church of the Philippines and called the movie as demonic and diabolical, filed House Bill 3269 that seeks to abolish the television and film board.
In Cebu City, city moralist Rene Josef Bullecer said that the law that created the MTRCB does not allow the showing of the movie. [12]
The Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP) is the permanent organizational assembly of the Catholic bishops of the Philippines exercising together certain pastoral offices for the Christian faithful of their territory through apostolic plans, programs and projects suited to the circumstances of time and place in accordance with law for the promotion of the greater good offered by the Catholic Church to all people.
SM Supermalls, or simply SM, is a chain of shopping malls owned by the Philippines-based SM Prime. As of May 2024, it has a total of 96 malls it also has 13 malls under construction. It was formerly known as Shoemart.
The Da Vinci Code is a 2006 mystery thriller film directed by Ron Howard, written by Akiva Goldsman, and based on Dan Brown's 2003 novel of the same name. The first in the Robert Langdon film series, the film stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Ian McKellen, Alfred Molina, Jürgen Prochnow, Jean Reno and Paul Bettany. In the film, Robert Langdon, a professor of religious symbology from Harvard University, is the prime suspect in the grisly and unusual murder of Louvre curator Jacques Saunière. On the body, the police find a disconcerting cipher and start an investigation. Langdon escapes with the assistance of police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, and they begin a quest for the legendary Holy Grail. A noted British Grail historian, Sir Leigh Teabing, tells them that the actual Holy Grail is explicitly encoded in Leonardo da Vinci's wall painting, The Last Supper. Also searching for the Grail is a secret cabal within Opus Dei, an actual prelature of the Holy See, who wish to keep the true Grail a secret to prevent the destruction of Christianity.
As part of the worldwide Catholic Church, the Catholic Church in the Philippines, or the Philippine Catholic Church, is part of the worldwide Catholic Church, under the spiritual leadership of the Pope in Rome. The Philippines is one of the two nations in Asia having a substantial portion of the population professing the Catholic faith, along with East Timor, and has the third largest Catholic population in the world after Brazil and Mexico. The episcopal conference responsible in governing the faith is the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines (CBCP).
SM Investments Corporation (SMIC), also known as SM Group, is a Filipino conglomerate with interests in various sectors, mostly in shopping mall development and management, retail, real estate development, banking, and tourism. Founded by Henry Sy, it has become one of the largest conglomerates in the Philippines, being the country's dominant player in retail with 208 stores nationwide. Of these, 47 are SM Department Stores; 38 are SM Supermarkets; 37 are SM Hypermarkets, and 86 are SaveMore branches.
SM Mall of Asia, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, located at Bay City, Pasay, Philippines, within the SM Central Business Park, a reclaimed area within Manila Bay, and the southern end of Epifanio de los Santos Avenue (EDSA/C-4).
The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board is a Philippine government agency under the Office of the President of the Philippines that is responsible for the classification and review of television programs, motion pictures and home videos.
SM Southmall, is a large shopping mall in the Philippines, owned and operated by SM Prime Holdings. The mall is located along the busy Alabang-Zapote Road in Las Piñas. The mall has 200,000 m2 (2,200,000 sq ft) of land area, a total floor area of 205,120 m2 (2,207,900 sq ft) and a gross built-up area of 189,676 m2 (2,041,660 sq ft). It is currently the 7th largest SM Supermall in the Philippines after SM Mall of Asia, SM North EDSA, SM Megamall, SM Seaside City, SM City Fairview and SM City Cebu.
SM City Cebu, is a large shopping mall located in Mabolo, Cebu City, Philippines. It is the 4th shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings, the country's largest shopping mall owner and developer. It is the company's first shopping mall outside Metro Manila and the fifth largest shopping mall in the Philippines. It has a land area of 11.8 hectares and a gross floor area of 268,611 m2 (2,891,300 sq ft)
SM Seaside City, is a large shopping mall owned and developed by SM Prime Holdings in South Road Properties, Cebu City, Philippines. The mall opened on November 27, 2015, exactly 22 years after SM City Cebu, another mall also owned by SM Prime in Cebu City, opened in 1993.
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