Love's Bitter Mystery - The Year that Made James Joyce. A Feature Film

World Première of Love’s Bitter Mystery: The Year that Made James Joyce, directed by Carly Wilding and written by Steve Carey. Where: Rivoli Cinema, 5pm, Saturday 4 June, 2022 and online Bookings and further information: www.bloomsdayinmelbourne.org.au Bloomsday in Melbourne brings James Joyce’s provocative masterpiece to life with a new immersive film, Love’s Bitter Mystery. Set in the atmospheric post-gold-boom mansion at Villa Alba in Kew, this feature focuses on a critical year (1903-4) in the young author’s life and how he used (and changed) episodes from his own life in his famously controversial novel Ulysses. The film is a new joint venture between Bloomsday and arts-streaming service Scene under the gifted Filmmaker, Jak Scanlon and experienced thespian, Matt Connell (who wowed audiences in 2018 as Tristan Tzara in Tom Stoppard’s stage classic, Travesties).
Steve Carey, screenplay writer and Joyce buff, comments: ‘This is such a fascinating time in the young James Joyce’s life. Our film explores young Joyce’s awakenings, both romantic and artistic.’ The neo-gothic, literary biopic delivers ghosts, violence, romance and music, as well as a tumultuous year in the life of the young Jim Joyce. The film’s multi-talented director, Carly Wilding (recently one of two leads in Voyage), comments: ‘The film takes us inside James Joyce’s mind, set in the superb atmosphere of the Victorian mansion Villa Alba. Using filmic language to create motifs unavailable to us in live performance has been thrilling. It’s been a most challenging creative process and one of the chief things I’ll take from the COVID years.’ Love’s Bitter Mystery: The Year that Made James Joyce premières for one night only at the Rivoli Camberwell at 5pm on Saturday 4 June (and is available for streaming after that). More at Bloomsday’s website. The film is the launch event of a month-long celebration in Melbourne of the centenary of the publication of Joyce’s famous classic novel Ulysses. Bloomsday in Melbourne also has a brand new theatrical production, (yes I will Yes!), a celebratory dinner and, for the scholars, a seminar exploring Joyce’s attitudes towards women and marriage. More at Bloomsday in Melbourne’s website, www.bloomsdayinmelbourne.org.au. Scene (https://www.the-scene.net) is a Video Production company and independent arts streaming service, a key destination for Melbourne-made theatre. After 4 June 22, the film will be available to stream at https://www.the-scene.net/lovesbittermystery-watchpage