The Name of the Rose was originally a novel by philosopher and intellectual Umberto Eco whose specialization was symbolism and the Medieval period (he wrote his Ph.D. dissertation - a monumental tome -- on the aesthetics of Saint Thomas Aquinas.)
COMMENT
Did you like the film? How likely is it that you may have liked the book? What is the most intriguing aspect of the film?
REPLY reply to the person who posted a comment immediately AFTER your (you will have to come back.)
Add other replies if you find something particularly interesting.
I do not necessarily like the film because I found it quite challenging to follow due to the use of language. I do, however, may find the book interesting since I prefer a book over a movie and, it will allow me to take the time needed to understand the plot.
ReplyDeleteThe most intriguing aspect of the film is the hidden book and the great lengths that they (Jorge et al.) went through to hide its contents all because it is a book based on comedy and laughter.
I agree with you Melissa. The film is interesting but it was very difficult trying to understand what they were saying.
DeleteI agree with Melissa. The dialogue was challenging at best. I found it easier to understand the names and plot with the Closed Captioning on the movie. I did not enjoy the movie. The darkness of subject and setting were depressing. There seemed to be many intertwined themes that unless a scholar, could not all be realized.
ReplyDeleteThe most intriguing aspect was the complexity of the topic: sex. From the beginning of time, there has been a debate over what is acceptable and what is not acceptable. It was ironic that although Adso violated his oath of celibacy, Bro. William did not condemn Adso. William's belief was that although he never violated his vow, he did understand the power of a woman and her appeal to the man she seeks. He did not blame Adso for succumbing.
Hi Katherine, the tenet of sex in the film and the middle ages is in fact fascinating. After doing some research on the topic, I came across many conflicting views provided by the church. I now believe that most of what we think about sex today came from the ideas we inherited from the church.
DeleteI liked the film and found the subject matter of repression very intriguing. The repression of one’s desires, be it sexual or intellectual, can end up causing way more harm than the exploration of these human aspects. I also enjoyed that it was a murder mystery and it was satisfying to put all of the clues together that William found. Because of this through line, it makes me think that I would enjoy reading the book.
ReplyDeleteI did find it problematic and uncomfortable to deal with the fact that this was a time when so much was ruled by men- religion, government, society. So as a woman, it makes me a bit sick to see such dark leadership, and I wonder how would it have been different if women were in power?
This comment has been removed by the author.
DeleteKathryn,
DeleteRepression really is a major theme of the movie! Repression of the desire for status and the accumulation of money for the Franciscan monks can also be added to your list. In their debate over whether Jesus Christ owned the clothes he wore, the Church displays a blatant contradiction when members of the Church- who represent the Pope- are dressed in decadent robes and the Church is able to own land. Irony and contradiction abound in this movie.
I also believe that women would have done a better job if in a position of authority. Sorry guys, but I believe women are compassionate and approach problems differently--which may have changed history for the better.
I liked the film a lot but I believe I would have liked the book more. Books are usually more detailed. I think reading a book would have opened a whole world inside the monastery more as well as detailed discussions on religious topics. The most intriguing aspects of the film were to find out who was responsible for all deaths and how exactly it occurred. It was also interesting to watch how smart and exact William was with his theories. The mysteries of deaths stayed until the end of the film which created more curiosity.
ReplyDeleteYour mention of William's exactitude makes me think about how scholarly these monks and friars truly were. Their devotion to study and denouncement of normal earthly endeavors must have really put their minds and deductive reasoning skills into hyper-overdrive!
DeleteI enjoyed the film overall but there were some parts that felt very exaggerated. For example, Adso allowed himself to have sex with a strange woman even though he was preparing for a celibacy oath which all monks take. In a book scene this may have felt so forced but it seemed unnatural in the movie scene. I think the book version may feel a little more fluid and might be more enjoyable that way. One of the most interesting parts of the film was the value of the books to William. In this time the only way to learn and share information was through books. All records were stored this way and without access to all books you could never hope to experience new things. In modern times were quite spoiled and have access to almost any information that we desire but for William it was a great struggle to get access to one comedy book because of the threat is posed to the Church.
ReplyDeleteI did not enjoy the film, I feel it’s very challenge for me to understand the logic or philosophy the character uses to investigate mystery of the crime. I might prefer the book if it translated to my native language. I found the title is interesting, because “The Name of Rose” doesn’t relate to the plot or the characters in the film. I wonder why does the film not name after “The Name of God”? What does the rose resemble of?
ReplyDeleteHey,
DeleteIts always a challenge to keep up with a movie when it's not in your native language. Especially if its using language thats outdated and more complicated! I didn't consider the title of the movie, but you have a great point. It was an interesting title selection for a movie about murders and forbidden books.
The movie is old and I found it is a bit interesting in terms of the content. It reveal that people in dark age are helpless as proved by many poor people around the church and the girl trade her body for food. On the other hand, the authority of church only cares their own power rather than people. The religious faith was twisted when laughter is believed to be a sin.
ReplyDeleteThis comment has been removed by the author.
ReplyDeleteI like the movie because I like watching movies that involves murder and solving the case. Although the movie was a bit difficult to under because those actors have a heavy British accent. I would like the book too because books are always better than movies. Books have more details and more descripted than the movie. I was a little upset when Adso chose to leave with his master William over the girl.
ReplyDeleteAs a film major I guess I'm a little bias but I disagree with books always being better than the movie. Sometimes a mediocre book is turned into a fantastic movie. For example, The Godfather is one of the greatest films of all time and the book is pretty mediocre. A lot of the times a book is able to expand more on the story than a movie but I wouldn't conclude that makes books always better than the movie. But I agree with you that The Day of the Rose probably has a lot more detail in the book than in the movie.
DeleteI totally agree with you. And the reason why I said it for this film is because I was having a hard time understanding the actors speaking with that heavy British accent. I felt like I barely understood that film even thought I was watching it.
DeleteI did enjoy The Name of the Rose. I thought it was an interesting look at how far the Church strayed from Jesus’s teachings during the inquisition. It also seems like the Church hasn’t changed much since then as it is still quiet about sexual assault committed by priests.
ReplyDeleteThe movie was hard to follow sometimes and I still was confused at the end of the film when the climax was centered around Aristotle’s second book of comedies. I’d like to read the book because it probably has more detail and would help me understand the plot more.
I agree that the language can be difficult to follow at times. Quite confusing.
DeleteI enjoyed the film because it did show me how religion influenced people in the past. It showed-cased to me how powerful the church was back in the day and how defying the churches authority could mean the death penalty. Interesting to see the churches power compared to today. It can be difficult to follow at times because of the language, and translating it to the actual meaning.
ReplyDelete