Sean Walsh's 'Bloom' the feature film adaptation of James Joyce's 'Ulysses' premiered on Wednesday 14 April in UGC Cinemas. The film goes on release in Dublin, Cork and Galway on Friday through Stoney Road Films.
The film, which has been in development since 1993, is the labour of love of the writer/director/producer, Sean Walsh, director of Millbrook Studios in Rathfarnham. The project was produced by Odyssey Pictures Limited with support from the Irish Film Board and S481.
'Bloom' shot in September/October 2002 in and around Dublin (Dublin Castle, Shaw's birthplace in Portobello, Print Museum in Beggars' Bush, the Strand in Dollymount and Hannay Studios in Cabra). The film stars Stephen Rea in the lead role of Leopold Bloom, Angeline Ball as Molly Bloom, in an award winning role (Ball won the Best Actress in an Film award at the Irish Film & Television Awards 2003 for her portrayal of Molly Bloom); Hugh O'Conor as Stephen Dedalus.
These leads committed to the project when it was originally to film in 2001, and despite shooting changes, were committed to making the project work and changed their own schedules accordingly.
Bloom |
Sean Walsh has been eating, sleeping and drinking this project for 13 years, and is delighted to see it finally on the big screen around the country. The reaction generally at screenings in Ireland and internationally has been terrific - audiences at festival screenings in Galway, Taormina, Venice, Dublin, Cine Gael Montreal, and Foyle, have all thoroughly enjoyed the big screen interpretation of what many consider the best book in the world. Frank Weaver of James-Joyce-Music.com had this to say after the screening in Montreal in March:
"The reputation that Ulysses has acquired over the years - namely, that it is not only challenging in parts, but also somehow "unphotogenic" in its unswerving realism - is clearly an undeserved one. The heartfelt storytelling, the humanity in the portrayal of the characters, and the gorgeous cinematography of this groundbreaking film succeed in reminding all who view it just how lovely and, indeed, accessible Joyce's masterpiece truly is. Sean Walsh's great achievement here is in translating into the medium of film both the thematic depth and the staggering beauty of the book, without giving short shrift to its linguistic complexities...Kudos all around.
Shooting Bloom |
Walsh was at pains to make this a very accessible film, believing that most people avoid reading the book completely, so this is a way for people to get to know the story and the characters. Walsh played around with the unfolding of events, dividing Molly's final soliloquy to either side of the action,but doesn't shy awayaway from dealing with the characters' interior monologue or thoughts. Overall he's delighted with the result,
"I wanted to make this great work accessible to a lot more people…it was a mountain I had always wanted to climb," he says, "and I finally achieved it in a style that reveals its humanity and humour and echoes the literary tricks that Joyce originated."
Authority on Joyce, Senator David Norris feels the film is "a triumphant re-interpretation of James Joyce's masterpiece, brilliant, witty, innovative and imaginatively faithful to Joyce's work".
The film is distributed by production company, Stoney Road Films, who are releasing five prints in Dublin (UGC, UCI Tallaght, IMC Dun Laoghaire, Screen, Omni in Santry), one in Galway and one in Cork.
In addition, The film is also being released on DVD at a later date. Walsh has confirmed that a lot of extra material filmed but not included for theatrical release will be available on the DVD.
Principal crew are:
Writer/Producer/Director: Sean Walsh
Production Manager: Donal Ruane
DP: Ciaran Tanhan
First AD: Nick McCarthy
Focus Puller: Keith Durham
Costume: Tara Van Zyl (from Joan Bergin's company at The Mill)
Make Up: Rosie Blackmore
Locations: Kieran Hennessy
Sound: Ray Cross
Casting: Danial Hubbard and Mary Maguire
Equipment: VFG
Posting: offline, grading and sound design at The Farm
Cast:
Driscoll - Neili Conroy
Blazes Boylan - Eoin McCarthy
Mrs. Thornton - Barbara Brennan
Buck Mulligan - Alvaro Lucchesi
May Dedalus - Maria Hayden
Veiled Girl - Aideen McDonald
Butcher - Pat McGrath
Haines - Mark Huberman
Armstrong - Kenneth McDonnell
School Boy - Hugh MacDonagh Colm/Newsboy - Andrew McGibney
Milly Bloom - Jane Valentine
Bannon Dan Colley
Deasy - Des Braiden
Fr. Coffey - Donncha Crowley
Postmistress - Ronnie Masterson
Martha - Britta Smith
Lenehan - Paul Ronan
Simon Dedalus - Alan Devlin
Martin Cunningham - Phelem Drew
Rudy Bloom - Adam Fox Clarke
Virag Bloom - Ronan Wilmot
Man in Macintosh - Peter Dix
Editor - Peader Lamb
Dilly Dedalus - Sarah Jane Drummey
Mrs. Breen - Dearbhla Molloy
Mina Purefoy - Jenny Maher
Apjohn Ruaidhri - Finnegan
Goldberg - Eoin MacDonagh
Young Bloom - Howard Jones
Russel - Peter Gaynor
Eglington - Russel Smith
Blindman - Seamus Walsh
Librarian - Mal Whyte
Bookseller - Jack Lynch
The Citizen - Patrick Bergin
Alf - Jimmy Keogh
Joe - Donal O'Kelly
Man in Pub - Tom Bye
Gerty - Rachel Pilkington
Tommy - Jamie Baker
Jackey - Coleman Hanley
Madden - Connor Delaney
Private Compton - Charlie Bonner
Private Carr - Alexander Downes
Paddy Dignam - Eamonn Rohan
Alexander Keyes - Luke Hayden
Zoe - Julie Hale
Man in Brothel - Raymond Keane
Bella Cohen - Maria Lennon
Young Molly Bloom - Caoilean Murphy
Young Mulvey - Ciaran O'Brien
Mr Stanhope - Dermot Moore
Molly's Father - Steve Simmonds
Capt. Groves - Maurice Shanahan
www.ulysses.ie
