2006 Hit Movie Banned in Several Countries Almost Got the Lead Actor and Filmmakers Arrested
Films have a habit of stirring strong emotions. Stories of people fleeing the first screening of The Arrival of a Train in 1896 come to mind. The medium can transcend into our lives and connect with us.
Though the stories of people fleeing from the film of the train thinking it was real are mostly fiction, there have been real consequences to movie releases in the past, with some people treating them with all the fervor of a real social issue, such is the case of The Da Vinci Code.
Ron Howard's adaptation of the sensation Dan Brown novel was a massive commercial success, having a large opening that benefited from the huge following the book had gained. The historical mystery concept was very exciting for many, including myself. I loved reading the Robert Langdon books when I was younger. Starring Tom Hanks, the film would launch a trilogy adapting some of the other books in the series.
We're not here to talk about the content of the film, though. Instead, let's focus on the reaction to it, which was strong.
Many religious groups were extremely offended by a lot of the religious plot points the film touches on. Without getting into spoilers, there are some historical ideas played with that didn't sit well with many Catholics and other Christian denominations. Many countries took to banning the film outright, including Syria, Belarus, and Lebanon.
The Vatican urged the film to be boycotted, and even some suggestion of legal action was made. None was taken by The Vatican, however, nearby in Italy, the village of Civitavecchia took matters into their own hands.
The village is located about 40 miles north of Rome and made the complaint that the film was in violation of Italy's penal code -- specifically, article 528, which outlaws "obscene" films or videos. The argument was that the film was an obscenity to religious people, and that the creation and distribution of the film was a crime. The violations carries with it a punishment of up to 3 years in prison.
So where did the threat play in? Well, the next installment in the Robert Langdon franchise was starting production in Rome. Though the case was dropped after 24 hours, there was a real threat that Tom Hanks and Ron Howard could face jail time.
Of course, it never went anywhere, but it is nonetheless a fascinating chapter in film history, and another example of the emotions that can be stirred by cinema.
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This story was originally published May 8, 2026 at 5:05 PM.