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‘The name of the rose’ is one of the most popular books by the Italian writer Umberto Eco (1952-2016), in fact, he confessed that this story seemed to be bound to haunt him all his life.
An idea that took hold when the eponymous film was released in 1996, starring Sean Connery and Christian Slater, which not only further popularized the story, but also gave way to a cult production and a greater interest in Eco around the world.
Now, 24 years later, a miniseries inspired by the play is released, which feeds a bit on the suspense and drama atmosphere revealed in the film.
The plot of ‘The Name of the Rose’ revolves around William de Baskerville, a Franciscan friar that in 1327 he is sent by the Emperor of Rome to an abbey in northern Italy to a summit where certain conflicts between power and religion are noted, in a context that is sharply affected by a series of murders that De Baskerville and his disciple Adso will have to investigate.
(Also read: Two FBI series come together in a television case)
In this process, the protagonists are immersed in an intrigue full of dangers, secrets and manipulation and control of knowledge and information. The miniseries will be available in full (eight episodes) from this Thursday on the StarzPlay platform.
Precisely, the actor John Turturro (‘Barton Fink’, ‘The Great Lebowski’, ‘The Night Of’), who plays William de Baskerville in the new version, exclusively answered some questions for EL TIEMPO, about this project.
It is interesting the relationship between power and in some way religious belief, which was seen a bit in his series ‘The Plot Against America’, and which now returns in ‘The Name of the Rose’…
Unfortunately, the whole story is still very relevant today and in the world we live in when exploring the relationship between religion and politics.
People try to erase other people, take an idea and subvert it to fit their needs, and some leaders have used religion many times in history as a powerful tool to subjugate people.
I don’t like dogma in any religion, but I am fascinated by the subject. And especially religion throughout history and how it has evolved. I’m always suspicious of authority figures, but I’m interested in religion, whether it’s inherent in me or how I approach the world from a moral point of view.
There are a number of novel nuances in front of the film, such as the appearance of women …
Yes. The novelty element is definitely the creation of Anna and, in general, giving the two main women more of history and psychology.
Preserving historical and philosophical themes was also important to me. The guideline was always that if it didn’t feel like Eco, it shouldn’t be in the script. As well as the relationship between William and Adso, which is seen as a partnership that benefits both of them and not just as a Sherlock Holmes-style interaction with his assistant John H. Watson. It has a mentoring aspect and its dialogue is essential for the narration of the story.
William often disappoints Adso, but he also makes him look at things from a different angle, teaches him not to believe everything so easily, to doubt some things he lives and thinks.
I don’t like dogma in any religion, but I’m fascinated by it
De Baskerville is a character who gives light in a world of shadows, like now …
I mean
I think Eco’s book is still very relevant today. The intolerance, the fear of knowledge, the fear of science that existed in medieval times is still visible.
Climate change is also there, William de Baskerville would probably have been an environmental advocate if he had been present today. Furthermore, he opposes absolutism, people who do not ask questions, people who are afraid of knowledge.
What was the most challenging part of this story?
The biggest challenge was probably getting used to the language, because the book incorporates many different levels of language and we had a lot of Umberto Eco words in the script. Also be faithful to the text, find the right tone for my character and in the scenes with the other actors, keep things varied and interesting.
Do you think your character is full of contradictions?
Yes. He is a great researcher, but also a man of science and faith, a philosopher and a being of action. He was an inquisitor but gave up torture. A man who understands the value and humanity of women when they were feared and demonized. In that sense, his views are very modern.
ANDRÉS HOYOS VARGAS
On twitter: @ AndresHoy1
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