Le Nom de la rose

Original title: The Name of the Rose

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

122K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,899

266

Sean Connery, Christian Slater, Ron Perlman, and F. Murray Abraham in Le Nom de la rose (1986)

Period Drama Whodunnit Drama Mystery Thriller

An intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.An intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.An intellectually nonconformist friar investigates a series of mysterious deaths in an isolated abbey.

See production info at IMDbPro

IMDb RATING

7.7/10

122K

YOUR RATING

POPULARITY

1,899

266

See production info at IMDbPro

Won 2 BAFTA Awards
- 17 wins & 6 nominations total

Trivia
Sean Connery's career was at such a low point when he read for the role that Columbia Pictures refused to finance the movie when Jean-Jacques Annaud cast him as William von Baskerville.

Goofs
The secret message on the parchment is exposed three times. The translator heated it to reveal the location of the library, William of Baskerville heated it again when he was in the scriptorium and yet again to show the others the message. When a message is written in lemon juice, heating it will cause it to become exposed because the sugar in the juice is caramelized and thus would not disappear again.

Quotes
Adso of Melk: Master? Have you ever been in love?
William of Baskerville: In love? Yeah, many times.
Adso of Melk: You were?
William of Baskerville: Yes, of course. Aristotle, Ovid, Vergil...
Adso of Melk: No, no, no. I meant with a...
William of Baskerville: Oh. Ah. Are you not confusing love with lust?
Adso of Melk: Am I? I don't know. I want only her own good. I want her to be happy. I want to save her from her poverty.
William of Baskerville: Oh, dear.
Adso of Melk: Why "oh dear"?
William of Baskerville: You *are* in love.
Adso of Melk: Is that bad?
William of Baskerville: For a monk, it does present certain problems.
Adso of Melk: But doesn't St. Thomas Aquinas praise love above all other virtues?
William of Baskerville: Yes, the love of God, Adso. The love of God.
Adso of Melk: Oh... And the love of woman?
William of Baskerville: Of woman? Thomas Aquinas knew precious little, but the scriptures are very clear. Proverbs warns us, "Woman takes possession of a man's precious soul", while Ecclesiastes tells us, "More bitter than death is woman".
Adso of Melk: Yes, but what do you think, Master?
William of Baskerville: Well, of course I don't have the benefit of your experience, but I find it difficult to convince myself that God would have introduced such a foul being into creation without endowing her with *some* virtures. Hmm? How peaceful life would be without love, Adso, how safe, how tranquil, and how dull.

Crazy credits
The opening credits read - A palimpsest of Umberto Eco's Novel The Name of the Rose

Alternate versions
Certain prints of the movie have the sex scene between Adso and The Girl removed in order to comply with local laws.

Connections
Featured in Siskel & Ebert & the Movies: Touch and Go/'Night, Mother/Blue Velvet/Where the River Runs Black (1986)

User reviews226

Featured review

8/10

Long and complex but fascinating

In medieval times William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) and his young helper Adso (Christian Slater) try to solve murders at a remote abbey. Most of the monks there think it's the Devil at work but William thinks it may be a human. What follows is a VERY complex and long but intriguing movie.

I read the book ages ago. It was an excellent book but I didn't see how it could ever be a movie. It was very long and had tons of theological discussions. The movie throws out most of the discussions, simplifies the story (but doesn't talk down to the viewer) and moves things along as quickly as possible. The mystery is deep and puzzling but I figured it out. During the last hour or so F. Murray Abraham shows up an Inquisitor and things really get out of hand. Still I was never lost.

The setting itself is bleak and remote perfectly fitting the tone of the movie. The acting is great. Connery just acts up a storm in a very pleasing, easy-going manner. Abraham takes his role and runs with it. You hate him every step of the way. Slater is given little to work with but he's still good. This is not for everybody. It portrays a somewhat realistic view of what an abbey would have looked like. It looks dirty and most of the monks look ugly and most have teeth missing! This is not a movie to watch if you want a pleasant feel-good movie. However it's great for people who don't mind the grimness and love a good mystery with theological digressions.. Recommended.