France to Filmmakers: The Louvre Is Not a Movie Set

A French official indicated Friday that the film version of The Da Vinci Code, in which numerous key scenes take place in the Louvre museum in Paris could "in principle" be shot at the museum itself, but only if the shooting takes place at night or on Tuesdays when it is closed to the public. Museum director Henri Loyrette, appearing on France-Inter Radio remarked that "The Louvre is not a movie set. It is a place that receives an average of 20,000 visitors a day." The implication of his remarks was that the filmmakers could receive permission to film at the museum provided that they not interfere with normal access to its galleries by visitors.