Has the DVC Bubble Finally Burst?

Paris is very much the subject of the day, what with the release of the DVC and tonight's epic match between Arsenal and Barcelona at the Stade de France (the BBC even spoke of the need for Arsenal to 'crack the Barcelona code').

The good news is that - at least momentarily - it seems that the DVC bubble has burst. After all the hype, the initial response to the film at Cannes has been decidedly unenthusiastic. According to reports, critics grumbled that the film was too long (at 148 minutes) and too jumbled. One supreme moment came when Tom Hanks (playing Professor Robert Langdon) looked at Audrey Tautou (Sophie Neveau) and said 'You're the heir! You are the last descendant of Jesus Christ!' As Stephanie Bunbury of Australia's The Age puts it, 'at that point, 900 weary critics laughed as one. After a couple of hours of leap-frogging plot adorned with swelling music and fancy camera angles, there had to be some relief.'

Critics can see through the mumbo-jumbo of the plot, but this is not necessarily the case for millions of cinema-goers. That's why it's imperative for the Church (individually and collectively) to continue its defensive offensive against the central premises of the film. Just by looking at the trailers (which include a scene of Our Lord kissing Mary Magdalen), it is obvious that the film is highly objectionable and potentially harmful, especially for those who are poorly catechised. But I don't need to tell you this and I won't write any more since it only adds to the hype.

By the way, when it comes to the Cannes Film Festival, I'm more excited by Sofia Coppola's Marie-Antoinette (starring Kirsten Dunst as the French Queen). Walking around Paris these last few days, it had just as much publicity as the DVC. We'll have to see what the reviewers say!