Der Name der Rose (1986)

User Rating:

7.8/10   

Director:

Jean-Jacques Annaud

Writers:

Umberto Eco (novel)
Andrew Birkin (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

24 September 1986 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Mystery | Thriller | Crime

Tagline:

Who, in the name of God, is getting away with murder?

Plot:

An intellectually nonconformist monk investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.

Plot Keywords:

Abbey | Monk | Inquisition | Secret | 14th Century

Awards:

Won 2 BAFTA Film Awards. Another 14 wins & 2 nominations

Cast

Sean Connery	...	William of Baskerville
Christian Slater	...	Adso of Melk
Helmut Qualtinger	...	Remigio da Varagine
Elya Baskin	...	Severinus
Michael Lonsdale	...	The Abbot
Volker Prechtel	...	Malachia
Feodor Chaliapin Jr.	...	Jorge de Burgos
William Hickey	...	Ubertino da Casale
Michael Habeck	...	Berengar
Urs Althaus	...	Venantius
Valentina Vargas	...	The Girl
Ron Perlman	...	Salvatore
Leopoldo Trieste	...	Michele da Cesena
Franco Valobra	...	Jerome of Kaffa
Vernon Dobtcheff	...	Hugh of Newcastle

Also Known As:

The Name of the Rose (UK) (USA)
Il nome della rosa (Italy)
Le nom de la rose (France)

Runtime:

130 min

Country:

France | Italy | West Germany

Language:

English | Latin

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) | Dolby (35 mm prints)

Certification:

Portugal:M/12 | Iceland:14 | Canada:R (Nova Scotia/Ontario) | Spain:13 | UK:15 (re-rating) | Argentina:16 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Finland:K-16 | France:U | Netherlands:16 | Norway:15 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | Canada:PA (Manitoba) | Australia:M

Filming Locations:

Abruzzo, Italy

Company:

Neue Constantin Film

Trivia:

One of the actors considered for the role of Salvatore was Franco Franchi, popular low-budget slapstick comedian in Italy, notorious for his rubber-face expressions. He refused the role, in spite of the international acknowledgment it brought, because he wanted to stay faithful to his image as a comedian.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: The "Secret Passage Door" is welded with a modern welding technique not used until the late 1800 or early 1900's.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Voice of Adso as an Old Man: Having reached the end of my poor sinner's life, my hair now white, I prepare to leave on this parchment my testimony as to the wondrous and terrible events that I witnessed in my youth, towards the end of the year of our Lord 1327. May God grant me the wisdom and grace to be the faithful chronicler of the happenings that took place in a remote abbey in the dark north of Italy. An abbey whose name it seems, even now, pious and prudent to omit.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Schlag den Raab: (#1.5)" (2007)

Scarey Days...

If you like movies to send you back to another historical period, there are few which can do it more effectively than this one. The period is pre-enlightenment when the only books in the land (Italy) are owned by the different denominations of the Catholic faith. Inquisitions are the order of the day and the atmosphere of mistrust and misrepresentation which accompany such a fragile state, is expertly realised.

Enter Sean Connery playing a Sherlock Holmes (`…Elementary my dear Wat-shun…') from the dark/middle ages, replete with a magnifying glass of sorts and a recognisable system of logical deduction. The story is a fine balance of complexity (easy enough to follow, but not too simplistic) with the inclusion of a number of sub-plots to keep it all ticking along nicely. The acting is very good but what makes it stand out is its evocation of another era, which is reproduced with authority. Highly enjoyable.