Secrets of the Code (DVD)

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Though this was filmed in London, Glastonbury, New York City, Rome, and Israel, there are so many talking heads that make your head spin that you don't get much of a sense of following the trail of Robert Langdon. The closest we get to those clues from the book/movie is a discussion of the identity and nature of Mary Magdalene, Gnostic gospels, and the Holy Grail. And of all the talking heads, there are only two that seem brilliant and convincing: Dr. Elaine Pagels, who is a much-published expert on religion and religious philosophy, and Rabbi Irwin Kula, who speaks with authority and backs up his assertions with reasoned and developed arguments. More of those two on-camera would have helped this documentary, as would a script that stayed more on point rather than approaching the topic generally and then circling back . . . and back.

Video:
Mastered in High Definition, the picture (1.85:1 aspect ratio) looks pretty good. There's a slight graininess that's evident in murkier scenes or over-lit exteriors, but for the most part it's decent. I have no complaints.

Audio:
The audio is a serviceable English Dolby Digital 5.1, with English and French subtitles. The soundtrack is practically all dialogue, and so there's not much to talk about except for the tonal quality and the consistency in volume and timbre from speaker to speaker. Outdoor walk-and-talks aren't as pure-sounding as the interior talking heads interviews, which is to be expected, but their edited so that they're not obtrusively jarring.

Extras:
There are no extras.

Bottom Line:
If you're looking for a clue-by-clue walk-through of the symbols and elements that Robert Langdon encountered in "The Da Vinci Code," you'd better keep looking, because you won't find it here. There are a few points of interest, but not enough to recommend this to fans of the book or movie.