Passages from James Joyce's Finnegans Wake (1966) User Reviews

I saw this as a theatrical release in 1968

[lhunt-9 · 8/10 · 20 April 2020]

I can't say much, as it's been over 50 years. I loved this as a small-theatre movie in (about 1968-69). I have been unable to track down a physical copy anywhere, and would pay a premium price to get it. It was full of spirit and verve, and made me interested in Joyce as well as in Irish culture.

brave and haunting

[jimi99 · 9/10 · 10 January 2011]

First, let me say that this is viewable on ubu.com and that I've been wanting to see it for many years, so godbless streaming video! I've not read the notoriously difficult novel, not that that would have helped me appreciate the film. But appreciate it I did, even though I only "got" about half of it. Fortunately, the film is subtitled to help understand Joyce's incredibly dense and inventive language, but I noticed that often HEARING it was easier than reading it, and have heard that if you attempt to read the book, that reading it aloud reveals Joyce's endless puns and run-on words more clearly. About the film visually, one must give many props to Ms. Bute for the haunting dream imagery and her choice of "Passages" to try to convey the flavor and narrative of the whole. After viewing, I referred to the introduction in Joseph Campbell's "Skeleton Key to Finnegan's Wake", which gave me a bit more insight into the characters and the story.

Good Fortune!

[Norman-3 · 9/10 · 17 February 2000]

I was lucky enough to have seen this film in a theatre. I'd read the book recently, and the film was quite illuminating in many respects. Unfortunately, it was a very literal interpretation of dream logic. The soundtrack, however, was absolutely first rate and evocative of the book. (Why wouldn't it be, actually; after all, it WAS the book!)

An abridged version was released on disk IN STEREO, and it was a treasure. I only hope that when and if this brave folly is ever preserved on DVD, it will incorporate the stereo audio, even though I doubt that it was ever presented in stereo theatrically.

Eins within a space and a wearywide space it was er wohnend a Mookse...

[clemensottawa30 · 7 April 2004]

This actually a sentence of the novel from James Joyce. You see that it is very easy to read - well, that was only a joke...this novel is gruesome, but I like it best. Last week I´ve seen this movie, and I was very suprised. It´s sometimes quiet good (short plot- discription: The story of a Irish tavern- keeper who dreams of attending his own wake)- Sounds difficult, he?- Yeah, and so it is...This isn´t a great movie, but after that novel you must say, there are few people who could make it better (maybe Tim Burton)

Brave

[Gerard-14 · 28 September 1999]

Well, I've not actually seen the movie, but I've read the book and based on the fact that this is the most difficult book to read in the entire world (I am NOT exaggerating) I think the attempt to make a movie on it alone deserves a high rating... Extremely difficult, extremely fascinating, a book (and I hope also movie) that changes ones way to look at the world, language, everything actually.