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The Da Vinci Code - Has the mystery been solved? | DW Documentary

Education

Dan Brown's novel "The Da Vinci Code” is one of the century’s most successful thrillers worldwide. But how much truth is behind the claims made in the book - and what is pure fiction? The novel "The Da Vinci Code” by American author Dan Brown has sold around 80 million copies since its publication in 2003. The film adaptation starring Tom Hanks in the lead role was also a global success. Thematically, the thriller moves between art, mysticism, religion, and conspiracy theories. But the theories presented in both the book and the film adaptation also drew criticism, especially from the Catholic Church. Some religious groups even called for a boycott. This documentary delves deep into the history behind the novel's most controversial claims. Could a secret bloodline linked to Jesus have survived for centuries, hidden by powerful forces? Did Leonardo encode these secrets in his famous painting "The Last Supper,” and other works? With the help of leading experts in art history, religious studies, and medieval conspiracy theories, as well as insights from the 2006 film adaptation, the documentary unravels fact and fiction. The truth, it seems, might be more astonishing than fiction. #documentary #dwdocumentary #dwdocs ______ DW Documentary gives you knowledge beyond the headlines. Watch top documentaries from German broadcasters and international production companies. Meet intriguing people, travel to distant lands, get a look behind the complexities of daily life and build a deeper understanding of current affairs and global events. Subscribe and explore the world around you with DW Documentary. Subscribe to: ‬ ⮞ DW Documentary (English): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumentary ⮞ DW Documental (Spanish): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDocumental ⮞ DW Documentary وثائقية دي دبليو (Arabic): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdocarabia ⮞ DW Documentary हिन्दी (Hindi): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdochindi ⮞ DW Dokumenter (Indonesian): https://www.youtube.com/@DWDokumenter ⮞ DW Doku (German): https://www.youtube.com/@dwdoku For more visit: http://www.dw.com/en/tv/docfilm/s-3610 Follow DW Documentary on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/dwdocumentary/ Follow DW Documental on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/dwdocumental We kindly ask viewers to read and stick to the DW netiquette policy on our channel: https://p.dw.com/p/MF1G

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sierrahayes217 1 week, 4 days ago

"The Da Vinci Code" is based on, and in some ways a direct copy of the 1982 book by Michael Baigent, Henry Lincoln and Richard Leigh....."The Holy Blood and the Holy Grail"

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rodneyserene4 1 week, 5 days ago

❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤❤

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rodrigo.mendes 2 weeks, 1 day ago

Angels and Demons was published 3 years before The Da Vinci Code in 2000, yet no one really talks about why Jacques Saunière contacted Robert Langdon before he gets murdered - because Langdon had already solved the “mystery” of the Illuminati in a race against the clock around Rome and the Vatican, which also involved the Roman Catholic Church during conclave. I actually thought that this book was more controversial than The Da Vinci Code. But Brown’s books are just really well written fiction based on history that he established with a proven formula: the intellectual female counterpart, the shadowy mentor, the fanatic/assassin and the puppet master, and also thrown in an institutional antagonist. I really enjoyed his 2025 book, The Secret of Secrets - a return to form!

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leon_rogers 3 weeks, 2 days ago

Warum gibt’s diese Doku nicht auf Deutsch wenn sie von der dw kommt?!

angela.patterson
angela.patterson 3 weeks, 4 days ago

I can't believe Historical Fiction, is Historical Fiction. Crazy...

C
christopher_thompson 3 weeks, 5 days ago

Jordan Maxwell was a true symbologist. RIP glorious legend and fountain of information. You are missed.

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vasudha_khanna 4 weeks, 1 day ago

The Da Vinci code is how to make millions by weaving an arresting fictional thriller from facts and mystery.

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amanda.matthews 4 weeks, 2 days ago

Entertaining *NOVEL* 👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼

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franklinvelvet77 1 month, 1 week ago

This channel has been so good for so many years

claude.renard
claude.renard 1 month, 1 week ago

I might remind people that, at the time the book was released, when asked about the details of the book, Dan's only comment was to remind the interviewer that the book is sold in the Fiction isle at book stores.

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laurie.morgan 1 month, 1 week ago

cannot get this to play for some reason, I'm in uk

K
karen_larson 1 month, 2 weeks ago

WHY are the voices OVER still audible together with the voices UNDER? I can understand French and I can understand English, but those two languages spoken at the same moment...?

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rafaél_gastélum 1 month, 2 weeks ago

As long as some sections of the Vatican Archives are completely sealed then some secrets will continue to be secrets.

joseph_guerrero
joseph_guerrero 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Perhaps everyone may like to remember that Dan Brown's "The Da Vinci Code" is just that, a novel

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lisa_hayes 1 month, 2 weeks ago

This is absurdly ridiculous... but I loved both the movie and the book!

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georgesnight77 1 month, 2 weeks ago

Next weeks's episode...The historicity of Hogwart's and the Wizarding World

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brendanhollow27 1 month, 3 weeks ago

How come none of these scholars mentions the book "Holy Blood, Holy Grail" by Baigent/Leigh(!)/Lincoln? It was published almost 20 years before "The daVini Code", is clearly an essential source for Brown's novel and puts forth most of the ideas fictionalised in the novel and criticised here as though they were Brown's original ideas.

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julianafliegner841 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Eight minutes in and all I heard is that everything is a mystery that might be true. Takes me back to the alien documentaries on the History Channel

christine_woods
christine_woods 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Duuuuude, it's a novel. It's a movie.......

kristen_brooks
kristen_brooks 1 month, 3 weeks ago

Whether if it's a fact or fiction, Dan Brown is a genius when it comes to writing. I still remember the day I bought The Da Vinci Code, I finished it in one sitting. Even his other books are all amazing.