1327, Italy: Terrible things happen in a Benedictine abbey in the Apennines. The monk and illustrator Adelmo of Otranto (Lars Bodin-Jorgensen) was found dead outside the monastery walls under a tower. Mysterious: The window he was under was locked. The monks suspect something supernatural, but the Franciscan William of Baskerville (Sean Connery), who has arrived with his adlatus Adson (Christian Slater) for a theological dispute, solves the mystery. However, the obvious suicide is followed by a series of murders. One monk after another dies horribly.
Baskerville and Adson investigate and soon come across a clue that leads to a Greek book in the library, Aristotle’s second book ‘Poetics’. The work is considered lost and the killer apparently wants it to remain that way. But Baskerville and Adson have been making no real progress in their investigation for a long time, so the Papal Inquisitor Bernardo Gui (F. Murray Abraham), an old enemy of Baskerville, is called in to obtain confessions of guilt under torture. …
A visually stunning epic
During a successful academic career, philosopher, semiotician and media scientist Umberto Eco unexpectedly embarked on a second career as a best-selling author at the age of 48. No one expected it, but his debut novel ‘The Name of the Rose’ became a worldwide hit. This was an unusual success because it is highly complex literature and the approximately 800-page novel uses the crime thriller framework for excursions into medieval studies, theology and art history.
It is therefore not surprising that the 1986 film adaptation of “The Name of the Rose” by Jean-Jacques Annaud (“The Lover”, “Seven Years in Tibet”) leaves little more than the – undoubtedly clever – crime storyline. But that’s okay, even Eco, who wasn’t that enthusiastic for a long time, found peace with the film adaptation many years later. Justifiably. Annaud knew that he had to make major compromises in terms of content, but above all paid tribute to the novel with beautiful, very haunting images that brought the dark, dirty and brutal Middle Ages with all their usually extremely unpleasant sides to life as almost never before. The actors also contribute to the authenticity.
Not to mention Sean Connery and Christian Slater, who are considered medieval versions of Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson, but also the rest of the cast, which consists of extremely distinctive characters (including: Ron Perlman, Helmut Qualtinger, Michael Lonsdale, Volker Prechtel, William Hickey) are inspiring. According to Annaud’s own statement, she wanted the most “ugly” faces for the abbey residents. That’s putting it a bit harshly, but they are definitely faces that fit very well with this time.
In brief: No matter how exciting the murder hunt is, the film is unforgettable thanks to the eerily atmospheric images that allow you to sink deeply into a completely different time.and it is of course particularly great that the great novel film adaptation is coming to the cinema again!
THE “BEST OF CINEMA” SERIES – PRESENTED BY FILMSTARTS
In a flawless 4K restoration, the great literary adaptation returns to the screen as part of the ‘Best of Cinema’ series, which we support as an official media partner. And only in the cinema with rich Dolby sound can the full appeal of this cinematic trip unfold. To win movie tickets to the revival of “The Name of the Rose,” simply enter our FILMSTARTS contest on Instagram:
Together with StudioCanal and the Arthaus label, we are giving away two tickets a total of six times. Winners will be chosen from all comments posted by November 27, 2023 at 7:00 PM.
‘The Name of the Rose’ will be back in cinemas for one day on December 5, 2023.