Bloom

Sean Walsh's film adaptation celebrates the centennial of James Joyce's Ulysses (although why the original title was jettisoned is not clear), and--to its credit--leaves intact many of the author's earthier sequences and much of the scatological language, which was notably absent from Joseph Strick's ill-advised 1967 film version. The Irish cast has no problems wrapping themselves around the Joycean language, especially Stephen Rea as Leopold Bloom, the Dublin insurance salesman who goes for quite a walk on June 16, 1904, and Angeline Ball as Molly (although Hugh O'Conor seems to have snagged the role of Stephen Dedalus strictly for his boyish good looks--he rarely suggests the turmoil of a struggling poet). Walsh also uses a creative tapestry of voiceovers and direct conversations with the camera to reflect the wild streams of consciousness that constitute the characters' thoughts and desires. Still, trying to squeeze a work as sprawling and multidimensional as Ulysses into a film running less than two hours is an exercise in futility: Bloom cannot encompass the mammoth explosion of Joycean wit, vulgarity, and sensual imagination, ultimately offering a Cliff Notes version that serves up classic segments (Dedalus urinating off the rocks, Bloom reading “Titbits” while enthroned on a toilet) but fails to capture the depth and scope of the work. Bloom is literally too little of a good thing, only barely hinting at the literary genius of Joyce's masterpiece. Optional. (P. Hall)