70 Films, 1 Oscar: “The Name of the Rose” Director Praises Cinema Legend After 57-Year Career

In his memoirs A Life for Cinema: A Narrative (2018), Jean-Jacques Annaud shares his filming memories, especially recounting his encounter with the Oscar-winning actor Sean Connery, whom he holds in high regard.

During the time of the film The Name of the Rose, the French director was still in search of his lead actor. His negotiations with Michael Caine had ended in a legal debacle when a lawsuit erupted. It was then that he received several calls from Mike Ovitz, the agent of Sean Connery, whose career was experiencing a slight dip after Never Say Never Again (1983) and the less successful Sword of the Valiant (1984).

Sean, the Perfect Fit

When Sean Connery arrived for the meeting, he brought the script along and began reading it with such intensity that Jean-Jacques Annaud was instantly captivated.

“He sits opposite me and starts reading these pages I wrote and rewrote, which I know by heart, down to the intonation. He reads them so well that I get goosebumps. I stop him and rush to Bernd Eichinger [the film’s producer]: it’s done, we have our William.”

Indeed, Connery was the actor to embody William of Baskerville.

Sean, Like Clockwork

On set, Annaud later discovers an actor of almost obsessive precision. Every gesture, every pause, and every movement by Sean Connery was meticulously planned: which side to hold an object, when to pause, down to the exact number of steps to take. The director describes his work as akin to “Swiss clockwork.” This extreme meticulousness was sometimes challenging, as any change in the script could throw him off.

He recounts:

“In the initial rehearsals, [Sean] would ask:

– Do I take the goblet in my left hand or right hand?

– In your left, because you’re going to need to grab your glasses with your right.

– OK. When do I pick it up?

– You pick it up when you say: ‘Yesterday, I saw the librarian.’

– Where do I put it? 20 cm from my nose or 25?

– 25. Then you pause.

– And after that, how many steps do I take towards the window?

– Two.

Once the mechanism was set, he performed all these actions with astonishing grace and naturalness.”

Sean, a Lesson in Acting

For Jean-Jacques Annaud, this experience was primarily a lesson in the art of acting: “Sean helped me understand actors who employ methods from theater, who master the old school where one learns to hit their marks without looking, to turn their face by the exact degree, where one thinks being an actor is a profession, where one has respect for that profession. (…) In any case, it was magical to see him work and it would have been a dream to work with him again.”

The Name of the Rose was a tremendous success, drawing nearly 5 million viewers in France in 1986, winning a César for Best Foreign Film for Annaud, and a BAFTA for Best Actor for Sean Connery. That same year, Highlander, also featuring Connery, attracted over 4 million viewers, revitalizing the career of the legendary British actor.

The Name of the Rose is now available to rediscover on TF1+ or on VOD.