Adapted from Umberto Eco's novel, this movie by director Jean-Jacques Annaud is basically a whodunit in a medieval setting. Which, in itself, is fine, but the book was much more than that.
Early 14th century: Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) and his disciple Adso (Christian Slater) visit a a monastery in Northern Italy; the Abbey (Michael Lonsdale) asks William to discover the truth about a monk's death. Other murders follow: William unravels the mystery while inquisitor Bernardo Gui (F. Murray Abraham) is more interested in finding someone to burn.
Always charismatic Connery plays William as one third erudite monk, one third Sherlock Holmes and one third... well, Sean Connery. Slater's Adso is essentially a teenage Watson. F. Murray Abraham is all piercing stares and icy malevolence - after his arrival, the focus shifts from the murder mystery to the conflict between him and William.
The movie goes to great lengths to give each secondary character a grotesquely distinctive look - some of them are downright monstrous, like Ron Perlman's repugnant, incomprehensible Salvatore. Production values are remarkable, sets convincingly damp and ominous.
When you adapt a book - especially a complex one full of cultural and historical references - minor characters and subplots should either be given the proper time or cut entirely. It doesn't make sense to keep them just for the sake of it. The Name of the Rose doesn't always suffer from this tendency, but from time to time it does: see the character of Ubertino - interesting in the book, here transmogrified into an obtuse creep whose antics are played for laughs.
The debate between Franciscan and Papal delegations and the events concerning Dolcino and followers are handled confusingly, but admittedly it was difficult to give them justice in this medium. Shame, because they are part of the thematic backbone of the story.
Although there is Adso's love story with the unnamed girl, the most poignant moment actually comes when a frantic, desperate William tries to choose books to save from the rising fire. There is no sense of triumph at the end, with a melancholic, downbeat coda which elevates the whole movie.
7/10
Early 14th century: Franciscan monk William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) and his disciple Adso (Christian Slater) visit a a monastery in Northern Italy; the Abbey (Michael Lonsdale) asks William to discover the truth about a monk's death. Other murders follow: William unravels the mystery while inquisitor Bernardo Gui (F. Murray Abraham) is more interested in finding someone to burn.
Always charismatic Connery plays William as one third erudite monk, one third Sherlock Holmes and one third... well, Sean Connery. Slater's Adso is essentially a teenage Watson. F. Murray Abraham is all piercing stares and icy malevolence - after his arrival, the focus shifts from the murder mystery to the conflict between him and William.
The movie goes to great lengths to give each secondary character a grotesquely distinctive look - some of them are downright monstrous, like Ron Perlman's repugnant, incomprehensible Salvatore. Production values are remarkable, sets convincingly damp and ominous.
When you adapt a book - especially a complex one full of cultural and historical references - minor characters and subplots should either be given the proper time or cut entirely. It doesn't make sense to keep them just for the sake of it. The Name of the Rose doesn't always suffer from this tendency, but from time to time it does: see the character of Ubertino - interesting in the book, here transmogrified into an obtuse creep whose antics are played for laughs.
The debate between Franciscan and Papal delegations and the events concerning Dolcino and followers are handled confusingly, but admittedly it was difficult to give them justice in this medium. Shame, because they are part of the thematic backbone of the story.
Although there is Adso's love story with the unnamed girl, the most poignant moment actually comes when a frantic, desperate William tries to choose books to save from the rising fire. There is no sense of triumph at the end, with a melancholic, downbeat coda which elevates the whole movie.
7/10