Directed by:
Jean-Jacques AnnaudCinematography:
Tonino Delli ColliComposer:
James HornerCast:
Sean Connery, F. Murray Abraham, Elya Baskin, Feodor Chaliapin Jr., William Hickey, Michael Lonsdale, Ron Perlman, Volker Prechtel, Helmut Qualtinger (more)VOD (4)
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Adapted from Umberto Eco's best-selling novel, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose is a 14th century murder-mystery thriller starring Sean Connery as a Sherlock Holmes-esque Franciscan monk called William of Baskerville. When a murder occurs at a secluded Benedictine Abbey, William is called in to investigate. As he and his apprentice, Adson von Melk (Christian Slater), delve deeper and deeper into the case, more dead bodies begin to turn up. Eventually, Bernardo Gui, an inquisitor played by F. Murray Abraham gets involved, but he may not have the best intentions. (official distributor synopsis)
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Reviews (8)
Exactly what I was hoping for: incredibly grim, dense, and pure medieval atmosphere. Coupled with Umberto Eco's epic story, Sean Connery's fantastic performance, and F. Murray Abraham's demonic presence, it delivers a truly unique experience. Admittedly, it's not a film I'd watch multiple times, but while you're watching it, you realize Jean-Jacques Annaud captured the essence of the story perfectly.
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Umberto Eco certainly wrote a great novel - and I'll definitely get to it one day - but this film is also great. One wouldn't believe that this detective story would actually be entertaining, suspenseful, and scary, and on top of all that, it would have a bit deeper meaning in how it leans into faith and human nature. A great genre connection that works perfectly.
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Fans of Umberto Eco will probably slam the film – where are the master's many layers, where is the diversity of reading that makes the book a unique work? Well, it evaporated in the medieval fog. Annaud's The Name of the Rose is a nice detective story with a good atmosphere and a thrilling plot, but it completely lacks a sophisticated symbolic plane... but that doesn't hurt it. If you want to deal with puzzles above all, look for Eco, and for those who above all want a nice story, then you want Annaud. Just don't mix them up!
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I remember almost nothing of the book, which I once read in high school and now understandably want to reread, and maybe that's for the best. I didn't have to compare what was different in the film and what didn't get into it, and I just watched it tensely and had fun for two hours. The film is an excellent medieval detective story with an overlap for a slightly more knowledgeable viewer, has a million-dollar atmosphere and a first-class cast with Sean Connery in the main super role.
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Annaud's vision of the Middle Ages as dirty and harsh is remarkable and captivates the viewer right from the start. The portrayal of the characters is also solid – I haven't read the book, which obviously affects my objectivity. However, the brilliant first half is followed by a noticeably boring part. Although the mysteries and puzzles around the murders are revealed, I still occasionally couldn't help but feel bored. I don't have much to say about the ending and it fits the film quite well. And even though The Name of the Rose is undoubtedly a quality piece of filmmaking, one viewing is enough for me in this case. Annaud is one of the few filmmakers who shows us the Middle Ages with a maximum dose of brutality and reality, but personally, it didn't appeal to me as much as I would have expected from a director of his caliber.
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