I have just seen this, and I can say I know more than I did before watching it. I was curious as to what this Da Vinci code was, and I hadn't read the book/s on the subject, so I thought this would be a good way of finding out. The documentary satisfies this to some degree, but it also falls down in a number of areas.
First, the narration: The narrator was very hard to follow, as he often seemed to rush words and paragraphs together, and his pronunciation of place names was incorrect in some places at least. The information conveyed in the narration was not necessarily that helpful or illuminating.
Also, the promised contents stated on the blurb of the DVD were somewhat misleading. The Dan Brown "interview" was merely an audio clip of him speaking about his book/the issues - nothing like a face-to-face interview, where the viewer can see the speaker and make some sense of who the person is, and their body language. That said, it was good to hear from the author himself and not merely have him talked about.
The documentary speaks to four experts on the subject of Da Vinci and the gnostic connections of the European hidden orders, such as the Knights Templar. There was a subtext here which seemed to imply that those interested in this subject are or should be rebellious or "alternative". Maybe that is a minor point. Again, I have to qualify this and say I was impressed with the seriousness and clarity of points made as the documentary progressed. I was particularly impressed with Dr Hoeller's impressions on the subject.
Visually, this program was beautifully done. The locale shots and some of the camera angles/editing seemed to make the work buoyant. The background music was dramatic, perhaps a little too overpowering - moments of silence I think are as valuable to drama and contemplation as a musical presence.
Lastly, I think you will get something out of this, but I also recommend doing your own background reading.
First, the narration: The narrator was very hard to follow, as he often seemed to rush words and paragraphs together, and his pronunciation of place names was incorrect in some places at least. The information conveyed in the narration was not necessarily that helpful or illuminating.
Also, the promised contents stated on the blurb of the DVD were somewhat misleading. The Dan Brown "interview" was merely an audio clip of him speaking about his book/the issues - nothing like a face-to-face interview, where the viewer can see the speaker and make some sense of who the person is, and their body language. That said, it was good to hear from the author himself and not merely have him talked about.
The documentary speaks to four experts on the subject of Da Vinci and the gnostic connections of the European hidden orders, such as the Knights Templar. There was a subtext here which seemed to imply that those interested in this subject are or should be rebellious or "alternative". Maybe that is a minor point. Again, I have to qualify this and say I was impressed with the seriousness and clarity of points made as the documentary progressed. I was particularly impressed with Dr Hoeller's impressions on the subject.
Visually, this program was beautifully done. The locale shots and some of the camera angles/editing seemed to make the work buoyant. The background music was dramatic, perhaps a little too overpowering - moments of silence I think are as valuable to drama and contemplation as a musical presence.
Lastly, I think you will get something out of this, but I also recommend doing your own background reading.