Movies > Yay! Da Vinci set free

Court gives all clear to ‘Da Vinci’

A court in Athens yesterday threw out complaints from Greek Orthodox groups against “The Da Vinci Code” film and said that the movie, which is expected to break box office records in Greece, could be shown at some 200 movie theaters.

The judge disagreed with religious hardliners’ argument that the film was blasphemous, noting that neither the Catholic or Orthodox Churches had asked for the movie to be banned.

Members of some of the groups which had brought the action said they would protest in front of movie theaters.

The film is based on the best-selling Dan Brown novel of the same name, which explores the idea that Jesus Christ has living descendants. The Church of Greece has voiced its objection to the book, saying that it was “untrue” and “insulting” but has stopped short of saying the film should be banned.

However, Greek censors have given the film a “17” rating, meaning that children under that age will not be allowed to see the film as it was deemed to be too confusing for them.