My wife and I attended a showing of “The Da Vinci Code” on Saturday and had a different reaction from the panel that discussed the film at Borders after seeing it on May 19 (BDN, May 20-21). We enjoyed the film and found parts of it quite exciting.

Director Ron Howard did a masterful job of reflecting Dan Brown’s story using a splendid cast. The images he produced were very true to the story, and we enjoyed seeing the venues referred to, many of which we have visited.

I personally enjoyed the film more than the book because it condenses the many “shark attacks” in the original to a more manageable few, making the story line easier to process and accept. It is to Brown’s credit that the book and the film stimulate so much discussion and commentary about history and theology.

Dr. Donald G. Hoople

Castine