The Name of the Rose (1986) ( Der Name der Rose ) [ Blu-Ray, Reg.A/B/C Import - Denmark ]

The movie is a screen adaptation of the best-selling book by Umberto Eco. Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and his novice, Adso, arrive at an Italian abbey in northern Italy to investigate a suicide. A suicide: how frequent should suicides be? How easy is it to stage a homicide as a suicide? William acts as though there are no certain suicides if the "suicided" person has at least one enemy. And he is not mistaken. Once the investigation begins, a series of deaths follow in the abbey.The abbey serves as a microcosm, representing a concentration of individuals engaged in intellectual debates. Modernly, it could be compared to a university. Meanwhile, Adso, William's novice, encounters a woman for the first time. She is presented as a very simple and naive character, offering him sexual favors in exchange for food. I won’t spoil the ending of the movie, but I will briefly touch on some important theme I found in the movie.First, women and culture. Whether right or wrong, women are portrayed as separate from intellectual debates. Depicting the only significant female character in the movie as so simple and naive is not necessarily judgmental: I am 100% sure that men, too, would trade sexual favors for food if they were starving—there is nothing to judge in that. The real question is why women are not included in intellectual debates, a question that is neither addressed by the movie nor the book. Are they averse to enemies (as debates often bring adversaries)? Are they discriminated against?The second important theme is laughter. Laughter, or riso in Italian, resembles the word rose (which is spelled the same in Italian). Laughter plays a significant role in the intellectual debates depicted in the movie. Sadistic personalities don’t like when others laugh, reserving laughter for themselves, making this theme as relevant today as it was in the story’s setting.Finally, fires. This review is being written during one of the worst waves of wildfires in Southern California’s history. The movie explores the "bad guys’" temptation to destroy or obscure knowledge that educates the masses against them. At first, they try to hide such material, but once it becomes too visible, they resort to burning it.All in all, both the book and the movie are masterpieces, beyond a reasonable doubt.

The Movie - For some reason or other, I am rarely aware of symbolism and hidden meanings. However, when I saw this film, I recognized that there was something here that went far beyond the murder mystery story. My feeling was so strong that I was prompted to buy and read the book! In fact, I will be using the same review for the book.Other reviewers have provided in depth descriptions of the film, so I will keep mine brief. I evaluate films and plays, actors and actresses, based on the BELIEVABILITY of the script, roles, scenery, costumes and ACTING. Here, Sean Connery, forever James Bond in my 65 year old mind or a submarine captain in HFRO, BECOMES a 13th century Franciscan monk! (Of course, this comment speaks volumes about Connery's acting ability!) His novice, a 15-16 year old Christian Slater IS a novice monk full of questions and the exploding emotions of a male on the verge of manhood. The casting, direction and acting, in general, were superb! The costuming, including what must have been a TERRIBLY itchy natural wool monk's robe for Connery, and the scenery and structures were done to perfection. The lighting and camera work were also, in my opinion, done perfectly.However, IF you read the book BEFORE you see the movie, you MUST understand that the director, Jean-Jacques Annaud, as stated in one of the DVD's special features, NEVER intended to duplicate the book. He wanted to create a movie based on the book, but DIFFERENT. Umberto Eco, author of the book, similarly comments! Do NOT expect the movie to duplicate the book. BUT, enjoy the movie for what it is!The movie is, primarily, a murder mystery - and well done at that! The book, which I purchased through Amazon.com and have read, is a murder mystery on its face, but a MUCH deeper discussion of theology and philosophy. A description of the battles for power between the Papacy and royalty as well as corruption at the highest levels of The Church. These issues are barely mentioned in the movie. In fact, the basis for the conclave and negotiations between Franciscans and the Vatican are a very minor aspect of the movie! Although, the movie does visually provide context for the idea that the monks lived well from what the Church extracted from the peasants, who lived in squalor. There is one scene in which the monks open a sluice gate in the Abbey, high above the "village" of the peasants. The monks pour their GARBAGE through the sluice gate down to the starving peasants who provided the monks' food in the first place.BTW - Be sure to watch ALL the Special Features of the DVD. They are well worth the time.The Book - As noted above, I first saw the movie based on the recommendation of an instructor in a religion course. In my sixth decade, I have developed an interest in the history of Christianity. While the movie barely alludes to differences in philosophy between various Christian religious orders, the book delves into these issues with gusto. Differences in philosophy between Franciscans and Benedictines, for example, are explored in the book. The concept that the Vatican felt threatened by monks who professed a belief in POVERTY based on THEIR interpretation of the Christian bible are also explored.The book discusses questions of Church infallibility. Many philosophical contributions of "infidels" and Greek authors, such as Aristotle, are mentioned and discussed. Did Christ laugh? Is laughter evil? Jorge, the old, blind monk, says that Christ did NOT laugh. Connery's character responds asking how Jorge knows this. Jorge observes that the Christian bible never says that Christ laughed. Connery's character retorts that the Christian bible SIMILARLY does NOT say that Christ did NOT laugh!The larger question concerns poverty and how Christ lived as contrasted with the wealth of the Church, "stolen" from the peasants. I believe that this issue stands today in the face of opulent houses of worship (of ALL faiths) created from tithing from people who can barely afford to care for their own families!The book is 502 FASCINATING pages. Unfortunately, it is scattered with bits and phrases of Latin. Fortunately, Adele Haft has written "The Key to the Name of the Rose," which I have purchased by not yet read!I highly recommend BOTH the book and the movie with the understanding that they are, BY INTENT, quite different!