“Who was this creature that rose like the dawn, as bewitching as the moon, radiant as the sun, terrible as an army poised for battle?”

ZombieDog’s review: Writing these reviews is an expression of my love of movies. Movies have been an integral part of my life ever since I could sit in front of the TV. My standards were considerably lower back then, however, as I’ve gotten older, I learned to appreciate a good story.

Movies are indeed a visual medium, but they are absolutely driven by the story that runs underneath. Even with bad cinematography a good story can still pull you into another world. Cult movies are one type of movie, but true love of film means searching for the films that speak to you and the various aspects of who you are. I personally have films that I like to watch on winter nights, films that I like to watch to laugh, even films that can push me into strong emotional territory. All of these are part of the human condition, and with cinema you learn that you are not alone.

The movie I want to talk about today embraces storytelling to the fullest extent and while it may not be a time and place that we are familiar with, we certainly fully understand the underlining plot line and we are given a chance to be transported a thousand years in the past. The Name of the Rose (1986) takes place in a remote Abbey in 1327 Italy. A murder has been committed and a monk (Sean Connery) has been summoned to determine just what has taken place. Upon his arrival the murders continue, and he learns that if he is unable to solve the crime, he will be subject to the Inquisition — a delegation from the church that determines if you’re guilty or not in the eyes of God.

Sean Connery plays William of Baskerville along with his costar Christian Slater, who is Adso of Melk. This is an amazing Sean Connery performance because his presence isn’t overpowering and we truly get to see his acting ability. Some actors overwhelm the screen and can’t be toned down. Take John Wayne, for example. No matter what movie he is in, he plays John Wayne. To be fair, Sean Connery had more dramatic roles to play off of, and he is arguably a better actor. It also didn’t hurt that he was paired with a 16-year-old Christian Slater who, while not nearly as good as Connery, showed promise as a young actor.

The real star of the show though is the Abbey itself. A combination of multiple real-life abbeys and matte paintings, it truly brings across the feeling of isolation, dread, and impending doom. It’s important to remember that these abbeys were the centers for cutting-edge research and academic exchange at the time. The scope of their research was essentially at university level, and ranged from biology to metallurgy, literature, medicine, and anything that they were capable of studying. This isn’t explicitly said, and the movie comes across as typical Middle Ages Europe where everybody is illiterate and covered in mud. Nevertheless, this religious order, along with these buildings were the state-of-the-art and attracted the most gifted individuals.

As we follow William of Baskerville while he works his way through the Abbey, we are introduced to a cavalcade of twisted and corrupted characters. There is no shortage of suspects, and the monks complete the character of the Abbey. We get to see a horrifically deformed young Ron Perlman and the rest of the cast is dominated by working actors who are easily giving their all. This is not an abandoned place.

This movie is a whodunnit — and a damn good one. We have no idea what’s going on and learn the facts at the same time William of Baskerville does. It’s wonderful to see the mystery unfold before us in a very patient and methodical way while we explore this medieval world. Sean Connery is playing a Sherlock Holmes-type character capable of discerning the truth from small amounts of information. He’s relatable though, and it is not beyond our ability to understand what it is he’s observing.

This is what makes this film eminently watchable. We see the clues William is gathering and their relatively simple puzzle pieces. As the greater image starts to come into view, we totally see the path it took to get there and it’s that much more rewarding.

It becomes clear that the murders are somehow related to a book. A book that is unknown at this point, yet people are willing to kill over. This is truly wonderful because it becomes more and more clear that discussions of theology and philosophy are the foundation of these people’s lives and debated with great vigor and passion from each prospective. It shows that what they believe is alive and well and constantly being redefined. The art that they’re putting into each book in the scriptorium becomes the art that defines the Middle Ages. But what we see even more is that the tenets of faith are still being worked on almost a thousand years after the foundation of the belief. Yes, this movie is a work of fiction, it is though pretty close to how the church and population dealt with these ideas.

The reason why I picked this movie is the strength of the story. The amazing cinematography is a plus, however this movie would be nothing without the story that propels it forward. Love of cult movies and even B-movies means that sometimes were willing to forgive plot for humor or campiness. Some of the lowest level budgeted films can have an amazing story underneath them. The best example I can think of is the original Doctor Who. If they had any budget at all it was spent on cardboard and duct tape, yet the story is so powerful it transforms that hodgepodge of a set into a completely different world.

This is the true beauty and wonderment of storytelling. It doesn’t matter if it’s visual, audio, or anyway you tell the story they’re designed to capture the imagination. The moral of the story? Don’t be afraid to give a movie a chance because it just might change your world.