Search - Beyond the Da Vinci Code (History Channel) on DVD

"tends to leave the answers up to the reader"

mwreview | Northern California, USA | 11/19/2006

(3 out of 5 stars)

"Towards the end of this documentary the narrator states, "In the final analysis, Dan Brown's book seems to raise many questions, but tends to leave the answers up to the reader." That pretty much sums up this DVD as well. I bought this in a special offer pack with the movie and I am glad I did because, watching this documentary first, I became familiar with symbols, places, and ideas that I probably would not have been able to follow watching the movie having never read the novel. I did not come away from this documentary thinking the creators are on the side of the conspirators as some reviewers here think. It explains the side of the conspiracy but it also knocks down a lot of their evidence, i.e. that the SP on the window of the Rosslyn Chapel stands for Saint Peter, not the Priory of Scion, that the Rose line is not what conspiracy theorists claim it is, etc. Representatives from Opus Dei also defend their group in this DVD.

As with the film, there is no information on Sara (Mary Magdelene and Jesus's alleged daughter). Isn't she the one supposedly carrying the bloodline? Isn't she really more important than Mary Magdelene? Perhaps there is no information that exists on her but those on the side of the conspiracy seem to know she had children and thus continued the bloodline. How do they know this?

What I did not like about this DVD is how repetitive it is. The same footage and quotes over and over again. I got so sick of seeing the actor playing Jesus putting his hand on the actress portraying Mary Magdelene's pregnant belly I began just looking away every time it was shown. This documentary could have been just an hour long and been much more interesting and effective in explaining the sides of the Da Vinci Code controversy."

Myth as "fact"

Mark Kittell | Seattle, WA United States | 12/02/2006

(2 out of 5 stars)

"I saw this program on the History Channel, and while of its programming is generally objective and non-sensationalistic, the Da Vinci Code is not one of them. So-called scholars frequently refer to events "according to legend and myth" and the narrator tells us "if true" then treats such and such as if it were true. The basic facts are these: even in the Gnostic gospels, there is nothing that suggests that Jesus and Mary Magdalene were married, merely one or two references that suggest they may have been more than passing acquaintances, nothing more. One, claims believers in the myth, points to the alleged "envy" the Disciples felt in regard to Jesus supposed relationship to her. But it doesn't make any sense that they should be so if she was in fact his wife; a more plausible explanation would be the confusion the felt over what they saw as Jesus' unwarranted attention to what they saw as a "sinner."
There is also no reference anywhere to a child; the fact that believers of this myth assume that it is a female suggests that there is a political agenda fueling this. Furthermore, that believers in this myth also imagine themselves to be one of perhaps millions of "descendents" of Jesus lends itself to easy bemusement.
For a slightly more objective view, try the National Geographic video; it has a special feature in which each of the Da Vinci Code "proofs" are shown to fall into one of three categories: fraud, forgery, and wild imagination.
"

This movie was very helpful in finding the facts

T. Ponshock | camp lejeune, nc | 06/28/2006

(4 out of 5 stars)

"This movie was very helpful in finding the facts. yet, it also provided information about the fiction. Both sides were fairly represented while also letting the viewer know when real factual evidence was available and when it wasn't. Not all of my questions were answered, but that is just history for you....all the questions that could be answered were in this movie, and those left unanswered showed both sides to the story.....i would recommend this movie for those who are confused about the davinci code or who just want to learn a few things regarding the da vinci code."

EXPANDING AWARENESS

Reader | USA | 10/26/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This Da Vinci Bundle is a great choice to expand one's awareness, from the educational point of view it's priceless. "Da Vinci And the Code He Lived By" mostly tells us about this great man of all times, whose genius reaches beyond the centuries. "Beyond The Da Vinci Code" may challenge one's religious beliefs, yet it allows everyone to decide truth for themselves. I recommend!"