The Name of the Rose 4K UHD
Some films are made for high definition, and The Name of the Rose is one of them.
Dark corners are illuminated, gargoyles come to life, and the heavy weight of the monks’ robes is palpable. You are transported to the grimy Middle Ages in glorious colour and clarity.
I’d imagine The Name of the Rose is a film that might have passed a lot of ‘younger’ film fans by. It’s not a blockbuster, in fact it was a bit of a failure on its release, yet it’s one of the stand out films of the 80s for me. Rich in story and vision, this is such an unusual film, telling the story of Franciscan friar William of Baskerville (Sean Connery) and his assistant/novice monk Adso of Melk (a 15 year old Christina Slater) who arrive at a Benedictine abbey in Northern Italy to take part in talk about the poverty of Monks.
On arriving, William, who has a reputation for being the Sherlock Holmes of his time, finds the monks of the abbey are disturbed by the suspicious death of one of the brothers, Adelmo. The abbot asks William to investigate. As more Monks turn up dead, the arrival of William’s nemesis and former partner in the inquisition, the very real Bernardo Gui, causes things to take a turn for the worse in the monastery.
I’ll admit that it is very much a marmite film; you either love it or hate it. Personally, I love it. It has a European cast and director, and because of this, the ‘feel’ of the film is so claustrophobic and ‘hidden’, it all adds to the literal darkness of the story, where poverty and witches go hand in hand, and the homosexual love lives of the monks themselves are covered up.
Second Sight always do amazing packages, and this one is no different. The extras on the disc are all top notch, perhaps my favourite being the present day interview with Christian Slater, which is quite an eye opener for a young lad of 15 to be filming quite graphic sex scenes and getting pissed nightly in the bar.
A glorious film which is made even better by this 4K UHD release by Second Sight Films.
Special Features:
- 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
The Name of the Rose Limited Edition 4K UHD/Blu-ray Box Set is released today and is also available on Standard Edition and on digital.
Review by Tina from a disc kindly supplied by Second Sight Films via Aim Publicity.
