Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #33593 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-03-25
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 102 minutes

Video Description
DVD Special Features:

Cast and Crew Interviews
Behind The Scenes Footage
Trailer
Scene Index

Synopsis
James Joyce created some of the most acclaimed, beautiful novels of all time while living in Dublin and while involved with his lover Nora Barnacle. This period drama stars Ewan McGregor as Joyce and Susan Lynch (WAKING NED DEVINE) as the object of his passions. The film follows the volatile couple through Dublin to the coast of Italy and through Joyce's incredible works, including ULYSSES which grew from this relationship between the artist and his muse.

From the Back Cover
Ewan McGregor and Susan Lynch star in this passionate and true story of James Joyce and his lifelong love Nora Barnacle. On June 10th 1904, walking down Dublin's Nassau Street in his yachting cap and canvas shoes, Joyce met Nora Barnacle a tall, striking, brown haired girl from Galway. He fell in love with her immediately. Sensual, witty, courageous and unwilling to be controlled by anyone, Nora offered Joyce all the qualities he yearned for in a woman. Nora became James Joyce's inspiration and without her, the world would be without his literary legacy.

Customer Reviews

A GENIUS AND HIS MUSE
James Joyce (Ewan McGregor) as a young university student finds his spiritual and sexual equal and partner in life in Nora Barnacle (Susan Lynch). Although the class difference is obvious to all but the pair, they fall in love against the advice of his friends who lust after Nora. Joyce convinces Nora to join him in Italy where he has a teaching position. The two begin their lives together living beyond their means, dressing fashionably, and fighting while raising children. Nora is anything but a quiet professor's wife. She is the life force that motivates Joyce. Although one of the major literary talents of the twentieth century, Joyce as McGregor presents him is insecure, neurotic, and insanely jealous. Theirs is a volatile relationship prone to public outbursts and sexual abandon.

Susan Lynch won the best actress award at the Dublin Film Festival for her performance as the earthy muse whose presence is as much a torture as inspiration to Joyce. Ewan McGregor in his first adult leading role proves he has matured as an actor of solid talent and sensitivity beyond juvenile leads. Shot on location in Ireland and Italy, Nora is a small independent film produced by McGregor's production company, Natural Nylon, and likely to be overlooked by most audiences. However, if solid acting, adult story lines, and turn-of-the-century costume biopics are your cup of tea, this film is worthy of its purchase price. The DVD version includes interviews with principal actors and director Pat Murphy.

Not even heroic
Because the costumes, sets and actors in this film are so attractive you might be forgiven for expecting Nora to be good. It's not. Nora is a failure and not even a heroic one. It starts off well enough with the young James Joyce (Ewan McGregor) meeting the love of his life, Nora Barnacle, (Susan Lynch) on a Dublin Street in 1904. The film moves at a pace and seems to be gathering momentum when the young couple head off to Trieste and the narrative grinds to a virtual halt. And people talk not very good dialogue. Endlessly. And make love graphically. As though an audience will be interested.

I had hoped Joyce's love for Nora might be presented in his own words. No such luck. The scriptwriter, it seems, wasn't going to allow Joyce to intrude on her efforts, more's the pity, so there's little of Joyce's language in the script. Alas. (Compare Huston's use of words in The Dead and the late great Donal McCann's wonderful reading of that final soliloquy) There's nothing to match it in Nora. Not that Joyce had written his masterpieces until later on. Even so, Nora could have mouthed them instead the banal chit-chat and ludicrous humping that passes for passion in all the familiar, cliched bedroom scenes. An embarrassment. Worse, we are obliged to watch Joyce abusing Joyce in a cinema while reading a letter from Nora. For pity sake have pity!

So why did they go to Trieste in the first place? Who knows ? The script doesn't bother explaining in any detail why they make this giant leap into the unknown. Later, Joyce's brother arrives to stay with Nora and Jim. Why? The script doesn't seem to care. Joyce goes to Dublin and opens a cinema. Why? The script fails to elaborate. Nora and Joyce break up and reunite in Dublin. Why? Because he's worse than what she's got? Really? Could you elaborate? Or would that be too much to expect from this mean spirited foul mouthed film. Joyce must be spinning.

Susan Lynch as Nora gives a one note performance. Feisty. There is no depth or subtlety. Shouting passes for acting. Same with McGregor. Humping and yelling. Trying to fool an audience into believing it's drama. And on it goes for almost two tedious hours never matching the pace of the first fifteen minutes, pausing in all the wrong places and showing occasionally the promise of a good movie but never fulfilling it. And we're reminded at the end that Joyce became a great writer. So there. In case you didn't know. Best thing in the film? McGregor and Lynch singing a duet. Pity they didn't make it a musical. Anything would have been better than this self indulgent pap.

On the DVD there is an interview - of sorts - with the leads and with the director. Looking bored with the whole thing. And a short selection of the crew at work (why? to fill up space on the disc?) And a trailer. Wish I could get my money back on this one. Nora is not even a good bad film. Nora is a

Arrive safe n sound
Arrived within a week of purchase, it was marked as a 'used' item - but it was in perfect condition.