In the film, the characters enter the Chapel by the west door and replica walls were created and temporarily put in place to keep the scaffolding out of view (see image above).Īfter filming, Tom Hanks said: ‘Few locations in film are so delightful and few destinations live up to their billing, but Rosslyn Chapel was all one could imagine or hope for.’ Most of the interior scenes of the Chapel were filmed here, and the main actors Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, were on site for a few days.
The aerial view of the Chapel in the film was based on a one-sixth scale model, specially created, because the Chapel itself was under scaffolding at the time. In 2006, a film was made, based on the book. It is estimated that 81 million copies of the book have been published, making it one of the most popular of all time. In the story, the main characters, Robert Langdon and Sophie Neveu, investigate a murder in the Louvre and, in doing so, follow a set of clues to unravel a mystery, taking them to London and then to Rosslyn Chapel. Rosslyn Chapel came to worldwide prominence through The Da Vinci Code, a novel written by Dan Brown, which was published in 2003. The Da Vinci Code is the 2006 feature film adaptation of the Dan Brown bestseller of the same name.Tom Hanks stars as Robert Langdon, a Harvard University professor in symbology, who is requested to use his expertise to decipher the mysterious signs found at the murder of the curator of the Louvre in Paris. ‘Rosslyn Chapel was all one could imagine or hope for.’ Stay tuned.‘When I decided to write The Da Vinci Code, I knew that its finale would have to take place at the most mysterious and magical chapel on earth - Rosslyn.’
Now, Hollywood wouldn’t make a movie, ‘The Protocols of the Elders of Zion,’ which is notoriously anti-Semitic….”ĭonohue made hay with the remark of John Calley, the film’s co-producer, who recently admitted that the movie is “anti-Catholic.” Donohue said, “I love it when he did that, because it’s no longer Bill Donohue saying this movie is anti-Catholic.” That sure does seem to settle the issue. What he’s trying to say is that this whole thing is a ruse. As he said to Zahn, “We have 25 accounts in the Gospels, and 40 in the New Testament talking about the divinity of Jesus Christ. And I don’t like it when they’re playing fast and loose with my church, making up lies about the Catholic Church.”ĭonohue’s biggest objection is the book’s questioning of the divinity of Jesus. I didn’t like it with Oliver Stone, I didn’t like it with Alex Haley. It’s either a documentary or it’s a drama. When he was interviewed by Paula Zahn on CNN, Donohue outlined his concerns: “I don’t like the genre of docudrama. The story, which involves the secrets of a religious society hidden within the works of Leonardo Da. You’re going to incur the wrath of the Catholic League.” The movie version of Dan Brown's bestselling novel The Da Vinci Code arrives in theaters May 19. This is why Donohue said, “You want to play it both ways and tell us this is an admixture of fact and fiction.
Though the book was marketed as a novel, author Dan Brown maintained in interviews that it is based on historical truth. In his August 10 appearance on NBC’s “Today” show, Donohue mentioned that he wrote to the movie’s director, Ron Howard, back in March requesting that a disclaimer be put in the beginning of the movie saying it is a work of fiction. No matter, major media outlets are already tapping Bill Donohue to jump into the fray he did so with interviews on the “Today” show and on “Paula Zahn Now.” The movie, which is based on the best-selling book, is not scheduled to be released until May 2006. England’s famous Westminster Abbey has refused to allow Columbia pictures the right to use its cathedral, saying it would be “inappropriate” to allow filming. Not a single frame has been shot in the film version of “The Da Vinci Code” and already it is the source of controversy.