E X T E N S I O N JOYCE AND THE CINEMA Joyce was fascinated by the world of films. In 1909, when he was living in Trieste, he went into partnership with some Triestine businessmen to open the first cinema in Dublin, the Volta Picture Theatre in Mary Street. Things, however, did not go well. The inauguration of the Volta took place on 20th December 1909, but by 14th June 1910 the cinema was sold at a loss1 to the Triestine investors. Joyce did not make any money out of the The Volta Cinema. project. Later on in life Joyce discussed the filming of Ulysses with the great director Sergej Ejzenstejn, and even contended2 that certain episodes in Finnegans Wake could be adapted to the screen. In spite of this, the number of films based on Joyce s works is quite limited, which means that filmmakers have probably found his images and narratives too difficult to be translated into cinematic form. There are only six adaptations of Joyce s books for the screen. Passages from Finnegans Wake (1965), directed by Mary Ellen Bute, consists in a surreal series of images from Joyce s last novel. This was followed by Joseph Strick s Ulysses (1967), featuring Milo O Shea (Leopold Bloom), Barbara Jefford (Molly Bloom) and Maurice Ro ves (Stephen Daedalus). The film takes place in the Dublin of the 1960s, including electric lighting, modern clothing and traffic jams. Stricks also directed A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man (1979), with a script by short story writer Judith Rascoe and a large cast including Bosco Hogan as Stephen Daedalus and Sir John 1. at a loss: not making a profit but losing money. 2. contended: claimed, affirmed. 84