Barnes & Noble

French director Jean-Jacques Annaud and four screenwriters labored mightily on this 1986 adaptation of Umberto Eco’s international bestseller, a murder mystery that unfolds in an Italian abbey during the dark days of the Inquisition. Their efforts weren’t totally successful; at the time, many critics and moviegoers found the film confusing and occasionally ponderous. But the intervening two decades have been kind to The Name of the Rose, and today it can be appreciated as a genre-bending landmark. Sean Connery delivers one of his most charismatic performances as the English Franciscan monk who arrives with his novice (a nearly unrecognizable Christian Slater) on the eve of a conclave at the abbey. A series of murders occupies Connery while other attendees continue to arrive, but the intellectual rigor he brings to his investigation doesn’t sit well with Inquisitor F. Murray Abraham, who sees Satan as the instigator of the vile crimes. The clashes between Connery and Abraham are wonderful; as is the relationship between the erstwhile Bond and his boyish charge, Slater. The monk is like a medieval Sherlock Holmes, mixing elaborate ratiocination with periodic chiding of his "Watson," and always to delightful effect. The film’s pace, like its setting, is stately; nonetheless, this Rose is a complex whodunit that will engage mystery-loving viewers from the first reel and keep them glued to their chairs for the next two hours. Ed Hulse

All Movie Guide

Adapted from Umberto Eco's best-selling novel, director Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose is a 14th century murder-mystery thriller starring Sean Connery as a Sherlock Holmes-esque Franciscan monk called William of Baskerville. When a murder occurs at a secluded Benedictine Abbey, William is called in to investigate. As he and his apprentice, Adson von Melk (Christian Slater), delve deeper and deeper into the case, more dead bodies begin to turn up. Eventually, Bernardo Gui, an inquisitor played by F. Murray Abraham gets involved, but he may not have the best intentions. Sean Connery's performance earned him the award for Best Actor at the 1988 British Academy Awards. Matthew Tobey

Product Details

• UPC: 085393746520
• Source: WARNER HOME VIDEO
• Region Code: 1
• Presentation: Wide Screen
• Sound: Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround
• Language: English
• Subtitles: English, Français, Español
• Time: 2:11:00
• Sales Rank: 7,639

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