The Name of the Rose Poster: A Thriller Sold as a Teen Comedy

The Poster That Sold a Medieval Monastery as a Camp Comedy

Sean Connery winks with a whisky-salesman look, Ron Perlman strikes a tough-guy pose with an aura, and below, next to a cauldron, appears a loose character who looks like he stepped out of another movie. This is the poster for "The Name of the Rose." A story of the Inquisition, the Black Death, and crimes in a medieval abbey. Yet, the image promises a summer teen adventure. Someone had to say it.

Who Signed the Original Poster for The Name of the Rose

The artist was no amateur. Drew Struzan, a legendary 1980s illustrator, also signed the posters for Blade Runner and Indiana Jones. In his day, his name was synonymous with well-executed posters, and that prestige is precisely what explains the commission. The paradox is that the technically correct result reads today as a rarity, difficult to defend.

Some argue that the problem isn't the drawing, but the concept. And on that, the diagnosis is unanimous: the whole thing looks like a promotion for a childish whodunit, a family adventure poster. The way the characters' faces, even the villains', are emphasized like that speaks of a very different movie.

Why a Bright Poster for a Dark Film

The most frequent criticism concerns the lighting. The film barely antiestéticatures sunlight, and its characters are supposed to be steeped in darkness and misery. The poster, however, is bright, colorful, and friendly, with an air reminiscent of "Labyrinth" or "The Princess Bride," and a group composition that some compare to a game of Cluedo.

The most plausible explanation points to the market. It was a poster designed for the American audience, and the commission was made with that concept in mind to sell the film to the largest possible number of viewers. If the ideal poster would have been darker, they decided it shouldn't be. The fact that Struzan was chosen doesn't change the core issue: the result is being judged, not the resume.

The Other Poster That Actually Existed

For the international market, a different hand was enlisted. The alternative image was drawn by Philippe Druillet, a comic artist whose gothic fantasy style was much more in line with the story's tone. Choosing the wrong artist for the specific film was, it's argued, a serious error in judgment, if not outright tackiness.

It's worth noting the craftsmanship this type of commission represented. Painted by hand, in an afternoon, and with no more tool than talent, an illustrator could even invent a pose or a situation not present in the film. It was part of the creative process. That leeway has been lost today. If forced to choose, it's almost better to have films of that quality level than to spend the budget on the cover art.

The Detail That Caps Off the Irony

Because the film, it's remembered, was at the time one of the most funded in European cinema history. The script, setting, cinematography, and soundtrack are above average. Quite a production effort to end up presenting the public with a roguish Connery and a monk with a cauldron. The more you look at the poster, the worse it gets.