Review of The Name of the Rose (1986) by Maclud M — 22 Jul 2009

For the life of me, I can't understand why this film is getting so many bad reviews, and why it received so little attention when it was released (not even one Oscar nomination for costumes or make-up?!) While I can't really call it a masterpiece, it's a rare film that has no real flaws either.

F course, in its core, it's simply a historical murder mystery - and one with an interesting yet dubious solution; but both history and mystery are done so well, what more can you ask for? It's suspenseful, entertaining, well-paced and well-acted (the finest performance of Connery's career), with gorgeous atmospheric cinematography. And just as importantly - the historical recreation is accurate and very well-researched, and the script does a very fine job of adapting the original novel. All in all - a lost gem, and one of the most unjustly underrated films of the last 30 years.