the one thing necessary

By Diogenes ( articles ) | May 17, 2006

In his Variety magazine review, Todd McCarthy is rough on the film version of The Da Vinci Code, and the crew that "conspired to drain any sense of fun out of the melodrama, leaving expectant audiences with an oppressively talky film.." But he does show respect for the best-selling novel by Dan Brown.

Or does he?

McCarthy certainly found the novel fascinating. He explains:

It's esoteric, heady stuff, made compelling only by the fact that what it's proposing undermines the fundamental tenants of Christianity, especially Roman Catholicism, and, by extension, Western Civilization for the past 2,000 years.

Please note the word "only" in that sentence. It's not the serpentine plot that sold 40+ million copies of the novel. It's not the cardboard characters or the stilted dialogue or the bumbling rush toward an implausible conclusion. The only reason The Da Vinci Code has commanded public attention is its attack on Christian orthodoxy. Or, if you prefer, its attack on Western civilization.

Lenin predicted that when the time came for their hanging, capitalists would happily sell rope to their executioners. Variety, the trade publication of the Hollywood set, grasps the principle.