Film Analysis: The Da Vinci Code

The Da Vinci Code, written by Dan Brown, follows cryptologist Sophie Neveu and symbologist Robert Langdon as they rediscover Sophie’s grandfather’s life-long secret. Three years after the release of the book, a movie, directed by Ron Howard, was released following the same story. The Da Vinci Code follows the aftermath of the murder of Jacques Sauniėre. In his final moments Sauniėre creates an intricate code that leads all who are worthy to his life-long kept secret, the Holy Grail. French police cryptologist Sophie Neveu, who’s Jacques Sauniėre’s granddaughter, and american cryptologist Robert Langdon, who’s falsely framed for the murder, follow the coded clues. Along the way they unravel thousands of years of Catholic Church history and

The movie uses extreme close-up shots frequently. These shots highlight facial expressions made, which draws the audience into the scene. An extreme close up is also frequently used when the cryptex is being fuddled with. This shot is able show the all detail and precision that was put into crafting the object. The craftsmanship makes the cryptex seem very important. The shot also insures that the audience realizes how much time and effort is going into solving the cryptex, because there isn’t anything else in these shots. Another angle that is often used is a birds-eye-view shot. This shot is used often at the crime scene. It’s helpful in this instance because it allows the whole scene, with all the clues to be shown at once. The angle is also representative of how someone in heaven see the space if they looked down. These bird-eye-view shots are also often used when Sophie and Robert enter a church, or other sacred space. The idea behind the use of these shots is very similar; if God were watching, He’d see it from above. It’s in these sacred spaces that some of the most significant moments happen. When Neveu and Langdon are in Westminster Abbey fighting Teabing, the shot that shows Langdon finally opening the cryptex is an aerial shot. These moments are when God may have helped guide Langdon in order to save his and Neveu’s life along with Sauniėre’s