Catholic review of The Name of the Rose – any recommendations?

Typisch said:

Hi everyone,


does anyone know of a good Roman Catholic review of the film “The Name of the Rose”? It can be a text, audio, or video. I’m really interested in how the film is viewed or interpreted from a Catholic perspective. Thanks in advance!

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The USCCB used to have a good movie review that was indexed and searchable. But that was then and not now. Steven Greydanus did movie reviews at decentfilms.com, but he never did 'Name of the Rose'.

My opinion was that the movie was a disappointment and the book was far ... better?

I'm not a qualified reviewer but I did read the book and see the movie.

I thought the book had more atmosphere, while the movie focussed on action. I think that's a common issue when books are made into movies. The thought life of the characters in the book is not recorded in the movie, although their words and actions may be.

It's a long time since I read the book and saw the movie so my memory is hazy. But that's my general recollection.

Umberto Eco, the author of the book was an atheist although it seems he had a fondness for the Catholic Church in which he had been raised as a youngster. Apparently there was an exchange of open letters between Eco and Cardinal Martini of Milan. They had a certain amount of respect for each other.

I want, finally, to reflect on why Eco and Martini were able to have such a productive discussion. What was it that opened them up to dialogue in this way? The answer, I think, has at least something to do with their recognition of the value of each other’s perspective. Eco, though an outspoken atheist, was known for his friendly stance toward Roman Catholicism. He remained fond of the church he had been a devout member of as a teenager, and he was an expert in medieval thought. Martini, for his part, would regularly engage with secular critics, often agreeing, in a qualified way, with their arguments, and famously remarking, in an interview shortly before his death, that the church was two hundred years behind the times.

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In the book Umberto Eco's expertise in medieval thought comes through in detail, but it is not so clear in the movie.

There are a couple of reviews here, one Catholic and the other from "spiritualit and practice" which I assume is Christian.