Singapore bars young from Da Vinci Code movie

Singapore - Singapore film censors yesterday barred viewers below 16 years of age from watching The Da Vinci Code because they are afraid some children might see it as a factual movie.

The thriller about purported conspiracies in the Roman Catholic church, will be released under the "NC16 rating" with a consumer advisory for "mature content".

The movie, which poses the explosive idea that Jesus Christ married his follower Mary Magdalene and started a bloodline that still exists in secret, is due for release here on May 18.

Singapore's board of film censors, which includes religious representatives, said "that the film can be shown, but at a higher rating as only a mature audience will be able to discern and differentiate between fact and fiction."