The Da Vinci dress code

Short and sweet: Audrey Tautou
11 April 2012
The Weekender

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The stars of The Da Vinci Code put on brave smiles as they graced the red carpet hours after their much-hyped movie received stinging reviews

The multi-million-pound film, featuring Tom Hanks and Audrey Tautou, has been described by critics as "grim" and "lacklustre".

And even one of its stars - Sir Ian McKellen - admitted the book by Dan Brown was "codswallop".

But that didn't appear to worry director Ron Howard or his stars as they opened the Cannes Film Festival this evening to the delight of thousands of fans.

Sir Ian, who plays English aristocrat Sir Leigh Teabing in the film, fellow Briton Paul Bettany, who has been cast as the albino monk Silas, and Dan Brown, author of the book on which the film is based, were at the world premiere.

Brown, whose book has been a publishing phenomenon, was cheered by the crowd who gathered at the Riviera location to catch a glimpse of the stars.

Amelie star Tautou, 29, looked stunning in a white above-the-knee dress and a matching dangling earring hanging from one ear.

Helena Bonham Carter, Samuel L Jackson and Monica Bellucci, who are on the Cannes Competition jury, also brought a touch of glamour to the red carpet.

Four Weddings and a Funeral star Andie MacDowell and Bride and Prejudice actress Aishwarya Rai were also there.

Earlier in the day, Sir Ian accused the "powerful" people condemning The Da Vinci Code movie of snobbery towards cinema-goers, and said he thought the Catholic Church would like the film's central idea, that Jesus married Mary Magdalene, because it offered proof that Jesus was not gay.

The actor admitted that after he read Dan Brown's best-selling book he thought it was "codswallop".

Sir Ian said: "When I read the book I believed it entirely. I thought Leigh Teabing had answered his case very convincingly indeed.

"When I put the book down I thought 'What a load of potential codswallop'.
"That's still going on in my mind. But I'm very happy to believe that Jesus was married.

"I know that the Catholic Church has problems with gay people and I thought that this was absolute truth that Jesus was not gay."

He added: "When the book came out the controversy didn't seem to exist.

"There were no statements from people in powerful places condemning the book.

"Is that because readers can be trusted to have minds and people that go and see movies need to protected?

"I think there's a little bit of snobbery going on as regards the cinema. I think cinema-goers are just as intelligent as readers and they will make up their own minds, and in the meantime they will have a fantastic time, a fantastic ride."

The director defended the film when he was asked about the bad reviews at today's press conference, saying: "I haven't read any of the reviews and I don't know if there are any other adjectives in any of the others that might be different, maybe slightly more upbeat."

He added: "When we first became involved it (the book) was a very popular best-seller. By the time we shot the movie it was an international phenomenon and record-breaking seller.

"I tried to take into account what resonated with people who loved the novel. In the end you recognise that it's going to be controversial thematically but in adaptation as well.

"That's part of the fun of going to a movie, to see what you think. I recognise that. But I loved the story... It was a very rich film-making experience for me on a lot of levels."

A nun seen at the festival earlier in the day sparked speculation that she was going to protest against the film.

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