Joyce to the World - Reviews

Video Librarian - November/December 2007

Joyce to the World
(2007) 58 min. DVD: $49.95. Choices, Inc. PPR. ISBN: 978-1-933724-14-0.
Bloomsday 2004—the centenary of the worldwide celebration among devotees of James Joyce’s modernist classic Ulysses (held every June 16), the day of Leopold Bloom’s Homer-esque 1904 odyssey through the streets of Dublin in the novel—is the jumping-off point for this wide-ranging documentary about the book’s history, wildly idiosyncratic language, and lasting influence. Narrated by Ken O’Malley, Joyce to the World combines interviews with admirers (such as actor Brian Dennehy and author Frank McCourt) and academics, together with public readings from the book, contemporary footage (of fans recreating scenes from the novel, pilgrims tracing Bloom’s route, and revelers partying around the globe), archival recordings by Joyce, and even bits of animation. The film aims to mimic the verbal pyrotechnics of one of the most important (and most controversial) books of the 20th century, while also poking gentle fun at the eccentricities of rabid enthusiasts. Offering a rare glimpse into the mindset of those hardy individuals who have actually finished Joyce’s masterpiece (far more than have read his Finnegan’s Wake) and consider it a life-altering experience, DVD extras here include a director’s statement, photo gallery, and a downloadable study guide. Recommended. Aud: C, P. (F. Swietek)

Booklist - November 1st. 2007

Joyce to the World.
Jun 2007. Choices, DVD, $49.95. (9781933724140).

Produced in 2004 and recently released on DVD, this program celebrates the work and legacy of writer Joyce Joyce. Academics, politicians, actors (including Brian Dennehy and Fionnula Flanagan), writers, critics, museum curators, and others share insights about the Dublin-born author and his seminal novel Ulysses. Clips from Bloomsday celebrations (held on June 16, “the day the novel takes place”) from around the world serve as a backdrop to this delightful biopic. Joyce fanatics annually gather to engage in theatrical readings, street processions, and staged performances. Archival photos, vintage footage, a short animated Ulysses for Dummies” segment, Joyce’s quotes, and toe-tapping Celtic music flavor this sensitive profile. Extras include lesson plans and a teachers’ guide. A Joyce for all!
— Carol Holzberg

Educational Media Reviews Online

Joyce to the World

DVD, Color, 58 mins.

Jr-High/Adult

Biography, Drama, Film Studies, Literature, Writing

Reviewed by Brad Eden, Ph.D., Head, Web and Digitization Services, University Libraries, University of Nevada, Las Vegas

  Highly Recommended

This video discusses the book Ulysses by the Irish writer James Joyce, and why it is read devotedly by many people over one hundred years after its writing. Numerous writers, academics, and readers discuss the importance of the book and its drama throughout the film that also includes extensive background on Joyce's life from his early years in Dublin to his self-exile in Europe. The video centers on the annual celebration of Bloomsday, in Ireland, every June 16th, the day on which the novel takes place. It shows how the celebrants visit the same locations in the novel at the same designated times; how they dress in costume; open the book; and raise a pint throughout the day, by following the actions of the fictional characters in the book.

The film also discusses Joyce's irreverent and brilliant place as Ireland's emissary to the world. There is many a humorous moment in the film, as Joyce makes fun of Irish heritage throughout his novel, and current enthusiasts are only too happy to portray their habits and traditions to the world as documented in Ulysses.

This film should be viewed by classes that are reading any of Joyce's works, but especially Ulysses. It documents the power of books and how words can still move people and cultures many years after they are written. 

Library Journal - December 2005

This refreshing video follows the premise that while James Joyce’s Ulysses indeed is a masterwork that revolutionized literature blah, blah, blah, it’s equally entertainment for the masses to be enjoyed instead of feared. The program offers a brief biography of Joyce, the writing and troubled publishing history of the big U, and the global celebration of Bloomsday each June 16, which runs the wide gamut of re-creations and readings to marathons in which celebrants stand roadside and recite passages to the runners (who thought that one up?). Interviews with a smattering of authors, scholars, Joyce heads, and, for some unexplained reason, actor Brian Dennehy, present insights into both writer and his creation, and theorize on why this particular story in which very little actually happens has struck such a resounding chord with readers worldwide. The emphasis is on the book’s approachability, and though heady, Ulysses also is remarkably bawdy, thumbing its nose at every taboo. Rather than just open doors, Joyce battered them down so they could never again be closed. But the book’s true appeal, however, perhaps lies in protagonist Leopold Bloom, a regular guy who has been dealt a losing hand yet still refuses to fold. It is his spirit that attracts the masses each June 16 and beyond, for as Dennehy smartly observes: “Bloomsday is every day and all days in every place.” Great fun. Recommended.

—Michael Rogers, LJ
   December 2005