Donohue attacks Brown for incorporating well-known conspiracy theories in his books, such as in 'Demons' where it is said the Catholic Church massacred members of the Illuminati -- a short-lived secret society composed of the power elite -- in the 1600s. In reality, the group did not exist until 1776.
"It would be a lie if we had ever suggested our movie is anything other than a work of fiction (if it were a documentary, our talk of massacres would have referenced the Inquisition or the Crusades)," Howard responds. "And if fictional movies could never take liberties with reality, then there would have been no 'Ben-Hur,' no 'Barabbas,' 'The Robe,' 'Gone With The Wind,' or 'Titanic.' Not to mention 'Splash!'"
Howard finds one thing that he and Donohue have in common: "we both like to create fictional tales, as he has done with his silly and mean-spirited work of propaganda."
"Since Mr. Donohue has, in effect, smeared me by claiming I am smearing his Church, I want him to know this: I have respect for Catholics and their Church, and know they accomplish many good works throughout the world."
"And I believe Angels & Demons treats the Church with respect -- even a degree of reverence -- for its traditions and beliefs."
So how do you feel? Does the fictional work treat the Catholic Church with disrespect or has the Catholic Church once again been quick to judge? Will all the hype make you want to go and see the movie even more?
I am an active Catholic and I have read both of the books The DaVinci Code and Angels and Demons. I think they are great. I wouldn’t want someone who does not know where they stand religiously to read or watch them as it could skew their point of view, but if you know what you believe then by all means I think they can strengthen ones position. They are clearly works of fiction. They each have some fact in them, but that is how all stories are developed. To be honest I think scientists would be more up in arms about Angels and Demons as it makes them seem like power hungry god complexed people (some of the scientists at CERN). I thought The DaVinci code was super and I really only want to go to Rome more since reading and seeing it to see all of the beautiful places discussed and shown.
ReplyDeleteDid they not learn from the Da Vinci Code? all they are doing is piquing our interest and offering free advertisement for these movies. If you ignore them. gotta love the league.
ReplyDeleteThat being said cannot wait to see this one!
Good statement, but I still won’t see the movie–not because it’s “anti-Catholic” (I don’t think it or the book is, really), but because the ending of the book drove me nuts. And because I still think Tom Hanks is miscast.
ReplyDelete(if it were a documentary, our talk of massacres would have referenced the Inquisition or the Crusades).
ReplyDeleteOoh burn. I am not anti-catholic btw, I just enjoy a well-written article.
OT: Splash is one of my favourite movies of all time.
“All of my life, I’ve been waiting for someone and when I find her…she’s a fish.”
Leave it to an organization with some much hidden dirty laundry to get upset about a mere fictional piece. It's not like Ron Howard is making a movie about all the atrocities of the Catholic Church since it's inception. He's not going off and documenting the sheer number of molestation cases against the Church that the Church works so hard at sweeping up under the rug while paying people to keep their dirty little secret. So let the guy be and worry about where your organization will actually be 100 years from now.
ReplyDeleteI work with Muslim fellow and we occasionally talk about religion. It seems that a big sticking point for the Muslims is idolotry. The Mulims are very steadfast against idolotry and they believe that the image of Christ on the cross, so prevalent in Catholic churches, is a HUGE sin. I don't believe any of it, so I don't really care, but i find it interesting that the Catholics conveniently ignore the Ten Commandments when it clearly states that "thou shalt not create idols".
ReplyDeleteActually, the Illuminati were a quasi-masonic group that infiltrated the Masonic Lodges of Austria-Hungary. They were rooted out by the Hapsburgs because they were trying to overthrow the empire. That was in 1776, not long before the US Declaration of Independence. The Illuminati have been part of just about every conspiracy theory since then. There is some evidence that some of them may have escaped and infiltrated the lodges of France, which many masons of other rites maintain, and were at least partly responsible for the French Revolution. It is noteworthy that the French lodges are held in fairly low esteem by many involved in the other rites.As far as the movie is concerned, I like Ron Howard and Tom Hanks. However, Dan Brown, the author of the book, is a terrible researcher, and his treatment of facts should be held in nothing but contempt. With that in mind, make your own opinion.
ReplyDeleteCatholic anger at hollywood comes from fear. Americans are very afraid, all the time. Why is this? There is no reason to fear hollywood movies or remarkable directors and producers like Ron Howard. Go see the movie and make an informed judgment. First, though, rid yourselves of your self-righteousness and hypocrisy. The first step here is "we admitted we were powerless over" add your own addiction here.
ReplyDeletei think its funny how so many people are getting fired up about this. if you actually read the book....it starts with saying that the story is fiction but the places are exact. Dan Brown come right out as says its not real. how could you be mad at someone creating a story for people to read/see? isnt that what the church did with the bible? not once during the book does Brown, or Langdon for that matter, trash the church. pull your heads out of your @sses and open your minds.
ReplyDeleteThank you Ron Howard and thank you Hollywood for providing yet another opportunity to let the Religious Reich remind us all how crazy and dangerous they really are.. Lest we forget and do something really stupid like vote the way they wanted us to.
ReplyDelete