Nora

I was lucky enough to see this at a small time premiere in Sydney and Ewan turned up as he is out here making some big time sci-fi movie. Anyway my first reaction to this movie was that I thought that it moved with a pace that was too disjointed and that we were confronted with too much intimate detail before we had a chance to understand anything about the characters. Afterwards we heard from Ewan and from his expressions of how it was a glimpse at a life not a tale and how that we are supposed to just capture moments in what was a very complex and unique relationship that Joyce had with nora that on further thought I have come to see more into what the film was trying to do so on second viewing I was able to understand I suppose more of the workings of the mind that was Joyce I highly recommend this film to anyone with a passion not only for Joyce's work but anyone who has an interest in the personal life of a creative mind. Watch it twice for even more.

This movie can only be understood or appreciated for those familiar with James Joyce's work. The movie is extremely similar to Joyce's lyrical structure. The chapters of his books usually begin abruptly without any explanation. This might explain why the movie seems choppy. The director was obviously trying to mirror Joyce's style. I did not like the movie at first, but after i had read one of his books, I came to understand the movie. However, for cinematic purposes and for the well-being of audiences, the director should have at least explained how Nora affected James more convincingly. I had to look up in the internet on their conflict.

Overall, the movie was good. They could have deleted some the overwhelmingly repetitious scenes (if you have watched it, you will know what i mean). In turn, they should have replaced it with more scenes that discussed the conflicts.

I bought this DVD, expecting the always fascinating work of Ewan Mcgregor. When I watched it, I was interested in the characters, wanting to know more. By the end of the film I was disappointed in the story line. They were together, then they weren't. He couldn't live with out her and all is happy again. It was two people that were the perfect couple but were absolutely horrible for each other. I did like the fact that it ended with a laugh, though.

I've read the biography on which this movie is based, and found that the screen adaptation hasn't embellished the true story (unlike most biopics) very much. "Nora" covers the Joyces courtship in Dublin, immigration, and their years in Trieste until 1914 when "Dubliners" was finally published. McGregor may not be perfectly cast - he's heavier, and not much of a tenor - Joyce, on the other hand, was so renowned for his singing that he briefly contemplated making a career out of it. Ewan's very earnest in his attempt, though, he gets an A for effort. Susan Lynch makes a great Nora, no complaints there.

Some of the chronology is played around with - the Prezioso episode happened after James and Nora's last mutual visit to Galway, not before. Two of Joyce's sisters are conflated into one, and the family's stint in Rome is omitted. Some episodes are invented for the sake of exposition, such as the run-in with the cattle in Dublin. Those are minor quibbles. The film got many details right - not the least of which was how elegantly the couple always tried to dress despite their relative lack of funds. Trieste hasn't changed much since early 20th century, so we also get to see some nice location shots - and a few in Dublin.

I was a bit disappointed that the film ended at an early cutoff point, after James and Nora's first decade together. Ideally, it should have been a miniseries a la "John Adams", and covered their fame in Paris, Nora and the kids caught in a Civil War crossfire during their last trip to Ireland, Joyce's eye troubles, Lucia's illness, etc. As is, it shows only the beginning of an almost 40-year relationship.

Ewan McGregor, at almost 30, is playing a 22 year old James Joyce (2 February 1882 – 13 January 1941) from the moment Joyce meets Nora in Dublin, his future companion and later in life wife and mother of his 2 children. The movie depicts only the first 5-7 years of their tumultuous, tempestuous, sexually charged, possessive and jealousy filled relationship. It is the time when Joyce was struggling to get his novel 'Dubliners' printed which eventually did happen in 1914. It is the story of the young couple's self-imposed exile to the continent: to Trieste, today in Italy. The dramatisation is influenced by Joyce's short story 'The Dead' which is a novelette about a married couple. A passionate costume drama, but at times quite melancholic which is underlined by the dim/sepia cinematography.

Not many literary references of his published work however insight into the lovers erotic correspondence, the epistolary 'love-making' they had when ever they were separated. I thought that was extremely stimulating! Therefore, I decided to read Joyce's love-letters-to- Nora, rather than re-trying for the Xth time 'Ulysses' which I somehow never manage to finish.

Ewan McGregor is sincerely a brilliant actor, and as a Scotsman he pretty much fooled me with his strong Irish accent, but then again, there were moments, I would have loved to have English subtitles for my own untrained ears.

Historically accurate, biographically a bit amputated, but that only hardcore Joyce's fans will notice.

Verbally and visually the movie is sexually explicit, so for me it's 18+.

This is a movie for anyone who read Joyce or is into emotionally charged period dramas. —