Adapting a novel to screen is always a difficult business. Of all the novels one could choose to adapt, James Joyce's Ulysses has to be one of the most difficult. Producer / Director Sean Walsh gave his adaptation the rather unconventional title Bl,.m to convey a little bit of that difficulty. The film, he is suggesting, is an interpretation of Ulysses rather than simply a translation for the screen.

Joyce's novel is one of the most celebrated works of prose in 20th century literature. Ulysses is set on June 16th 1904, and in Ireland the 16th of June is known as Bloomsday, after the novel's character Leopold Bloom.

It is practically a national holiday in Dublin, with events celebrating Ulysses and James Joyce held all over the city. This year, the centenary of the fictional day, the celebrations are due to be spread over five months! It is fitting then that Sean Walsh's Bloom should be released this year too.

Walsh is the second director to attempt an adaptation of Ulysses. In 1967, American director Joseph Strick released a version starring Milo O'Shea as Leopold Bloom, Barbara Jeffod as Molly Bloom and Maurice Roëves as Stephen Dedalus. Unfortunately, on top of poor reviews abroad, the film was banned as obscenity in Ireland for 33 years.

On top of this, the novel itself it is no easy read. There are far more people own a copy of the book than have tried to read it, and many more have begun it than made it to the last page. Sean Walsh's intention with Bloom was to open up this literary masterpiece to a wider audience, and perhaps to encourage a few more people to read it. Whether or not he has succeeded only time will tell, but I suspect the film will be of more interest to Joyce's established fans than to newcomers.

Walsh attempted to be as faithful to the novel as possible. The only exception to this is that he opens on Molly's climactic monologue, found at the end of the novel. The first half of the film then follows young writer Stephen Dedalus on one hand, and the jaded Jew Leopold Bloom on the other, as they trek their way through a very ordinary day in Dublin.

The film is all beautifully shot by Ciarán Tanham, and one can reasonably expect to see his name connected to some high profile work in the future. The previously unknown design team, Mervyn Rowe (Production Designer), Stephen Simmonds (Art Direction) and Tara Van Zyl (Costume Design), also hit just the right note: rich but not ostentatious.

Stephen Rea stars as Leopold Bloom, Angeline Ball as Molly and Hugh O'Connor as Dedalus. Rea captures the laconic Bloom perfectly in every respect with only one exception: his accent. This will no doubt be of little consequence to anyone abroad, but for a Dubliner it will be a source of irritation from time to time.

Unfortunately Hugh O'Conner remains unconvincing as Stephen Dedalus. Frankly it looks as though he is trying too hard, perhaps overawed by the cultural significance of the role. Angeline Ball as Molly is as beautiful, sensuous and vain as the role requires. Again though, there is a tendency at times to overdo it a little, particularly in internal monologue scenes where the lines are delivered as voice-over.

Voice-overs are always tricky, but there is no other way to carry the novel's depth and the richness of Joyce's language to screen. Thankfully, Walsh applies the voice-over tastefully and effectively.

I cannot help but feel that the director could have done more work with the actors' onscreen performances though. For an actor, thought is particularly difficult to do and the natural tendency is to over-express, when a better restrained performance would suit.

The real problem with the film is the pacing. For those who have read the novel, the pleasure of seeing the characters and events of Bloomsday on screen will no doubt outweigh the discomfort. However, for the majority of us, there are scenes and sequences that will drag out too much, with too little sense.

Perhaps Walsh has translated Joyce's novel too effectively, carrying the ponderous and the confusing as well as the lyrical and the enchanting. I cannot help but feel that Bloom will appeal far more to Joyce's established fans than it will to the general public.


Bloom opens nationwide on April 16th.
Cert: 18