MANILA HAWKERS CASH IN ON 'DA VINCI CODE' FEVER

Filipino hawkers have repacked a documentary on the Da Vinci Code as an authentic version of the movie, cashing in on public interest in the religious thriller.

By Guil Franco (Our Correspondent)

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Published: Fri 19 May 2006, 2:31 PM

Last updated: Fri 23 Aug 2024, 11:45 AM

The film, based on the best-selling novel by Dan Brown, has whipped up a storm of controversy in the largely Roman Catholic country. The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB), in approving the movie without cuts and giving it an R-18 rating, said the content of the film requires "mature discernment" by its audience.

With the R-18 classification, the movie starring Tom Hanks will effectively not be shown in SM cinemas, which do not screen films rated strictly for adults. But in downtown Manila, DVD hawkers were standing by the authenticity of their "advance copies" of the Da Vinci Code, retailing at 35 pesos. "This copy came from Malaysia. The movie was already shown there," a vendor called Magda said. A copy bought from her featured not the movie but a one-hour documentary titled Unlocking the Da Vinci Code.


The film's central premise, that Jesus Christ sired a child by Mary Magdalene, has upset many Christians. Last week, the Philippines' powerful Catholic bishops gave priests guidelines on how to refute the book's plot and reminded parishioners that the book was fictitious.


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