When director Jean-Jacques Annaud discovered Umberto Eco’s medieval murder mystery, he knew immediately he had to adapt it. His obsession began after reading the novel and realizing its themes—centered on the search for Aristotle’s lost Poetics—aligned perfectly with his lifelong fascination with religious and medieval architecture. During a brief meeting in France, he consulted the author, who famously admitted he hadn’t researched specific period details like monk footwear or pig coloration. This led the production to hire medievalist Jacques Le Goff to oversee authentic costumes and liturgy. A murder mystery about monks in the middle ages fighting for the fictional missing part of Aristotle’s Poetics, i read an article about a curious book that had great reviews in Italy. Since childhood, I had been fascinated with medieval and religious architecture, and Aristotle’s Poetics is my favourite literary work. The author, was going to be in France for one night and agreed to meet me at his hotel and that I would drive him to Charles de Gaulle airport, i learned that Umberto Eco. Which looked like the silhouette of Sherlock Holmes – Umberto was a man of great humour, and he met me wearing a deerstalker, with a pipe in his mouth, the first thing I saw was his shadow on the hotel staircase. In the car, I asked questions: what sort of shoes would the Franciscans have been wearing. He said: “I don’t know, I didn’t have to write any of that.
Finding the perfect William of Baskerville was a global search, but Sean Connery eventually secured the role after arriving at Annaud’s home with the screenplay. Annaud recalls being spellbound as Connery began to read the dialogue aloud, capturing the exact tone he had imagined. The rest of the cast was equally unconventional; Christian Slater landed the role of the novice Adso despite arriving drunk to his audition. Although the casting director was initially furious, Annaud was convinced by the 16-year-old’s look and his screen chemistry with Valentina Vargas. The friar who investigates the deaths, and travelled the world to watch plays featuring great actors in their 50s, i wanted an unknown to play William of Baskerville. Meanwhile, agent Mike Ovitz kept calling, saying: “Sean Connery would love to make this movie.
Production in Rome was intense, marked by significant logistical hurdles. A massive set was constructed on a hilltop, where a library fire sequence nearly went wrong when Connery’s cowl caught flames and a falling timber injured the 80-year-old actor Feodor Chaliapin Jr. In an unusual turn of events, producer Bernd Eichinger sold their Munich production office building mid-shoot to secure additional funding for the movie, leaving the team without an office upon their return.
For Ron Perlman, portraying the hunchbacked monk Salvatore was a personal milestone. Having previously worked with Annaud on Quest for Fire, Perlman requested the part, eager for a complex character. He developed Salvatore’s unique, multi-language speech pattern by randomly selecting words from seven different languages referenced in the novel. The character’s transformation required a grueling 13-hour makeup session, leaving the crew to jokingly remark, “Good luck with your personal life, my friend,” when he finally finished.
The role also involved an iconic, difficult scene where Perlman had to spit in Connery’s face. Despite his hesitation, Connery took him aside and urged him to commit to the act, warning that they would be stuck all day otherwise. The sequence required multiple takes from various angles, including closeups and profile shots, forcing Perlman to spit on his hero 16 times that day. This scene remains one of the most vivid memories from the set for the actor, highlighting the professional rigor that defined the production.
