The Name of the Rose (film) The Name of the Rose (film) The Name of the Rose is a 1986 Italian-French-German mystery historical drama film directed by Jean-Jacques Annaud, based on the book of the same name by Umberto Eco. Sean Connery stars as the Franciscan friar William of Baskerville and Christian Slater is his apprentice Adso of Melk; they are called upon to solve a deadly mystery in a medieval abbey. As an old man, Adso of Melk recounts how, in 1327, as a young Franciscan novice (a Benedictine one in the novel), he and his mentor, Franciscan friar William of Baskerville, traveled to a
Sean Connery The casting choice derives from a joke Michael Palin included in the script, in which he describes the character removing his mask as being "Sean Connery — or someone of equal but cheaper stature". When shown the script, Connery was happy to play the supporting role. In 1982, Connery narrated "G'olé!", the official film of the 1982 FIFA World Cup. Connery agreed to reprise Bond as an aging agent 007 in "Never Say Never Again", released in October 1983. The title, contributed by his wife, refers to his earlier statement that he would "never again" play Bond. Although the film