Le Nom de la rose

source: The Name of the Rose

Der Name der Rose

I first saw this film 20 years ago. This was in the cinema when it first came out. I was too young at that time to fully comprehend some of the subtleties of the movie. Whilst I enjoyed the whodunit aspects, I was disturbed by some of the images that were presented. The self-flagellation by Savaltore is an image which stays in mind till today. Since then, I've watched it every 2 years or so, and the amazing thing is that each time I get more and more out of the film. Sometimes, it's the greater awareness of the religious issues of those times; sometimes it's because the actors have since become more recognised (eg Christian Slater, Ron Perlman (Hellboy!)). The cinematography is excellent, acting superb. An unforgettable film and highly recommended.

I am totally thrilled, enthralled and immersed by and into this excellent film! That was a real feast of an eye to watch it for the first time, but even after numerous takes it never fails to thrill and attract and marvel. This is a great film, and Sean Connery, Christian Slater and others made a great job. The sepia-dark color scheme of the film adds it to a general obscure atmosphere of that time. The Middle Ages are often misunderstood or mistreated in media, but this book and this film made it real palpable and real. You can smell the sweat of those fat monks, the blood of those slain pigs in the kitchen, the smell of old books in a hidden library, the smell of terrible autodafe fires outside... This is a real masterwork and deserves and very high praise!

A murder mystery set in a monastery in the late middle ages, at a time when the Franciscan order and the Holy Inquisition were at odds, mostly over the extravagances of the Papacy, is a dark and moody film, which matches the period of the story well. Once again Sean Connery takes a difficult role and makes it uniquely his. Fifteen year old Christian Slater is seen in his breakout role. But the real star of the film is the library of the monastery, a labyrinthine building that is many floors high and created with stairways that seem to always lead away from where you want to go. I found the book, frankly tedious. Umberto Eco writes in a style that is very pedantic at times, and just plain confusing at others. But the story translated well to the screen, but you must be willing to exhaust a little brain sweat to get anything out of the story. Be well rested before you watch this one.