Have your say - Page 3

No cuts, but Da Vinci to carry disclaimer

Onkar Singh in New Delhi | May 18, 2006 16:08 IST

After watching the controversial film Da Vinci Code at a special show in New Delhi on Thursday, the Censor Board has cleared the film with an 'Adult' certificate.

The film has been cleared without cuts, but it will carry a disclaimer at the beginning and at the end.

Leaders of the Christian community in India had asked for a disclaimer, an 'Adult' certificate and some cuts before the film is released in theatres in India on Friday.

The religious leaders watched director Ron Howard's latest film in New Delhi on Wednesday and met in the capital on Thursday to give their joint response to Information and Broadcasting Minister Priyaranjan Das Munsi.

Dan Brown's best-selling novel Da Vinci Code has now been adapted on screen and stars Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Alfred Molina, Ian McKellen and Paul Bettany. The movie has raked up much controversy worldwide. In India, Christian and Muslim groups have demanded that the film should be banned. As it prepares to release on May 19, rediff.com presents our take on the Da Vinci Code and the controversy that swirls around the film. Slide Shows Da Vinci: The reviews Da Vinci, in Cannes Secrets of the Da Vinci Code The Bible: Still inspiring Hollywood Features No cuts, but da Vinci to carry disclaimer What's the da Vinci fuss about? Da Vinci on hold for another day Bishops want to withhold release Ban Da Vinci Code: Muslims Da Vinci Code author in lawsuit Da Vinci Code? What a Yawn! Message Board Should Da Vinci Code be banned? Buy the book! Dan Brown's Da Vinci Code, right here on rediff! External Links The Official Site Cryptophile, the official secrets Da Vinci Facts Ian McKellen discusses the Code Oxford University Press: Da Vinci Errors

No way, this movie should not be banned at any cost.

the story of this novel is extremely interesting... if itd be banned in India, then damn... we'd be missing out on good info. people shouldnt take anything to heart. It has a lot of information to give

but the movies already releasing tomorrow in India, isnt it?

'Da Vinci Code' suggest boycotts don't work
Do they just draw more attention to the work in question?

The Associated Press
Updated: 8:41 p.m. ET May 11, 2006


A senior Vatican official has called for a boycott of "The Da Vinci Code," while the Council of Churches in Jordan and Roman Catholic activists in India want their governments to ban the film altogether.

But what's notable in the U.S. — where the film's release next week has believers of many denominations nervous and angry — is that boycotts are taking a back seat to anti-"Da Vinci" books and teaching sessions about the Gospels.

Some religious commentators figure that movie boycotts make Christians look bad and don't accomplish much. Even Opus Dei, the Catholic organization that's villainously portrayed in Dan Brown's story, is going for educational outreach.

"It seems that boycotts are becoming less and less effective," said Bob Waliszewski of the conservative Focus on the Family, whose pluggedinonline.com media guide draws 1 million visits a month.

The practical problem with boycotts, and even harsh criticism of a film, is that it winds up drawing more attention to the movie in question, they figure.

An Opus Dei leader cited attacks on Mel Gibson's "The Passion of the Christ" as one reason his community was bypassing a boycott. And while the gay-themed "Brokeback Mountain" irked some conservative groups, commentator Dick Rolfe of the Dove Foundation, which encourages production of family-friendly films, cautioned last year that: "If Christians protest too loudly, they can end up making the mistake of calling attention to a movie that otherwise may not do very well at the box office."

Another problem, said Christian media consultant Phil Cooke, is that so many entertainment offerings denigrate faith that believers would need to "set up a permanent boycott office underneath the Hollywood sign."

Movie boycotts basically don't work, says Bob Waliszewski of Focus on the Family, though protests can sometimes kill TV shows because advertisers don't want to offend consumers.

What has believers across the theological spectrum upset about "Da Vinci" is the idea that the film will echo Brown's novel by having scholarly characters dismiss the Bible and church teachings about Jesus as fraudulent. The plot also revolves around Jesus marrying Mary Magdalene, and a conspiracy to cover their union. "Da Vinci" director Ron Howard has rejected pleas for an on-screen disclaimer labeling the tale as fiction.

Advocates of a box-office boycott include Archbishop Angelo Amato, No. 2 in the Vatican's doctrine office, and India's Catholic Secular Forum. Jordan's Council of Churches said "Da Vinci" contradicts both the Bible and Islam's Quran.

In America, one person suggesting an alternative is Barbara Nicolosi, whose Act One trains Christians in entertainment careers. She's promoting an "othercott" through her "churchofthemasses" blog: Believers are to purposely attend Disney's "Over the Hedge" to bump "Da Vinci" from first place in opening weekend box office.

Otherwise, church groups are sponsoring an unprecedented avalanche of pre-emptive Web sites, broadcasts, sermons, books, pamphlets, panel discussions, news conferences and ads.

Retired University of Missouri-Kansas City professor Gregory Black says boycotting was once a more potent threat. His book "The Catholic Crusade Against the Movies" recounts the story of the Catholic bishops' Legion of Decency, founded in 1934.

The group controlled sexual and other offensive content for more than two decades by monitoring forthcoming films and threatening to direct millions of parishioners to shun unacceptable fare.

These days, cultural changes and new channels of movie distribution make boycotts much more difficult, he said. Besides, "boycotts generally have driven people to the box office."

Ironical that I saw this thread just as I got back from watching the movie. Honestly, I found this book one of the most interesting books I've read in recent times and the movie is probably the best adaption of the book. I dont think any other director could have done what the current director did.

I dont think it should be banned for many reasons. It is a controversial topic but it doesnt put down Christ in anyway. It might make the vatican look bad, but then again, Fahrenhiet 9 11 made G. Bush seem like a fool, The Great Robbery made the TTD (Tirupati Tirumala Devasthanams) seem like incapable when they showed the robbery of the diamond necklace from Shri Venkateshwara swami. Movies, Novels are works of fiction and in fiction it is a matter of some one's opinion.

One thing is for sure, whether you agree with Dan Brown or not, no one in the world who has read the book was able to ignore him. A clear proof of that is that if you to any Barnes and Nobles, you will see so many books analyzing the Da Vinci's code. Suddenly, people are beginning to take interest in Phi and the Math in nature. I have always been fascinated by Math in nature, but that book forced me to read more about it.

I dont see how banning the movie will h elp it. It is India we are talking about, people will get ways around to watch it. And what is the harm in watching the movie? Its a great learning experience. I never knew so much about christianity till I read that book. I neither agree or disagree with it but atleast that got me in contact with another religion which I think is a good thing. Also, that book is so well written that till the end you have no idea what is going to happen. The movie has done full justice to the book.

If Da Vinci Code should be banned because its controversial, so are a lot of movies that are still released. Harry Potter is one classic example.I had read somewhere that many christian missionaries are against harry potter because it defies some principles of christianity, but nonetheless these movies are released and are world wide hits. So banning them isnt the solution. Its these movies that encourage the educated classes atleast to go and surf the net for something productive and learn something new.

Till date, very few authors have forced me to sit with a pencil in my hand underlining interesting points and stuff I never knew!

No, this movie should not be banned.

DA VINCI CODE FACING MORE OPPOSITION FROM ASIAN CATHOLICS



One day after The Da Vinci Code opened in China, the Catholic church in that country called for "all believers not to watch it." The official Xinhua news agency quoted Zhang Shijiang, editor-in-chief of the Catholic newspaper Jinde Weekly, as saying, "It treats our religion in an unscientific way ... The contents contained in the movie have insulted and distorted our sacred faith. ... [and] should not be allowed the chance to hurt followers' feelings." Meanwhile, Sony pulled the film from release in India this weekend after the country's censor board delayed approval. It now expects to release the film on May 26. And in Thailand, a decision by the censorship board to remove the final 10 minutes of the movie has outraged many non-Catholics. Today's (Friday) edition of the Bangkok Post features a full page of letters to the editor about the decision, one of them writing, "How can the general public, the majority of whom are Buddhists, be forced to accept such an absurd decision." Another wrote, "I am a Catholic, but I do not want my church ... deciding what I can watch, read or think." Another wrote that he had been looking forward to seeing the film "but I will not see a censored version." Yet another said that he was happy to have been able to read the novel before the last 30 pages had "been torn out by an Inquisition."



19/05/2006

woah shit! u did alot of research 😆


i think it shudn't be banned becuase..the ppl that dont wanna watch it..can simply save thier money..and hold on to their beliefs nice and safely and watch kal ho na ho at home ...but the rest of the indian population that have beliefs stong enough that a fiction move cant simply break..and actully want to watch it ..then its a good movie..its money and time well spent..

Originally posted by: Sabira

woah shit! u did alot of research 😆


i think it shudn't be banned becuase..the ppl that dont wanna watch it..can simply save thier money..and hold on to their beliefs nice and safely and watch kal ho na ho at home ...but the rest of the indian population that have beliefs stong enough that a fiction move cant simply break..and actully want to watch it ..then its a good movie..its money and time well spent..

Thanks for taking time to visit.

Please check this out (IF) member's and I am positive you all will love it.

RELETED POST: Retro Cafe : Don't miss it!!!

Hello all – the Retro Caf – the IF Podcast series is back with another Blast from the past: Retro caf Episode #8: Madan Mohan Special!!!

For those who came late - IF Podcast:

Why subscribe?

1^st It's FREE!!!

2^nd The new podcast episode will be automatically downloaded to your machine

What is Podcast?

Podcasts are like On-Demand radio channel, MP3 files - downloaded using Apple iTune S/W (free)

More on podcast from Wikipedia (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Podcast)

How to subscribe to Retro Caf and other IF Podcasts?

Step 1

Download FREE Apple iTune software (if you don't have it already) from:

Step 2

Click on this button to subscribe to IF podcasts:

OR

Open iTunes Select Menu > Advanced > Subscribe to Podcast
1. Enter : URL Not Available

You are now subscribed to the podcast.

Also you can subscribe through Yahoo Podcast here:

Nagaland bans Da Vinci Code

K Anurag in Guwahati | May 24, 2006 20:45 IST

There are mixed responses from Christian majority hill states in the Northeast to the controversial, headline-hogging Ron Howard film, The Da Vinci Code

While Mizoram, where the Church has strong influence over both the society and polity, is game to wait and watch, Nagaland is not willing to take any chances while Meghalaya is at loss about what to do with the film.

The minority Christian population in Arunachal Pradesh, however, sounds unhappy over the movie's depiction of Christ being a married man with an existing bloodline.

Notwithstanding the decision of the Central Board of Film Certification (CBFC) of India to clear the film with an 'A' certificate, the Nagaland government has decided to prohibit screening of the movie as well as ban the novel on which the film has been made.

The Nagaland cabinet, expressing serious concerns about the CBFC go-ahead for screening the film, has decided to keep its option open for imposing a ban on the film in the hill state.

Nagaland government has issued an 'advisory' to all the cinema hall owners, video parlours and cable operators not to receive, distribute or screen the film in any form in Nagaland.

Not only that, the Nagaland government has also decided to ban the Dan Brown novel in the state and appealed to all booksellers, stockiest, distributors, individual readers not to sell, buy, distribute or read the novel in the state.

The Nagaland cabinet was of the view that while the Ron Howard's film is, 'blasphemous and offensive' for portraying Jesus Christ and Christian in a 'objectionable' manner, Dan Brown's novel The Da Vinci Code is an assault on Christianity.

However, Church leaders in Mizoram have preferred to wait and see. The Mizos have apparently remained cool towards the film that has raked up a global controversy.

Mizoram-based Christian scholar Rev Chuauthuama said that the book or film should not have much affect on life of Mizo people. He said he had read the book and that the main story was based on Gnostic beliefs.

Superintendent of the United Pentecostal Church (NE), Rev R Lalrinsanga said, ''The book and film was derogatory towards Christians." Rev C Ngurhnema of the Mizoram Baptist Church said, ''Although I have not read the book, I know what it is all about. I believe the book to be a challenge to the Christian beliefs.''

In addition, the Christians of Arunachal Pradesh are not pleased. The Arunachal Christian Forum (ACF) has taken strong exception to the Censor Board decision to release the controversial film in India and called for a review.