Review of Exploring The Da Vinci Code

Introduction

Another DVD from Ryko/Disinformation featuring Henry Lincoln, co-author of The Holy Blood And The Holy Grail, but trading on the name of Dan Brown`s The Da Vinci Code name.

This time Lincoln takes us on a scenic tour around the area of Rennes-le-Château, showing us places that may be interest to fellow `adventurers` and leaves tantalising clues as to what may be found.

Lincoln also spends much of the latter part of this presentation explaining his latest theory on the geometrical patterns that he has found in the countryside around Rennes-le-Château.

Video

The picture is quite good and allows you to get a glimpse of some of the stunning scenery that Lincoln talks about. Some CGI thrown in that is also used in Origins Of The Da Vinci Code.

Audio

Dolby Digital 2.0 Stereo soundtrack that is functional, but again no subtitles.

Features

None.

Conclusion

So, Henry Lincoln as a conspiracy theorist`s Judith Chalmers, eh? This is a travelogue of what can be found in the area that Lincoln surely feels he knows better than anyone-else. He gives no answers, just points out some interesting features and asks what you might make of it. He even goes so far as to re-iterate that his discoveries aren`t facts, just hypothesis, and that whatever the willing `adventurer` comes up with on his/her own travels will also be just guesswork.

And this is what makes Lincoln`s work so fascinating. He has spent over thrity years looking at this area and his work has changed both in belief and also focus. Despite the title, this is another release that just lends the title from Dan Brown and barely mentions anything to do with the popular best-seller. Lincoln has moved on and wants to explain new and interesting discoveries he has made. No pandering to the masses who will probably buy this on the strength of the title, and he makes no apology for it either. The only apology he does make is in acknowledging that his work has changed the area irrevocably and also brought in a vandalising element in the guise of treasure hunters. The DVD kicks off with text imploring potential visitors to respect the area and it`s artefacts, and Lincoln shows his real disdain for this kind of behaviour a couple of times. It`s almost a father in despair at his offspring`s actions, and I`m sure he feels a bit like that too.

The one thing I am really grateful for is the more detailed explanation of the geometric patterns he has discovered. The explanations given here I found much more concise than those in companion DVD The Origins Of The Da Vinci Code, and I now have a better grasp of how he came to those conclusions. It is worth noting that some of the points that make up his patterns don`t align 100%, but there must be something in there for it to have occurred at all; it can`t all just be coincidental. I should probably have watched this title first, but hey…

As with the other title, I don`t begrudge Lincoln`s borrowing of the Dan Brown title, it was the former`s work after all that seems to have been the inspiration for The Da Vinci Code. I`m pretty sure it probably wasn`t his idea either, but if it gets his work out there, all the better.