'Da Vinci Code' gets 'R-18' rating

The Movie and Television Review and Classification Board (MTRCB) approved on Tuesday the showing of "The Da Vinci Code" with an "R" rating, which means only those aged 18 and above may watch the controversial film. “The thematic, verbal, and visual content of this fictionalized drama-thriller, from an over-all perspective, requires mature discernment," the MTRCB stated in its committee report for print review. The film will be shown on Thursday. The MTRCB said only those mature enough could distinguish fact from fiction and good from evil that are in many parts thematic elements of the movie questioning basic beliefs of the Catholic religion. The movie, based on the equally controversial novel by Dan Brown, poses the idea that Jesus Christ married Mary Magdalene and started a bloodline that continues to secretly exist. “Minors, who are highly impressionable, should not be allowed as a movie audience because of the thematic issues raised," it further said. The movie also contains scenes of corporal mortification and self-flagellation, including clerical assassinations, violent images, and a fleeting sexual ritual. Brown’s book about the purported conspiracies in the Roman Catholic Church has sold over 40 million copies worldwide. The MTRCB said the movie does not merit an “X" rating (not for public viewing) because it does not constitute a clear, express, or direct attack on the Catholic Church. The Catholic Church and the Philippine Alliance Against Pornography (PAAP) had earlier urged the government to stop the public showing of the movie. Arguelles and PAAP spokesman Boy Blue Filomeno dubbed the film “blasphemous" because it purportedly “challenges the divinity of Jesus Christ and the Holy Trinity." The PAAP last week filed a complaint against the MTRCB before the Commission on Human Rights for reportedly allowing the showing of the “blasphemous" movie. MTRCB Chair Marissa Laguardia had earlier said a three-man review board will initially watch the movie before it would be shown to a five-man review committee. Last friday, Cardinal Gaudencio Rosales, the Roman Catholic archbishop of Manila, also denounced “The Da Vinci Code" as blasphemous but did not call for its banning. Rosales' statement echoed the comments of the Catholic Bishops' Conference of the Philippines, which on Friday warned that the movie could shake the faith of Christians in the Philippines, unless they are properly guided. Lipa Archbishop Ramon Arguelles said: “In a predominantly Christian country like the Philippines, making publicly available such film is sinfully condoning blasphemy and undermining the very limits of the people's value and religious foundation." - GMANews.TV