NOVEL VS MOVIE - (3) THE DA VINCI CODE

NOVEL : The Da Vinci Code (2003) By Dan Brown

MOVIE: The Da Vinci Code (2006) By Ron Howard

CHARACTERS – Jacques Sauniere, Robert Langdon, Sophie Neveu, Silas, Sir Leigh Teabing. 

GENRE – Adventure/Thriller

The Plot

Harvard Symbologist Robert Langdon is awakened by a phone call in Paris. The Curator of the Louvre has been murdered inside the museum, and he has baffled his body with various symbols which he knew would be visible to all but could be deciphered only by Robert Langdon & French Cryptologist Sophie Neveu. There starts the race throughout the castles and cathedrals of Europe. Adding spice to the story, the late curator, had preserved with him an ancient breathtaking secret, which Langdon and Sophie tries to trace and finally accomplish it. 

Character Analysis:

Langdon’s knowledge about the symbols, religions, history, the interconnected relations between them makes one spellbound. He is likable, good-hearted and trust worthy. When Sophie wonders how she would all alone trace the secret, Langdon assures her that he will be by her side. Sophie replies, “Just because you will be there with me, Jacques Sauniere has connected both of us to search The Holy Grail”. It is really hard for me to believe Robert Langdon is a fictional character, who was portrayed by Tom Hanks in the movie.The character was created by Dan Brown as a fictional alter ego of himself or "the man he wishes he could be" (Source : Wikipedia)

Sophie is a unique character, quick-wit, agile, caring and compassionate. She hints Langdon to escape the murder case as he was the prime suspect to the eyes of French Police. She is highly motivated to solve the mystery as her grandfather was the one who was murdered. She tries linking the childhood puzzles her grandfather ever gave her and continues her journey of the mystery along with Langdon. She is a self-motivated woman, who does what she wants no matter what others tell. 

My Review :

International Bestseller. 18 Million copies sold in the last decade. 

I read this book when I was in tenth grade. Of late, I got to watch the movie. It’s been adapted extremely well. It is not that easy to convert a novel to a movie especially when it describes about the entire ancient history way back from the period of Jesus.  I felt the story so real as if it was happening in front of me. The entire race through Europe for the search of the secret, happening in a single day is unbelievable yet interesting. Dan Brown has well connected himself with the readers through his simple language and crisp chapters. The alternative chapters’(Alternate scenes in the movie) talks about different incidents at different places and finally everything gets correlated. Sir Leigh Teabing’s character is worth noticing. Starting from his warm welcome till his gun point at the protagonists, there are so many twists and turns in the story and every chapter unfolds a thrill. When Langdon and Sophie find out the secret during their journey, Langdon finally figures out the location of the Grail. 

Absolutely worth a watch and worth a read! 

Rating 4.7/5