5 Star

Historical Whodunit.

In 1980 Umberto Eco (The Role of the Reader (1979), Semiotics and the Philosophy of Language (1984)) wrote The Name of the Rose, and it didn’t take long before production started on the film version, directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud (Enemy at the Gates, Seven Years in Tibet). Second Sight Films brings us the definitive 4k UHD Limited Edition, for those murder mystery fans with this award-winning period drama.

1327 Northern Italy and we see Franciscan friar William of Baskerville (Sean Connery, Outland, Highlander) and his novice, Adso of Melk (Christian Slater, Heathers, Robin Hood: Prince of Thieves). At a time when the Franciscan order were at conflict with the Papacy, William and Adso are headed to an important theological Church conference at an early 14th-century Benedictine Abbey.

William has a well respected reputation, as a man of intellect, and a deductive mind, and it doesn’t take William to see that something is not right at the Abbey. As he spots a new grave in the church cemetery. A young illuminator, was found dead at the bottom of a tall tower where there were no opening windows and no access to the roof. The Abbot (Michael Lonsdale – The Day of the Jackal, Ronin) knows William and ask him to investigate this alleged suicide, as rumours of the devils hand are starting to spread through the Abbey.

Even his fellow Franciscan monk Ubertino De Casale (William Hickey, National Lampoon’s Christmas Vacation, Sea of Love) believes the halls are filled with the devils power. But William takes Adso on a fact finding tour outside the Abbey walls, where the peasants fight for the scraps the Abbey throw away. The steep incline leads William to see that the body didn’t come from the sealed tower but from a tower further up the path and the body rolled down the hill.

There is a mystery here as prophecy’s of the end of days ring aloud when a second body is found, and it definitely wasn’t suicide. Adso also has a life-changing experience, as the surrounding chaos threatens to crush him.

 Watch this amazing historical murder mystery masterpiece as William must find what is killing the scribes, before the Inquisition are called for. Bet he wasn’t expecting that. There is hidden knowledge in this Abbey and William is compelled to solve the mystery of the library in the secured tower.

Name of the Rose is a cracking restoration, as it looks better than when I saw it in 1986. Plus a BAFTA Award for Best Actor in a Leading Role for Sean Connery.

The Name of the Rose Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box Set and is available on Digital also.

 

Special Features

• Dual format edition including both UHD and Blu-ray with main feature and bonus features on both discs
• UHD presented in HDR with Dolby Vision
• New audio commentary by James Marsh
• Audio commentary with Director Jean-Jacques Annaud
• Charm of Humanity: a new interview with Jean-Jacques Annaud
• A Boy and His Dog: a new interview with Actor Christian Slater
• Bringing the Mustard: a new interview with Actor Ron Perlman
• Liquidating the Disk: a new interview with Writer Andrew Birkin
• The Abbey of Crime: Umberto Eco’s The Name of the Rose

Limited Edition Content

• Rigid slipcase with new artwork by Liza Shumskaya
• 120-page book with new essays by Eugenio Ercolani and Gian Giacomo Petrone, Francesco Massaccesi, Sam Moore, Gregory Mucci, Dan Schindel and Nadine Whitney
• 6 collectors’ art cards