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Hidden Symbols in the Da Vinci Code Movie



I thought I’d start an open thread for people to list things that they saw in the Da Vinci Code movie. A couple examples come to mind right away. Please fill in other ones that you have noticed as well:

  1. When Sophie and Langdon are in the armored car, there is a shot of a box with the word Aeolus on it, a figure from Greek mythology.
  2. Also in the armored car, there are several shots of Sophie where there is a sticker above her shoulder with the Eye of Horus on it.
  3. Also, there’s a significant shot in the beginning somewhere where Langdon is shown holding open a book with a prominently displayed symbol of Saturn in it.

Neither of these items is important to the actual storyline, nor are they seem to relate to anything. But Dan Brown is all about including little symbols and clues all over the place. So it only makes sense that these were chosen for some purpose. What other symbols did you spot like this?

One other thing that seems important as far as symbols go is Langdon’s speech to the college group early on where he shows a zoomed in image of a symbol and asks people to identify it. When they do, he zooms out, revealing the context and how that determines the meaning of the symbol. This same thing happens to Langdon when he tells Sophie how Sauniere made fun of him, calling him a “beat-cop of history.” Langdon originally took it as an insult until Sophie reveals that Sauniere’s father was an actual beat-cop and that he respected him very much. Did you notice other signifacant uses of this trick of zooming out from a character’s preconceived notions into a larger context which reveals to them a new meaning?

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10 Reader Responses

  1. panasianbiz Says:
    May 21st, 2006 at 5:38 pm

    I haven’t seen The Da Vinci Code yet, but I am looking forward to it despite all of the negative reviews. I thought your post was pretty interesting because I am always looking for symbols and hidden meanings when I watch movies. Thanks for the tips. After I see the film, I’ll let you know if I discover anything else!

  2. Jennifer Emick Says:
    May 22nd, 2006 at 10:21 am

    Notice anything odd at the opening scene? ;-)

    There were TONS of little in-jokes stuffed in there. I’m thinking of seeing it again just to see how many more are there.

  3. Tim Boucher Says:
    May 22nd, 2006 at 4:49 pm

    Notice anything odd at the opening scene?

    I don’t remember. I do remember early on though them zooming in on a pitcher of water, for presumably the whole vessel/chalice symbolism with Mary…

  4. Jennifer Emick Says:
    May 22nd, 2006 at 7:10 pm

    No, I meant on the screen behind Tom…anything famuiliar?

  5. Tim Boucher Says:
    May 22nd, 2006 at 9:44 pm

    Lots of things, but it’s all kind of blur at this point, sadly. Just tell me!

  6. Pop Culture Tarot · The Da Vinci Tarot Says:
    May 22nd, 2006 at 10:43 pm

    […] Just in time for the Da Vinci Code movie, I just found a pretty cool tarot deck called the Da Vinci Tarot. From the Aeclectic website’s description: An art tarot in homage to the great Renaissance painter and inventor, Leonardo da Vinci. The images in the Da Vinci Tarot are mostly inspired by Leonardo’s art, but do feature some of his well-known pieces. First published as the Leonardo aa Vinci Tarot a stand-alone deck, it’s now available as the Da Vinci Tarot kit with a book by Mark McElroy. […]

  7. ciara Says:
    May 23rd, 2006 at 1:42 pm

    Noticed some of those hidden symbols. I love things like tat. Also noticed as Sophie and Langdon are getting into her smart car, behind them is a poster for “Les Miserables” by Victor Hugo, a member of, youve guessed it, the Priory of Sion….
    There was also Caravaggios “The Taking of Christ” behind the table when Aringarosa and the other priests were holding the council. Not sure what that means though…

  8. Candy Says:
    May 23rd, 2006 at 11:33 pm

    Ok, when tom hanks was shaving and he cut himself, the blood ran down the sink..what symbol was that? Was it the fleur de lis? the rose line? or something else…

  9. Tim Boucher Says:
    May 24th, 2006 at 12:50 pm

    Yeah thats a good question about the “blood-line” thing…

  10. Andy Says:
    May 25th, 2006 at 4:32 pm

    I was wondering if the registration numbers of the cars shown in the movie were significant. In Paris there was a car which the number plate was shown quite clearly - registration CIL followed by 4 digits I think, later in London the number plate of a black taxi is shown centre screen M25 LVX.

    www.lvx.org take you to the site of Fraternitas L.V.X. Occulta, or Fraternity of the Hidden Light maybe that is signifcant or not?



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