"The Da Vinci Code" director Ron Howard Wednesday said that people who are afraid might be upset by his film and should not go to see it.

"There is no question the film is going to be upsetting for some people," Howard said during a press conference hours before the start of the 2006 Cannes International Film Festival.

"Don't go to see the movie if you don't want to be upset."

Based on the blockbuster novel by Dan Brown, which has sold an estimated 40 million copies, "The Da Vinci Code" will be given its world premiere at Cannes.

American actor Tom Hanks, who has the lead in the film, portraying the symbologist Robert Langdon, said "The Da Vinci Code" was not to be taken as a reflection of reality.

"The film is a work of fiction," Hanks said. "It's part of a commercial enterprise. It's entertainment. It's not a documentary."

He also said that trying to stay true to the book was not an easy chore.

"The great advantage of the book is that Brown could explain things over five pages and more," Hanks said. "The challenge was to put that into dialogue. It required a lot of condensation."

The film opened in France Wednesday and will hit screens worldwide Thursday and Friday.