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.
The
Da Vinci Code
stars Tom
Hanks as
Harvard University
symbologist
Robert Langdon,
Audrey Tautou
as cryptographer
Sophie Neveu
of the Direction
Centrale de
la Police Judiciaire
of France, Sir
Ian McKellen
as British Grail
historian Sir
Leigh Teabing,
Alfred Molina
as Bishop Manuel
Aringarosa,
Jean Reno
as Capitaine
Bezu Fache of
the Direction
Centrale de
la Police Judiciaire,
and Paul
Bettany
as the Opus
Dei monk Silas.
This
scene shows
Robert Langdon,
Sophie Neveau
and Sir Leigh
Teabing talking
about Leonardo's
masterpiece,
The last
supper,
and realizing
that, rather
surprisingly, no
chalice is depicted
on the table:
Plot
of the movie:
A
man revealed
to be Jacques
Saunière
is being pursued
by a mysterious
hooded character
known as Silas
through the
Grand Gallery
in the Louvre
in Paris. Silas
demands the
location of
the Priory's
clef de voûte
or "keystone."
Under threat
of death, Saunière
finally confesses
the keystone
is kept in the
sacristy of
Church of Saint-Sulpice,
"beneath
the Rose."
Silas thanks
him, and then
shoots him in
the stomach.
Meanwhile,
American symbologist
Robert Langdon
(Tom Hanks),
who is in Paris
as an AUP guest
lecturer on
symbols and
the sacred feminine,
is contacted
by the French
police, and
summoned to
the Louvre to
view the crime
scene. He discovers
the dying Saunière
had created
an intricate
display using
black light
ink and his
own body and
blood. Captain
Bezu Fache (Jean
Reno) asks him
for his interpretation
of the puzzling
scene.
Silas
calls a mysterious
man known as
"The Teacher",
revealing that
he has killed
all four protectors
of the keystone
and that all
confirmed the
same location.
He dons a metal
cilice on his
thigh and proceeds
to flagellate
himself with
a whip for the
sins of murder.
Facilitated
by Bishop Manuel
Aringarosa,
Silas then travels
to Saint-Sulpice
and is admitted
by an elderly
nun; left alone,
he excavates
beneath the
floor of the
church to find
a stone saying
only JOB 38:11.
He confronts
the nun, who
quotes the passage:
"Hitherto
shalt thou come,
but no further."
Realizing that
he has been
deceived, Silas
is enraged and
kills the nun.
Sophie
Neveu (Audrey
Tautou), a cryptologist
with the French
police, enters
the Louvre as
well and slips
Langdon a message
which leads
him to the men's
room. There,
Sophie meets
him and tells
him that he
is being tracked,
a GPS tracking
dot has been
(unknown by
him) slipped
into his jacket
and that he
is a primary
suspect in the
murder case
because of a
line of text
found by the
corpse ("P.S.
find Robert
Langdon").
Sophie however,
believes that
Saunière,
who is revealed
to be her grandfather,
wanted to pass
a hidden message
on to her (Princesse
Sophie, P.S.,
was the nickname
he used for
her), and that
he had wanted
to bring Langdon
into the equation
so that he could
help her crack
the code.
Having
bought some
time by removing
the tracking
device, the
pair begin exploring
the Louvre,
finding more
anagram messages
that Saunière
had left behind.
Many of these
relate to Leonardo
da Vinci's art,
and the pair
find a key with
a Fleur-de-lis
behind Madonna
of the Rocks.
Pursued
by the French
police and cut
off from the
United States
Embassy, the
pair escape
to the Bois
de Boulogne
where Langdon
closely inspects
the key. He
notices an inscription
on the side
- an address.
The address
directs them
to the Depository
Bank of Zurich
where the key
is used for
a safety deposit
box.
In
the bank, they
find Saunière's
deposit box
and open it
using the 10
digit Fibonacci
numbers in order
(1123581321).
Inside the box,
they find a
rosewood container,
which contains
a cryptex: a
cylindrical
container with
five alphabetical
dials which
must be arranged
in the correct
sequence to
spell out a
5-letter code
word, in order
to open and
access the parchment
message inside.
Using force
to open the
cryptex would
break a vial
of vinegar inside,
which would
dissolve the
parchment and
destroy the
message.
Unfortunately,
the police are
called by a
security guard
and they are
forced to leave.
The bank manager,
Andre Vernet,
assists them
in escaping
by taking them
as passengers
in an armoured
van to escape
the routine
checks of the
police. In the
back of the
truck Langdon
and Neveu have
a lengthy discussion
about the cryptex
and Neveu says
that her grandfather
often played
games with her
involving cryptexes.
Langdon says
that the cryptex
might hold valuable
information
or another clue
about what they
are trying to
discover. Eventually,
they come to
a sudden stop
and Vernet forces
them at gunpoint
to give him
the cryptex.
Langdon tricks
Vernet and disarms
him and he and
Sophie escape
with the cryptex
in their hands.
Langdon
suggests that
they visit his
friend, Leigh
Teabing (Ian
McKellen), for
assistance to
opening the
cryptex. Leigh
Teabing turns
out to be an
enthusiastic
seeker of the
Holy Grail,
which he believes
is not actually
a cup but instead
Mary Magdalene,
who was driven
away because
Jesus's followers
didn't want
to follow a
woman after
their leader
was killed.
Mary was pregnant
at the time,
and Teabing
tells Sophie
that a secret
society was
formed to protect
the descendants
of Jesus. Jacques
Saunière
was believed
to be a part
of this society
and Teabing
suspects that
he was training
Sophie to join
it also. Silas,
meanwhile, breaks
into Teabing's
mansion and
attempts to
steal the cryptex.
Teabing uses
his cane to
knock Silas
out and they
escape again,
taking the butler,
Remy Jean, and
Silas with them.
The group escapes
in Teabing's
plane, following
the next clue
to London.
The
small pyramid
beneath the
Inverse Glass
Pyramid removed
from underneath,
revealing that
there is no
chamber as shown
in the film's
closing scene.
It
is revealed
that Remy Jean
is actually
a follower of
The Teacher
as well, however
he is killed
by the mysterious
man after freeing
Silas. Silas
is attacked
by the police
and, in the
ensuing gunfire,
accidentally
shoots Bishop
Manuel Aringarosa.
In his grief,
Silas dies in
police-assisted
suicide and
Aringarosa is
taken to the
hospital, as
well as being
arrested by
Fache for betraying
him.
Langdon
is betrayed
by Teabing,
who is revealed
to be The Teacher.
Teabing explained
that he wanted
to find Mary
Magdalene's
remains to prove
he was correct
about the Holy
Grail and threatens
to shoot Sophie
if Langdon does
not crack the
code. Langdon
responds by
throwing the
cryptex into
the air. Teabing
catches it,
but drops it,
and it hits
the ground.
The vial of
vinegar breaks
and apparently
spreads onto
the document,
destroying it.
After
Teabing is arrested,
however it is
revealed that
Langdon had
cracked the
code ('Apple')
and removed
the clue from
the cryptex
before throwing
it. Using the
clue, they travel
to Rosslyn Chapel
in Scotland
where Magdalene's
remains had
previously been
hidden. There,
they meet other
members of the
secret organization
that protected
her. It is revealed
that Sophie
is actually
Magdalene's
descendant and
therefore is
the current
living descendant
of Jesus Christ.
They vow to
keep her safe.
Langdon and
Sophie part
ways shortly
after.
Back
in Paris, Langdon
accidentally
cuts himself
while shaving
and the line
of blood on
the sink reminds
him of the Rose
Line. He follows
the Rose Line
and finds the
location of
the Holy Grail,
buried under
the pyramid
in the Louvre.
Langdon then
kneels above
Mary Magdalene's
tomb as the
Knights Templar
did before him.