Best Documentary
This documentary brings Joyce's Ulysses to the masses with innovative style and content
This documentary film was specially commissioned by RTÉ as the fulcrum of Bloomsday 100 programming. Like Joyce’s novel, Imagining Ulysses takes the form of 18 different episodes. and, like the original, each of these is designed to have its own distinctive theme and style. Narrated by Brenda Fricker, with Patrick Bergin as the voice of Joyce, the overall intent of the film is to honour the spirit of the book in an imaginative, accessible and original way.
One episode in the documentary features a tabloid TV talk show á la Jerry Springer where Virginia Woolf and D.H.Lawrence defend their harsh critiques of Joyce. Another segment tells the story of a love affair in communist China, between translators Wen Jieruo and Hsaio Chien, with Ulysses as the backdrop. Yet another uses the format of The Osbournes to relate the story of Joyce's own family. A performance by Gavin Friday forms the backdrop for a piece on racism in Ireland - in 1904 - and 100 years later.