| ![The Da Vinci Code (Two-Disc Extended Cut + BD Live) [Blu-ray]](http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/517CnF%2BECqL.jpg) | Director: Ron Howard
Actors: Tom Hanks, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno, Ian McKellen, Paul Bettany
Studio: SONY PICTURES
List Price: $38.96
Buy New: $16.19
as of 11/22/2009 23:58 CST details
You Save: $22.77 (58%)
New (28) Used (18) Collectible (1) from $15.04
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Rating:  622 reviews
Sales Rank: 385
Format: AC-3, Color, Dolby, Dubbed, Subtitled, Widescreen
Languages: English (Original Language), French (Original Language), Latin (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled), French (Dubbed)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: Blu-ray
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.40:1
Number Of Items: 2
Running Time: 174 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 6.7 x 5.3 x 0.4
MPN: 16123
UPC: 043396161238
EAN: 0043396161238
ASIN: B000I2J2XG
Theatrical Release Date: 2006
Release Date: April 28, 2009
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Condition: BRAND NEW FACTORY SEALED FAST TRANSACTION
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 16-20 of 622
 Where's the regular DVD? May 14, 2009
Fuzzyfoot
1 out of 20 found this review helpful
This review is specific to the Blu-ray Extended Cut release.
WHERE IS MY REGULAR DVD?
Why do people think that BLu-ray is the way to go? It's pixels, just pixels.
The bonus feature that are specific to Blu-ray are ridiculous, easily put on a regular DVD.
That being said, why is it necessary to release an extended cut of Da Vinci Code only on Blu-ray? Why are they forcing people to pay for pixels?
I don't know about you but this kind of shenanigans is only going to increase the piracy problem. People, like me, don't want to pay for pixels. In fact, having seen Transformers in BR, I can tell just how FAKE a movie actually is. So why are studios supporting this move?
I don't pay for pixels and neither should you. Keep the grain in your movies, it makes the movies more realistic.
And I'll just buy the international version of the extended cut on regular DVD.
 Blu-ray: The 2-Disc Extended Cut definitely makes a difference! This Blu-ray disc is jam packed with special features! May 13, 2009
Dennis A. Amith (kndy) (California)
7 out of 7 found this review helpful
When Dan Brown's novel "THE DA VINCI CODE" was released back in 2003, the novel received plenty of criticism and scrutiny. As the book would focus on "The Holy Grail" and the theory that Jesus Christ was married to Mary Magdalene and the Catholic Church has done all it can to cover that up. Then upon the release of the film version based on the novel in 2006, the Roman Catholic Church and Catholics boycotted the film.
If anything, the hype from the film earned the film $232.1 million worldwide during its opening, making it the seventh biggest opening for a film in history and also the second highest grossing movie in 2006 worldwide with over $758 million in profit making it the most financially successful film for both actor Tom Hanks and Director Ron Howard.
VIDEO & AUDIO:
"THE DA VINCI CODE" on Blu-ray ala 1080p High Definition features a beautiful location shots in France and England and to shoot a film at the actual Museum de Louvre was surprising and very cool (and to learn how everything was recreated to scale and describe further in the special features). There are really beautiful shots of the various locations throughout Europe and captured beautifully by Salvatore Totino. Totino's insistence of using a Long Cooke S4 lens for diffusion filtering gave certain shots a nice, dark and brooding feel at times. But during the outdoor scenes, the shots are absolutely beautiful. Totino who made his major Hollywood debut with "Any Given Sunday" and working on films such as "The Missing" and "Cinderella Man" has been Ron Howard's go to man for cinematography. Overall, well-done!
The audio is also quite immersive and dialogue is crystal clear. Primarily the film focuses on dialogue but once the action scenes start, as does Hans Zimmer's beautiful score. You get good usage of all channels on your home theater through the Dolby True HD 5.1 soundtrack (English and French). And its important to note that the film is not an action film but there are a good number of gunshots and chase scenes. But what shines is Zimmer's Academy Award nominated score which sets the actual mood of the scene.
Overall, "The Da Vinci Code: Extended Cut" looks and sounds awesome via High Definition.
As for subtitles, English, English SDH and French are included.
SPECIAL FEATURES:
"The Da Vinci Code: Extended Cut" is loaded with special features on two-discs. Some featured in HD and others in standard definition. Included are:
Disc 1:
# CineChat - Via BD Live, people can chat with other people watching the film or create your own chat room.
# Select Scenes Commentary with Director Ron Howard - Over 27 scenes that feature commentary by Director Ron Howard. Because this is the extended version of the film, Ron Howard also goes into detail of the additional/extended scenes.
# Unlocking the Code Interactive Picture-in-Picture (I-PIP) - There were many hidden codes placed throughout the film. Included is a Picture-in-Picture interactive display for those who want to watch the film and learn about the codes.
# Angels & Demons - Featuring an intro by Director Ron Howard on the upcoming film "Angels & Demons" (a Robert Langdon story that takes place before "The Da Vinci Code"). Intro is about 1:05 and the "Angels & Demons" scene is about 7:26.
DISC 2:
# First Day on the Set with Ron Howard - (2:13) Director Ron Howard talks briefly about bringing Dan Brown's novel to life.
# A Discussion With Dan Brown - (4:51) Author Dan Brown talks about being a writer, working on the "Da Vinci Code" and working on a new Robert Langdon book.
# A Portrait of Langdon - (7:18) Dan Brown, Ron Howard and various producers talk about the Robert Langdon character and Tom Hanks playing the character.
# Who is Sophie Neveu? - (6:57) Ron Howard talks about Audrey Tautou playing the role of Sophie. Jane Jenkins, Casting Director talks about how Ron Howard didn't feel that she was right for the role until he saw an interview on the Charlie Rose show and Director Ron Howard talked about how he learned not to judge a person by a film and how Tautou was the best person for the job. Audrey talks about her casting experience.
# Unusual Suspects - (17:57) Director Ron Howard, Jane Jenkins (Casting Director) talks about the casting of the various characters such as Ian McKellen as Sir Leigh Teabing, Jean Reno as Captain Bezu Fache, Paul Bettany as Silas and Alfred Molina as Bishop Manue Aringarosa. Interview with these cast members.
# Magical Places - (15:58) Shooting in Paris, London and throughout Europe to produce various magical settings.
# Close-up on Mona Lisa - (6:33) Tom Hanks, Ian McKellan, Ron Howard, Audrey Tautou, Jean Reno and more talk about their first impressions when they saw the actual Mona Lisa painting. Also, how the painting was created and her eyes follows you at every angle.
# The Filmmakers' Journey Part 1 - (24:40) This featurette goes into location scouting, the look of Robert Langdon feat. an interview with Daniel Orlandi (Costume Designer), Behind-the-Scenes filming and creating the body cast of Sauniere.
# The Filmmakers' Journey Part 2 - (12:20) This featurette goes into the cinematography of Salvatore Totino, Interviews with Totino and finding the environment and the goal to bring Dan Brown's film to life. Dan Brown wants the film to provoke intellectual discussions.
# The Codes of The Da Vinci Code - (5:31) Director Ron Howard and Dan Brown talk about the various codes planted throughout the film. The featurette showcases some of them.
# The Music of The Da Vinci Code - (2:53) Featuring Director Ron Howard and Composer Hans Zimmer and bringing the characters and story to life.
# Book to Screen - (11:06) - Dan Brown originally wanted to wait for his trilogy before a film was done and also how producer Brian Grazer wanted to get the rights to the film but John Calley, a producer at Sony got it first. But interesting enough, Director Ron Howard and Grazer were brought aboard the film. Also, how Ron didn't know much about the book until his wife, a member of a book club, she and her group were reviewing the book and talked to him about how awesome the book was and sure enough, through word-of-mouth, he decided to direct the film.
# The Da Vinci Props - (9:42) Interviews with Giles Masters (Art Director), author Dan Brown and how many props were created for this film. Some fabricated and designed for the film and coming up with the look of objects sucha s the key to the Swiss Bank, he crypt text and more.
# The Da Vinci Sets - (9:10) Interview with Director Ron Howard, Todd Hallowell about how Allan Cameron (Production Designer) had a major task of recreating the Louvre and creating the many sets especially for the complex flashbacks. A typical film would be around 50 sets, this film had around 243 and thus a major challenge for the production design team.
# Re-creating Works of Art - (6:01) Interviews with Allan Cameron (Production Designer), Director Ron Howard, James Gemmil (Head Scenic Artist) and how the Louvre had to be recreated and all the paintings used for the museum were repainted. Around 135 paintings were recreated for the entire film.
# The Visual Effects World of The Da Vinci Code - (15:01) Interviews with Barrie Hemsley (Visual Effects Sueprvisor) and crew of Moving Pictures Company in creating the CG flashbacks, showing the history and coming up with the various 3D models utiized on the film.
# Scoring The Da Vinci Code - (9:42) Featuring Director Ron Howard and Composer Hans Zimmer as an actual church turned to a studio was used. Zimmer talks about how he never thought a book like "The Da Vinci Code" could be brought to film. How he worked with Ron Howard on "Backdraft" and how Howard wanted the music to come alive, like it was a character in the film.
"THE DA VINCI CODE: EXTENDED CUT" was a thrilling, suspenseful film that in my opinion was smart, well-acted and managed to capture my attention for the entire length of the film. But by saying that, it's unfortunate that this extended cut was not shown in the theaters, because those extra scenes of violence featuring Silas and the additional scenes make the film much edgier and understandable. And the reason for the extended version not being used is probably due to its duration because this extended cut is 174 minutes long (original theatrical version is 149 minutes).
And the film was not exactly well received by many critics because they felt Director Ron Howard and screenwriter Akiva Goldsman didn't take any risks, they didn't show any danger as seen in the original book by Dan Brown.With that being said, the extended cut makes a difference... A big difference. But whether or not you are open to film's premise is up to the viewer. If anything, as Dan Brown had said in interviews, he wants the film to create intellectual debates.
Multiple Academy Award winner Tom Hanks plays a likable Robert Langdon, a symbiologist who doesn't take things as is and has a mind that is constantly working overtime. If anything, Langdon is an ordinary man who becomes a fugitive for a murder he doesn't commit. He is a man that tends to doubt theories of history as stories could have been re-invented due to political and religious times.
Audrey Tautou who charmed us in "Amelie" plays a convincing cryptologist Sophie Neveu is a person not religious but feels Langdon is her key to finding out who killed her grandfather. Both Hanks and Tautou compliment each others performances but for those who expect more from Tom Hanks, may be disappointed that in this film, he is no action star but a Harvard professor that utilizes his skill and experience and nothing more.
Jean Reno plays the side of the cop who takes things into his own hands, a role perfect for Reno and Ian McKellen absolutely shines as the obsessive Sir Leigh Teabing.
There is no doubt that "THE DA VINCI CODE" would be a controversial film that would challenge the Catholic church. Anything that challenges an established religion is sure to cause a ruckus and people are defensive about their religion and belief in God. Especially when it comes to Mary Magdalene's status. It will be forever debated of her role, if she was simply a devout follower of Jesus Christ or a loving wife that was kept secret and both have an extended line of children with the bloodline that exist today but is kept hidden. Whatever your beliefs are or if your ability to suspend your beliefs and to see how the film (and its message) presents itself is up to the viewer.
But the film seems to be one that one would either love or one would hate. For me, I was entertained by the film and having watched multiple specials from 20/20 and on The History Channel regarding "THE DA VINCI CODE" and the theories that support and are against the theory is quite interesting.
But what I found so inspiring was watching the Blu-ray and getting a feel of how much went into this film. From recreating the Louvre, the production design coming up with over 125 paintings to recreate the museum to the actual props that had to be created and the many locations that had to be shot and the many sets that had to be created. I was very impressed.
The Blu-ray as I expected looks and sounds incredible and the special features featured on both discs alone are just outstanding. So, overall, I felt "THE DA VINCI CODE" to be a very solid Blu-ray release. But it's one of those films that it all comes down to the viewer if such a film can be watched over and over again, or if the film can be appreciated for its controversial storyline. But as for the release itself, if you are into the filmmaking process or even a student in film, these are the kind of releases that you truly appreciate and enjoy.
"THE DA VINCI CODE: EXTENDED CUT" is definitely worth checking out!
 The Da Vinci Code gets the royal Blu treatment w/ an extended cut of the film and great supplimental material!!! April 30, 2009
Jason Pumphrey (Falls Church, Virginia United States)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
The Da Vinci Code is making it's debut on Blu Ray and I'm loving it,it has the extended cut of the film,making a long film even longer,the theatrical was 149 min.,this extended cut is 174 min.,so you'll need a nice block of time to see this one,being that the new extended cut is almost 3 hours long,that's not counting the nice supplimantal section(this is a 2 disc set mind you!)There more added to the storyline,now i'm ready to see Angels & Demons!!! My only quibble is they could have put BOTH Theatrical and Extended versions on the same Blu Ray disc,that's my only gripe,and a small one at that!!! This is one example that the extended version is actually better that the theatrical(just wish that LOTR was getting the extended treatment for it's debut on Blu!) Recommended!!! A+
 Slick glossy production of a mediocre story April 29, 2009
Joeomar (Omaha, NE USA)
3 out of 6 found this review helpful
This movie was very well made, beautifully filmed, well acted, etc. The story was juvenile. Possibly infantile. As an example - Tom Hanks plays a cryptologist. Cryptology is a deep and fascinating subject, and the story could have explored that topic in interesting ways. Instead, when Tom Hanks encounters a message written on a floor, he exclaims (in amazement) "It's an anagram!". Oh come on, an ANAGRAM? Any 8-year-old child can handle that. Who needs a cryptologist?
Excellant extended edition April 28, 2009
D. Pauley (Charleston, WV)
6 out of 6 found this review helpful
I liked the film version of DaVinci Code when it first appeared in the theaters, but this extended edition is really the one that should have been released. The new scenes give extra depth to the story line and explain a lot that was just skipped over in the theatrical release. The film looks great on blu-ray...very good blacks and the skin tones look quite natural. The many churches and other settings in the film look quite crisp and clear. The sound was never a surround blockbuster, but there is some nice surround with the Dolby TrueHD soundtrack. Leigh's airplane flying overhead will make you duck when it flies by in the film. The surrounds are mostly used for music and some echo effects. On the whole, this version of the film is very watchable and enjoyable.
Showing reviews 16-20 of 622
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