rowanthesloth

This is one of those films where you either love it or you hate it. Well, I love it. It is one of my all-time favourites. It's fun, funny, light-hearted, brightly-coloured comic book action/comedy at its finest. I really enjoyed that all the female characters were strong, colourful and well-defined. Lori Petty is fantastic in the title role, and her one-liners still get a giggle from me on the dozenth or so viewing. Malcolm MacDowell is exceedingly memorable as the main bad guy, and you can't help cheering for him a little bit, too. If you're looking for intellectual depth, look elsewhere. If you just want to unwind and have a few laughs with some smart, sexy heroines, I cannot recommend this movie highly enough.

Umberto Eco is one of my favourite authors, as well as being one of the most intelligent people living today. And I fear I must agree with him in his horror at the way his first novel was butchered and disneyfied for this film. He has never since allowed one of his books to be adapted to the screen, and I can see why.

For one thing, Eco does not believe in happy endings--he believes in conclusions. Good guys don't necessarily live happily ever after, the hero doesn't end up with the girl, and bad guys don't always get their comeuppance. So when I finally watched this film after finishing the book, the ending took me completely by surprise.

Secondly, the "love story", such as it is, is a very minimal element to the plot of the book. It is almost incidental. However, in the film, it becomes central to the plot. Is it really true that no one will watch a film that doesn't contain a little sex? Is an intriguing murder mystery at a medieval abbey not good enough?

If you must see this, I urge you to read the book first. It is a modern classic and a rarity, in that it might actually make you think. If you really cannot get through the book, go ahead and see the film. It's not a bad film, in and of itself. But just know that it is in no way what the author intended.

I must say I really enjoyed this film. I saw it late at night, when they usually only show crap on TV, and I was just blown away. I loved the historical setting, the costumes, the sets, the interaction of the characters, the dancing and the love story. I also can't help thinking that Indira Varma is probably the most beautiful woman alive. I found this film stunning, enjoyable and moving, and I highly recommend it to audiences who don't mind a little sensual nudity in their films.