I have read both novels and enjoyed them thoroughly and am quite
anxious to see the upcoming film adaptation with Tom Hanks. I have
some comments and then a couple of questions. Regarding the Da Vinci
Code, I have read comments on various blogs that seem to be running
60-40 in favor of the film especially with Ron Howard's selection of
Tom Hanks to play Langdon. I am utterly surprised by the 40% who seem
to cut Mr. Hanks no slack at all saying he is either too old to be
believable or that he doesn't present himself as a deep thinker or
analyst or he doesn't portray a seductive personality. This seems to
me a bunch of bunk! People seem to want either a young Harrison Ford
or even George Clooney. Granted, we all would be just as satisfied
with either of these terrific actors, but the fact remains, there is
no longer a young Harrison Ford.When they were honoring George Lucas
last summer, Harrison made a plea to Steven Spielberg to please get
started on the next and last Indiana Jones flick or he would be too
old to play Sean Connery's son! As far as George Clooney is concerned,
I personally think he comes off too much as a "dandy" much like Andrew
Jackson's successor Martin Van Buren. Anyway, back to Hanks. I don't
know his age, but if Langdon is supposed to be 40, I have no doubt
that Hollywood makeup will make that a mute item. On the other hand,
if the age factor centers around his maturity, attitude, physical
nature, again, I can't imagine that a star of his quality and the
versatility of his acting ability will impede his capability to
perform at the top of his game. Remember, we are talking about an
actor who won back to back Oscars playing such divergent roles as
Forest Gump and a gay lawyer in Philadelphia. Sure, he gained his
foothold in Hollywood playing the charming character in such light
romantic comedies as "Big","Sleepless in Seattle", "You've Got Mail".
And don't forget, this guy is so good and genuine that if the Academy
so chose, he could be easily the most Oscar awarded actor of all time.
I daresay if he hadn't won the back to backs, his performances in
"Appollo 13", "Saving Private Ryan", and the mobster movie a couple of
years ago, which I can't recall at this time, certainly put him in
contention. I believe he was nominated for best performance by an
actor in a leading role in all three films. But, the Academy is not
yet ready to replace Jack Nicholson as numero uno, probably not till
he sells his Lakers' courtside seats and removes those ridiculous
sunglasses. The other point I would make in rebuttal to Hanks' critics
is the assertion that he doesnt't come off well in the area of
seduction. Other than his light flirtations with Meg Ryan which I
admit were handled very innocently, he certainly has not played a role
in a steamy romance with an R rating. But, unless I missed something,
I don't recall any hot romance scenes in "The DaVinci Code." The movie
didn't call for that sort of distraction. Talk about ruining a driving
mystery/drama, a sex scene between Hanks and his leading lady would
certainly throw the movie off track. Believe me, if Brown put such
activity in his novel, we would not be here talking today. Now, that
isn't meant to say that a very close connection was developing between
the two, but it was done with such taste that it became a very good
secondary plot to keep the audience attentive to the end. It was
certainly more serious than a Meg Ryan relationship, but again done
with the taste you would expect from a scholar like Langdon. My only
criticism of Hanks' looks came as the result of viewing the trailor.
It looked as though he could have used a haircut; my vision of Langdon
from the book had him with a more traditional cut with a definite part
similar to the late JFK. Finally, there has been some criticism of Dan
Brown, personally. Under the FAQ section of his website, he answers
questions about where reality in his novels stops and fiction begins.
I think his answers were accurate and anyone could check them out if
they were so inclined. Also, he has been interviewed on TV and makes
no claims that his books are anything but fiction, even though there
are many elements which are documented as facts. He does not promote
the idea that Jesus was married and had a son. he merely used ancient
facts(it is a fact that in the 16th century Galileo and Copernicus as
well as others were persecuted by the Catholic Church for their
beliefs about the universe. It is a fact that Galileo was
excommunicated from the church. Curious, but much of Galileo's as well
as Copernicus' theories are part of our universal belief system today.
We would not have gotten to the moon without them. So, who was right?
The Church? I don't think so.) In any event, given this criteria, do
you think from your experiences with the book and any news regarding
its filming period including actor, actress, director rapport that the
movie will be a hit? With all the notoriety and publicity, I can't
imagine anything but long lines at the box office in May. My second
question deals with Brown's other novel, "Angels and Demons". Even
though it hasn't experienced the same popularity as "DaVinci",
undoubtedly because it preceeded the latter, I actually found the
story more mysterious and quite a bit more of a thriller. Are you
aware of any efforts to make it into a movie also or will whatever
success "DaVinci" has be the thermometer? Thank you. |
