Reviews on movie Nora (3)

A beautiful Pat Murphy film produced by Ewan McGregor's Natural Nylon. He produced and played James Joyce himself. Despite the fact that the director and screenwriter is a woman, the film is not at all female, and not close to romantic snot with syrup, but rather on the verge of foul. McGregor here obviously had a hand in ensuring that everything was that way, he loves the material tough and provocative, where there is something to play, play on the nerves and reveal the character “to the very essence”, in the words of the great Boris Leonidovich P.

The whole case was filmed by Jean-François Robin, with whom McGregor worked at Rogue Trader, and he did his job just flawlessly. But in fact, what kind of romance can we talk about when we talk about the private and literary life of the great Irishman, poet, modernist James Augustine Aloisches Joyce, a wanderer, intellectual, literary experimenter and a person whose 3 novels are included in the Top 100 best novels of modern literature, which was so appreciated by V. Nabokov, and June 16 officially became celebrated as Bloom’s day?
Amazing beauty costumes, many vivid sexual scenes and conversations on this topic, the delightful Pre-Raphaelite beauty of Susan Lynch (Nora Barnackle), wonderfully singing and playing guitar McGregor (what beautiful, unique intonations he has when he sings!), who gives equally passionately to writing, to drunks, to a woman with whom he has a codependent, complex, but vivid relationship, because with muses otherwise does not happen. In principle, Nora is an excellent material for psychotherapists, an illustration of neurotic manifestations, obsession and codependency.

McGregor bathes in this role, goes to all that the Shirnarmass, read burghers with philistines, consider "phi" and "unacceptable." He, like Joyce, does not care about all established boundaries and prohibitions, he chose beautiful material, assembled an amazing cast/crew and enjoys life, creativity and freedom in opposition to the shabby public and religious morality of the Irish society of the early twentieth century. And, as usual, he is in such pictures, he took a chance and won. It doesn’t matter that the movie made 3 cents. It was not conceived and implemented for this, it is pure, without a single admixture art. Bravo, Officer McGregor, you've outplayed everyone!

The main advantage of this film, in my opinion, is the open frankness with which the creators approached the coverage of the difficult family life of a creative person now known to the whole world. At the same time, mountains of dirty laundry do not fly in the face of the viewer. I think it was in the best interest of those who created this picture to demonstrate the development of James Joyce’s creative personality, to allow them to penetrate the sanctuary of his personal life in order to gather the necessary information to understand the nature of the talent that we ultimately have. To compromise with the censors in the image of reality, in my opinion, would mean losing objectivity, slipping into tabloid melodrama, which, fortunately, did not happen.
In addition to the above, it should be said that a great acting team was selected. Yes, it should be admitted that the mass audience, with the exception of Ewan McGregor, is unlikely to know any of them, so there is no reason to meet new talented personalities!
The image of Europe a century ago does not cause any complaints, on the contrary - admiration and aesthetic pleasure. But this is not an empty demonstration of the beauty of the surrounding reality, everything here is directly aimed at understanding the difficult circumstances of Joyce’s life. I would call the method used by the film crew, everyday writing.
I recommend you to get acquainted with this quiet, not screaming about yourself at all corners, a masterpiece.
7 out of 10

A film that will be interesting not only to admirers of the great Irish writer James Joyce, but also to viewers far from his work and who have not heard of such a name.
Everything is full of constant scandals, eating jealousy, burning passion, complete disrespect for each other - all this rattling and heavy mixture was the love of James Joyce and Nora. At the same time, the film is already interesting because it examines the story through the eyes of Nora, a woman without whom there would be no Ulysses, without whom Joyce would not be so happy and unhappy at the same time.
But the time of the film is passing, and tantrums with scandals are only gaining momentum, they do not stop, personifying the hell into which love can turn life.
Great play of actors living the lives of heroes. Also a fun bonus for fans of the popular series “Sherlock” is the tiny role of Andrew Scott at the very beginning of the film.
5 out of 10