Search - Unlocking DaVinci's Code on DVD

Delivers as promised .....

Rudolf Spoerer | Weston, FL United States | 10/21/2004

(5 out of 5 stars)

"If you are a fan of Dan Brown and have read 'The Da Vinci Code' or 'Demons and Angels' then you will cxertainly enjoy this DVD.


This work deals primarily with the items of interest in the Dan Brown Book, the Teamplars, the Free Masons, The Society of Scion and that inevitable search for the 'Holy Grail' There is discussion of the painting of the Last Supper by Da Vinci and also the famous sketch of a man in a circle with outstreched arms explaining the mathematics of the human body so ingeniously discovered by Da Vinci, but, the DVD itslf doesn't deal with Da Vinci's works for more than maybe one quarter of the total film since it's more about the hidden messages and 'codes' rather than the works itself ....


Actually it's an intellectual discussion of the origins of the Bible as well for those of us that have not had the time to take those univerity electives such as Chrsitian Doctrine 101....


Patrick MacNee, an aged 'Mr. Steed', now where can Emma Peel be ... OK ... anyway Patrick MacNee narrates the DVD and as can be expected does a good job ....


I certainly enjoyed the DVD and it made me think and marvel about all those things I don't really know ..... Loved it!"

Unlocking Who Made This Horrid "Documentary"...

Cecilia | 04/18/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"...and I use the term in the broadest sense of the word. Not only is this thing (for I refuse to use the word documentary to describe it anymore)poorly crafted, but also poorly constructed and conceived.

(One star is too good for this debaucle of a film)

Here are the problems:

1.First, the most basic level...this film is not masterfully executed. The re-enactments are completely unrealistic. They are so bad, I couldn't concentrate on the film because I was laughing so hard at the bad wigs ect. In one scene, a 'Templar Knight' in a goofy wig was toying with the fakest sword I ever saw in my life while. Also, I think he forgot to take his watch off. Unless, Templars wore Wal-Mart watches...it's possible, I guess. Wal-Mart is everywhere. Oh and about 4 actors play 20 different characters. That's right, so the guy who plays the pope in one re-enactment scene also plays '3rd Templar from the right' and 'random old man in the background' in different scenes. The result: you can't tell who is who.

Another technical faux pas:
One of the interviews was conducted outside. No problem, right? Wrong. Because in the middle of it, birds begin to squawk and squeal so loudly, you can't hear the interview. Any other film maker would have re-done the interview. But apparently, not this one. Oh no!

2. "Experts"- First of all, I know more about this subject than some of the clowns trying to pass themselves off as experts on this film. And that's not saying much people. One of these faux intellectuals kept getting three different religious orders confused and therefore attributes histories and the like to the wrong groups. Best case scenario: he was a little confused. Worst case scenario: he doesn't know what he's talking about. So, I guess it's just as well that the birds kept talking over this guy. They probably know more about the Templars than he does.

3. There isn't a natural progression of topics in the film. It goes off on tangents without proper subject introduction and therefore doesn't flow well.

4. It provides a very sensationalist view of the topic. Few relevant texts are quoted (and when they are, they are poorly annotated). It relies too heavily on implication and too little on fact , causing a suspicious imbalance in the film's argument.

I recommend this to teachers who wish to show their students an example of how not to make a documentary.

Bottom line people: if you want to unlock the secrets of the Da Vinci Code, I suggest you read books on the subject instead of depending on bad film makers' pseudo intellectual efforts to indoctrinate you. Do some research and make up your own mind. But if you ARE too lazy to read, then I recommend the PBS documentary `From Jesus to Christ' as it employs a much more scholarly approach to exploring similar and related themes.
"

Choppy, Hard To Follow. Need Prerequisite

Otto Yuen | Toronto, ON Canada | 12/28/2004

(3 out of 5 stars)

"
Yes, there's a prerequisite. Read Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code" before this DVD.

If you have never read the book but only interested in Leonardo Da Vinci's secrets, you will have a hard time to follow this video. The DVD shows some interesting and unobvious things on couple Da Vinci's paintings like Mona Lisa and the Last Supper, but it does not provide more futher details. Instead, it jumps incoherently to different choppy topics like Vitruvian Man, Priory of Sion, Berebger Saunier, Rosslyn Chapel, and the New Testament, etc. If you read Dan Brown's book "The Da Vinci Code", on the contrary, you will find the DVD quite informative because the topics discussed in the video are directly related to the subjects in the book. Too obvious, this DVD is a side product from the hype of Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code".

The total runtime of this DVD is about 60 mintues. No subtitle nor closed caption is provided. Here's the list of the scene index:
1. Patrick Macnee Intro
2. Renaissance Clues
3. Priory of Sion
4. The Templar Knights
5. The Cathars
6. The Holy Grail
7. Berenger Sauniere
8. The Rosslyn Chapel
9. Christianity Through The Years
10. The New Testament
11. Closing

*** Otto Yuen's DVD Special Rating for Unlocking Da Vinci's Code ***
1. Film Rewatchability: MEDIUM-HIGH
2. DVD Featurability: VERY WEAK
3. Picture Quality: GOOD
4. Sound Quality: GOOD

(Reviewed by Otto Yuen, 28-Dec-2004)
"

DaVinci's Code sketchy

Geraldine Bennett | Northern New York | 01/14/2005

(4 out of 5 stars)

"There was not enough actual information presented to satisfy my curiosity. Where can we get more information on this subject? This should have been included in the DVD, in my opinion. Gnosticism is a subject of interest that I felt should have been expanded on, or at least more information leading to further study of this subject of the lasted finds should have been presented. The graphics and pictorial presentations were well worth viewing the DVD. The sight mentioned at the end www.crystalent.com only contains names of other material, but not where to obtain them, so I searched amazon.com which lead to this comment. Give us more...."