Fife, Rockwell and 'Da Vinci' Spawn an Internet Juggernaut

Fife, Rockwell and 'Da Vinci' Spawn an Internet Juggernaut

PORTSMOUTH, N.H., June 21 /PRNewswire/ -- In just four weeks, "The Norman Rockwell Code," a short film spoof of "The Da Vinci Code" from writer-director Alfred Thomas Catalfo and producer Marc Dole, has become a global hit in the brave new world of Internet content, blogs and viral video. The 35-minute film recently made Entertainment Weekly's The Must List ("Ten Things We Love This Week") which hailed the "whimsical Web-based parody" and the film's website -- http://www.thenormanrockwellcode.com/ -- has had more than 750,000 hits since the movie became available for viewing there on May 19, the same day the film version of "The Da Vinci Code" was released. The first public screening of "The Norman Rockwell Code" will take place at the real Norman Rockwell Museum in Stockbridge, Massachusetts, at 2:00 p.m. on Sunday, June 25.

Like that "other" story, "The Norman Rockwell Code" involves a famous museum, a shocking murder, a distinguished (well, sort of) symbologist and secrets written in code. But, in this parody, the museum isn't the Louvre -- it's The Norman Rockwell Museum. And the symbologist isn't Professor Robert Langdon of Harvard -- he's Langford Fife of Stockbridge Community College, the son of Deputy Sheriff Barney Fife of Mayberry, North Carolina. The film is dedicated to Don Knotts, who memorably played Barney Fife on "The Andy Griffith Show," and includes references to Opie Taylor, the character played by "Da Vinci Code" director Ron Howard on the same show.

Equipped with an Ovaltine Secret Decoder Ring, Langford and cryptologist Sopha Poisson of the Quebec Secret Service set out to uncover the clues hidden in the paintings of Norman Rockwell ... clues that will lead them to a secret society, a legendary bloodline and a battle with sinister forces.

"I wondered what would happen if you took the European-centered, controversial storyline of 'The Da Vinci Code' and infused it with classic Americana," says Catalfo, a winner and finalist in 21 international screenwriting competitions. The low-budget film was shot over four weekends in seacoast New Hampshire, where "Da Vinci Code" author Dan Brown also lives. Now Hollywood is getting into the act with studios, producers and investors inquiring about having the filmmakers expand the concept into a feature film. "We already have the decoder ring so what the heck," laughs Catalfo, an attorney who also plays a detective in the film. "The nice thing is that this has really opened the door and there's now tremendous interest in the other feature projects we have in development." "The Norman Rockwell Code" is a joint production of Big Cannoli Pictures and Hatchling Studios.

For more information and photo requests, please contact:
Alfred Thomas Catalfo
603-767-8444 (cell)
603-742-7558 (office)
info@TheNormanRockwellCode.com

This release was issued through eReleases(TM). For more information, visit http://www.ereleases.com/.

Source: Big Cannoli Pictures/Hatchling Studios

CONTACT: Alfred Thomas Catalfo, +1-603-742-7558,
mobile: +1-603-767-8444, info@TheNormanRockwellCode.com

Web site: http://www.thenormanrockwellcode.com/

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