Bloom (I) (2003)

Adapted from James Joyce's Ulysses, Bloom is the enthralling story of June 16th, 1904 and a gateway into the consiousness of its three main characters: Stephen Dedalus, Molly Bloom and the extraordinary Leopold Bloom.

Director:

Sean Walsh

Writer:

James Joyce (novel)

Stars:

Stephen Rea, Angeline Ball, Hugh O'Conor

1 win & 4 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Stephen Rea	...	Leopold Bloom
Angeline Ball	...	Molly Bloom
Hugh O'Conor	...	Stephen Dedalus
Neilí Conroy	...	Driscoll
Eoin McCarthy	...	Blazes Boylan
Alvaro Lucchesi	...	Buck Mulligan
Maria Hayden	...	May Dedalus
Aideen McDonald	...	Veiled girl
Pat McGrath	...	Butcher
Mark Huberman	...	Haines
Kenneth McDonnell	...	Armstrong
Hugh MacDonagh	...	Schoolboy
Andrew McGibney	...	Colm / Newsboy
Dan Colley	...	Bannon
Des Braiden	...	Deasy

Storyline

Fathers and sons and lovers. June, 1904. Leopold Bloom, Dublin Jew and cuckold, attends a funeral, recalls his infant son dead 11 years, faces an anti-Semite at a pub, has a phantasmagoric dream while at a brothel, feeds a drunken young poet Stephen Dedalus, bonds briefly with Stephen as if father and son, and gets into bed next to his wife Molly. Stephen spends his day teaching, talking about literature with pals, pondering Shakespeare and "Hamlet" and fatherhood, brooding on his dead mother, drinking too much, and accepting Bloom's hand. Molly, lusty Molly, recalls vividly her courtship and affirmation of Bloom. Homer's "Odyssey" provides the story's structure.

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Plot Keywords:

Cuckold | Drinking | Pub | Jew | Funeral | 

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Taglines:

The enthralling story of June 16th, 1904.

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Genres:

Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for sexual content including dialogue

Details

Official Sites:

Official Site

Country:

Ireland

Language:

English

Release Date:

16 April 2004 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Bl,.m

Filming Locations:

Dalkey Island, Dublin, County Dublin, Ireland

Company Credits

Production Co:

Odyssey Pictures

Technical Specs

Runtime:

113 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Did You Know?

Trivia

Director Sean Walsh's name appears as the owner of one of the horses in the paper in one scene.

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Quotes

Molly Bloom: I said yes, I will, Yes.

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Crazy Credits

The film is dedicated to S...

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Connections

Version of Ulysses (1967)

User Reviews

Oh what could have been...

Bloom (or Bl.,m if you're to go by the opening credits) had the potential to follow in the footsteps of what is regarded as the greatest written novel of the 20th century, the Joyce classic Ulysses, an epic ramble around Dublin. What we have here though is merely a supplement to the novel, an illustrated guide to the main parts of the book. Anyone wishing to enjoy this purely as a cinematic event will be disappointed, as the film seems to be almost completely inaccessible to someone not versed in the book. The major plot points (and there are numerous) are lightly touched on (eg Bloom's 'Jewishness') and then we get a plethora of narration taken verbatum from the book over scene after scene on beaches! Obviously the size of the budget limited this film greatly, but it seems the one crucial element missing from the book was the actual walking itself. Since the book focuses on the main characters walking around Dublin, you would expect some in the film, but given the changing face of Dublin 100 years in the future, the film was severely restricted, much to it's detriment. The film had potential yes, but perhaps too much was bitten off, & the pretentious ending, coupled with manipulative a score ruins even the ideas trying to be expressed by this too-faithful adaptation.