http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Rose
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Name_of_the_Rose_(film)
The story of a missing book within a film (post-modernism).
A title full of symbolism, but actually what does it signify here?
Tension and plot provided by opposition and symbolism: a brooding building on a hill in snowy mid-winter looking down on a peasant village. But who is more debased?
Black monks vs white.
Darknesss vs light
The insane are open and honest, the sane are secretive and conspire.
The old is wise, the young naive.
The young are beautiful victims, the old are ugly villains.
The novice's gaze of wonder and awe (white face, open mouth, clean shaven, starry eyed, the grizzled myoptic world weary gaze of Sean Connery.
Women in minority. Women as corruptor, then victim. Dirty, soiled, dangerous, temptress.
The thaw as the protagonists end their mission.
Papal legate as metonym of Catholic Church and all that is evil
A labyrinth
A foggy location full of secrets/mysteries
Books locked away (knowledge, secrets)
A book about comedy, in a place where there is no laughter.
Fire as hell, fire as an essential force
Paradox: charity = rubbish
Sin provides knowledge (sex scene)
Carnal knowledge vs cognitive knowledge
Words (symbols) are the crime
Enquiry into the power of the media
Censorship
Media control
There is the book by Eco. I heard it's very good, but a little difficult.
ReplyDeleteYes, I know about it. Eco is a very interesting man, and considered to be one of the most important semiologists. The title of the film is an interesting post-modern approach to signs: it is not ever clear what "rose" signifies and leads the audience to ask all kinds of questions about names and signs. One of the themes in the film/book is about the power of words, pictures...books. One of the mysteries is why so many books are locked away by the monks. What is it they fear? It seems that for them the circulation of books containing comedy will corrupt people and take them away from the true path of Christianity (the Benedictines believe in solemnity, and that laughter is a sign of irreverence). Without these books there can be no laughter, as it has never been signified....???
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