简介：PassagesfromJamesJoyce'sFinnegansWake196516mmfilm90mins ThiswasthefirstattempttocinematizetheworksofIrishauthorJamesJoyce.BasedmoreonastageadaptationbyMaryManningthantheJoycenovelitself,thefilmconcentratesonDublinpubkeeperFinnegan(MartinJ.Kelly),whowhileinthethroesofinebriationhasavisionofhisowndeath.AsthebemusedFinneganliesinhiscoffin,hisfriendsgatherforhiswake.The"corpse"triestocutthroughthekeeningandplatitudesbyprobingtheinnermostthoughtsofthoseclosesttohim.Thesurprisingaspectofthisfilmisthatsomuchofitsdifficulttextworksonscreen--atributetothelovingcareofscripter/director/editorMaryEllenBute,who,whilepreparingthisfilmspentherwakinghourspickingthebrainsandburrowingthroughtheresourcematerialsoftheJamesJoyceSociety. AlthoughdirectorMaryEllenBute’shighlyregardedFinnegansWake(akaPassagesfromFinnegansWake)isauniquefilmthatislikelytobaffleanyoneunfamiliarwithJamesJoyce,itcannotbedismissedmerelyasaliteraryexercise.Thedirectorwasrightinclaimingthatherfilmwas“notatranslationofthebookbutareactiontoit”.ItisactuallybasedonastageplaybyMaryManning,whowasalsoresponsibleforthescreenplay.Joyce’sellipticalrhetoricandintricatepunning,whichmightbeconsideredaformidablebarriertothefilmingofthismostopaqueofhisworks,provedtobeanattractiontoBute,whoseenthusiasmforthe‘visual’and‘kinetic’qualityofhislanguageledhertothesurprisingbutwell-judgedmoveofrunningsubtitlesfromtheoriginaltexttosupportthedialogue. VisualmusicpioneerMaryEllenBute'sfinalfilmwasalsoherfirstfeaturefilm.JamesJoyce'sclassicstoryofIrishtavern-keeperwhodreamsofattendinghisownwakeisbroughttothescreenwithasparklingenergywhichhighlightsitsmaker'scareer-longexplorationofkineticabstractanimation.Perhapsbestdescribedasa'filmpoem,'PassagesfromFinnegansWakewasthefirstattemptto'cinematize'theworksofJamesJoyce,featuringtheauthor'shighlyoriginallanguagespokenbycharactersandpresentedastextonscreen.…