The Da Vinci Code starts with a shot what looks like a blueish UV light shining on paintings; this is foreshadowing for some of the themes and scenes that occur later on in the movie – and this is followed by close-ups and POV shots of a man running through an art gallery. The paintings are filmed quite interestingly; it appears as though the people in the paintings are watching the man running as he dashes past them, and as the camera tracks him, we are shown out-of-focus glimpses of his chaser.
The opening to The Da Vinci Code features extremely dark and low-key lighting, keeping the scene deliberately ambiguous and mysterious; through the dim light, we are shown a man running through what looks like an art gallery or museum, attempting to evade a monk-like figure who follows behind him. We aren't shown much of the monk; he follows at a distance, always in the edges of long shots, and almost as soon as we see him, the camera cuts away to another shot of the man running. These rapid cuts create a sense of paranoia; it's assumed that if the monk catches the man, then he will kill him – but in actuality, his intentions are more enigmatic than just murder, as what he seeks from the man is information.
The preservation of ambiguity is extremely important in this scene; we're not even actually shown the monk's face until he traps the man by holding him at gunpoint, and the camera had previously not stayed on him for all that great a length of time before cutting away. The scene remains extremely claustrophobic despite the relative largeness of the art gallery; it's shown that the man who is attempting to escape has nowhere to go but in a single direction – and when it becomes unfeasible to continue in that direction, he is basically at the monk's mercy. This creates a massive sense of tension, as the audience is prompted to be somewhat fearful for the safety of the running man – as well as setting up the tone and scenario for the rest of the movie.
- Jack
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