Sean Connery Movie:

				Salesrank: 268333
		MPAA Rating: R (Restricted) Media: DVD

Editorial Review:
Jean-Jacques Annaud's The Name of the Rose is a flawed attempt to adapt Umberto Eco's highly convoluted medieval bestseller for the screen, necessarily excising much of the esoterica that made the book so compelling. Still, what's left is a riveting whodunit set in a grimly and grimily realistic 14th-century Benedictine monastery populated by a parade of grotesque characters, all of whom spend their time lurking in dark places or scuttling, half-unseen, in the omnipresent gloom. A series of mysterious and gruesome deaths are somehow tied up with the unwelcome attention of the Inquisition, sent to root out suspected heretical behavior among the monastic scribes whose lives are dedicated to transcribing ancient manuscripts for their famous library, access to which is prevented by an ingenious maze-like layout.

Enter Sean Connery as investigator-monk William of Baskerville (the Sherlock Holmes connection made explicit in his name) and his naive young assistant Adso (a youthful Christian Slater). The Grand Inquisitor Bernado Gui (F. Murray Abraham) suspects devilry; but William and Adso, using Holmesian forensic techniques, uncover a much more human cause: the secrets of the library are being protected at a terrible cost. A fine international cast and the splendidly evocative location compensate for a screenplay that struggles to present Eco's multifaceted story even partially intact; Annaud's idiosyncratic direction complements the sinister, unsettling aura of the tale ideally. --Mark Walker

The Name of the Rose [Region 2] Reviews:
Great Movie based on a great Book
2009-10-30 - This is one of the most unusual stories that I have ever read and was surprised that they made it into a movie. Its not what you would call pop literature and The movie follows the book rather closely. The story take place in northern Italy around the year 1200. The story is about a senior monk and scholar who has been entrusted with the rearing and education of a novice and takes him to a monastery where he has been summoned to investigate the strange goings on there. The matter becomes very complicated and many people have much to hide.

The movie has everything going for it. The locations and the filming are excellent. The soundtrack fits perfectly with the locations and the historical times and sets the mood to fit. Such a great story and production should have a great cast.....and it does. Sean Connery, Christian Slater,
Michael lonsdale, Ron Perlman, F. Murray Abraham. The acting reflects the quality of the actors here and it is first rate. There have been critics who did not like F. Murray Abrahams acting because they said he was over acting. Those people just did not get it. He was playing a man who was a politically motivated inquisitor and was constantly acting in an insincere fashion. He got that point across to me perfectly. His acting here is brilliant its like a window to the mind and the motivation of the man he is playing.

This is one of the greatest fims ever made but its not casual viewing by any means and is not good if your looking for sheer entertainment. I would add that this not for the whole family. There is a sexual scene in here. Its actually Love with a capitol L, and its passionate but its in there and you may want to consider that before you sit the whole family down to watch.

I would add That The film Transfer was excellent and so was the sound. If You read and liked the book you cant go wrong here or if you like arthouse or historical flicks.

Dark ages thriller
2009-09-22 - I will not bore you with the description of the plot, which I am sure you can see in the product description. What i will say though is that this film reminds me of a weird Agatha Christie story set in the Middle Ages. Deaths in the abbey cause the residents to believe evil has taken over their fortress of (very questionable) morality. Where everyone else is lost in the bog of faith and belief, Baskerville relies on reason and logic, the tools of the devil. Impeccable performances by Connery and Slater, the grimy world is brought to life both visually and emotionally with subtlety. Highly recommended.

Poor quality
2009-09-18 - The quality of the was poor and the price much higher than what i later found out i could have purchased CD for much cheaper.

An involuntary comedy
2009-08-16 - WARNING! THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS!

"The name of the rose" is a movie featuring Sean Connery and a very young Christian Slater. It's mostly known for a steaming and completely unexpected sex scene involving Slater and a young girl. Me and my buddies at high school sure talked about that one!

Otherwise, I consider "The name of the rose" to be an involuntary comedy. The plot is set during the 14th century, and heavily stereotypes the High Middle Ages as a period of complete and utter darkness and superstition. The main character, William of Baskerville, is a Franciscan monk who investigates a murder mystery at a Benedictine monastery. It soon turns out that every monk is more or less crazy, some are homosexual, others visit prostitutes, and still others are religious fanatics. William realizes that the murders at the monastery are connected to a lost work by Aristotle, known as "The Comedy". Naturally, everyone who reads the work starts laughing. This is disagreeable to one of the elderly monks, a certain Venerable Jorge. He believes that laughter is of the devil, and therefore poisons the pages of the book, so that everyone who reads it dies! And no, the plot is not this straightforward: it contains several subplots and other twists, making the movie near-incomprehensible. I think I had to watch it five or six times before I got it. One of the subplots involves the love affair between Adso (Slater's character) and the girl (who is nameless).

In the end, the Inquisition arrives and starts accusing all the wrong people for the murders, including The Girl, whom they believe is possessed by the Devil himself. The Girl and two heretics are condemned to die at the stake, but in the last minute, The Girl is saved when the local peasants storm the monastery. The evil inquisitor (based on a real historical character, a certain Bernardo Gui) attempts to escape, but is spiked on his own torture instruments. William and Adso then leaves the monastery.

"The name of the rose" does include both violence, action, unexpected twists, and the previously mentioned sex scene. Sean Connery is excellent as usual. Still, the monks, inquisitors and heretics are so stereotyped that the whole things becomes almost funny. Who knows, maybe that's the point? The key to the whole murder mystery, after all, is "The Comedy" by Aristotle...

I'm not sure how many stars to give this production, but for old times sake, I give it four.


loved it!!
2009-06-30 - Great movie, well acted. Has a great deal to offer historically.; Acting is superb!! Mystery is a very complex yet well revealed article.loved this movie!! have seen it many times.Will see it many more times!!!. Dont miss this one it will not disapoint you!!!!