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The Name of the Rose
1986 130 min France, Germany, Italy R 18+
★7.4
Drama, Thriller, Mystery
Director: Jean-Jacques Annaud
🎭 Based on
«The Name of the Rose»
byUmberto Eco
Trailers
Description
14th-century Franciscan monk William of Baskerville and his young novice arrive at a conference to find that several monks have been murdered under mysterious circumstances. To solve the crimes, William must rise up against the Church's authority and fight the shadowy conspiracy of monastery monks using only his intelligence; which is considerable.
Budget:
$18M
US Gross:
$7.15M
Worldwide:
$77.2M
Starring
Sean Connery
Actor
Christian Slater
Actor
Helmut Qualtinger
Actor
Awards
BAFTA 1988
— Best Makeup and Hairstyling
BAFTA 1988
— Best Actor
César Awards 1987
— Best International Feature Film
Key opinion
The Name of the Rose is widely regarded as a visually stunning and atmospheric gothic mystery that succeeds as a standalone thriller. However, critical reception is sharply divided regarding its fidelity to Umberto Eco’s dense novel, with many viewers finding the adaptation's simplification of the source material's philosophical and theological depth frustrating.
| Production | The production design and cinematography masterfully establish a grim, claustrophobic, and authentic medieval atmosphere. | |
| Acting | Sean Connery provides an iconic, gravitas-filled performance as William of Baskerville, though some find his portrayal leans too heavily into a generic Sherlock Holmes archetype. | |
| Acting | Ron Perlman is widely praised for his unrecognizable and transformative performance as the cellarer’s assistant, Salvatore. | |
| Adaptation | The film is a divisive adaptation; fans appreciate the distillation of the detective plot, while literary purists lament the loss of the book's complex philosophical nuance and internal character reflections. | |
| Screenplay | Opinions on the screenplay are split: supporters enjoy the gripping, gothic mystery, while critics argue the narrative feels haphazard, jumpy, or overly simplified. |