Product Description

Studio: First Look Home Entertain Release Date: 06/21/2005 Run time: 106 minutes Rating: R

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #27964 in DVD
• Released on: 2002-05-21
• Rating: R (Restricted)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC
• Original language: English, Italian
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 107 minutes

Amazon.com
From the day he picked her up on a Dublin street, James Joyce (Ewan McGregor) was passionately in love with Nora Barnacle (Susan Lynch). Her sexual forwardness excited him, then rapidly fed into his compulsive jealousy. Nora follows these famous literary lovers as they flee Dublin for Italy, hoping to find freedom from claustrophobic Irish city life. Joyce's erratic emotions continue to make life difficult, but they find some happiness and have two children. Then, when Joyce returns to Dublin to open a movie theater, the lies of his former friends send him into a jealous fury--which is finally resolved by an erotic correspondence treasured by scholars and fans of Joyce's novels. Nora depicts all sides of Joyce and Nora, not shying away from the writer's difficult personality or from the often torrid language of their letters. A well-rounded biographical film. --Bret Fetzer

Customer Reviews

Nora and Joyce: A Literary Genius and his Muse
James Joyce (Ewan McGregor) finds his spiritual and sexual equal and partner in life in Nora Barnacle (Susan Lynch) when a young man in Dublin. Although he is a university student and she a maid at the local hotel, the two become lovers against the advise of Joyce's friends who lust after Nora themselves. 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 him. Joyce, one of the major literary geniuses of the 20th century is revealed through the film that explores the volatile relationship between the couple. Susan Lynch won the Best Actress award at the Dublin Film Festival for her performance as the earthy muse whose presence was as much a torture to Joyce as inspiration. Ewan McGregor, in his first adult leading man role, proves he has matured as an actor of solid talent and sensitivity in his role as the jealous, insecure, yet brilliant writer. Shot on location in Ireland and Italy, Nora is a small independent film produced by McGregor's 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 video is worth the price of purchase.

Not interesting on its own
The story intriqued me. However, not knowing much about James Joyce, I was confused at what all the hub-bub was.

To me this was a story of a very troubled couple. The man James Joyce a soon to be famous writer in his earlier years, horribly insecure. The woman Nora Barnacle, a willful sexually risky young woman of her time, with a troubled past. They meet on the street and not being of the same "class" initially the relationship is very uneven. Soon however, they run off to Italy to escape not only both their pasts, but the puritanical restricts of Irish society of the day.

As their relationship is fierce, so is its ups and downs. They have children and James Joyce being a struggling writer takes much of his failures to heart and drowns them in the bottle. Needless to say this does not improve things. They are often forced to rely on family for support.

A bigger twist is placed in the relationship when James is forced to go back to Dublin for financial reasons to support the family. The already insecure man, is rattled by his friends attempt to meddle with his relationship with the former maid, now the mother of his two children. Once they make up they find a peculiar way of mitigating their distance, by writing torrid letters to one another. These letters apparently now part of James Joyce's writing.

Soon however, when James returns to Italy, he riles things up locally and Nora leaves him to return to Ireland.

The story continues.

I found this hard to understand at times, you never really have a clue who James Joyce is from the movie. I guess it is assumed you know. I don't. What triggers the initial attraction is also unexplained. Also surprising is the forwardness of Nora, so early in a budding relationship. Much is left very open. You don't see why Nora puts up with James, he is very cold to her and often very obnoxious. It seems more a sexual obsession for both. Needless to say, both come across as very self-centered and immature throughout the whole of the movie.

I gave it 3 stars because I felt things were not tied up well. The acting was well done, but the screenplay was lacking.

FOUND NORA BY ACCIDENT
It was the 21 of December and I was busy into baking and wrapping but wanted something wonderful to watch on TV while I was buzzing around my house. On the Sundance Channel I found NORA and ended up sitting down and watching the entire movie...it was spellbinding. I did not know much about Joyce before this movie but it certainly makes you want to search for info on his life...Pat Murphy directing was flawless and the actors so suited to the roles. The photography was incredible. Wonderful movie - make sure you watch it.