Finnegan’s Wake Part 1 of 3

Year Published: 1965

Creator: Expanding Cinemas

Complete Record: An experimental retelling of James Joyce's story of a single night in the life of H.C. Earwicker or Finnegan. Director Mary Ellen Bute uses innovative cinematic techniques to evoke Joyce's surrealistic style - juxtapositions, illusion, flashbacks and subtitles. Shot of moving river, dissolves in Finnegan and his wife lying in bed. Shot of slow-motion animation of Finnegan falling into an abyss of black, his head on an egg/Humpty Dumpty character. This turns into quick cuts to a montage scene of death and destruction and back to an animation of Finnegan in his sleeping robe. Scene at Finnegan’s wake where people are standing and hovering over his casket, laughing and singing. Shot of woman in black veil leaning over his casket with two men to each side of her. Scene of man hosting a show and speaking into a microphone followed by quick cuts to animations and a caveman scene - cavemen in a room with a typewriter on top of a wooden casket, typing, talking and then quick cuts to the montage of death and destruction. Illustrations of astrology. People in period costumes from the late 1800s - top hats, full dresses. Photo album shots where inside the frame of a photograph, there is a moving animation instead of a still photograph. Shot of Finnegan in casket with long lit candles surrounding him. Men drinking over Finnegan’s casket pouring shots. Woman in black veil’s face fills screen in an extreme close-up. Woman ascends stairs in her black veil and robe. Scene in which people are clinking glasses and giving cheers over Finnegan’s head in his casket. Drop of liquid falls into his mouth and he wakes up and starts drinking with his guests. Shots of people standing around his casket, talking to him from Finnegan’s perspective, close-ups of their faces. Couples dancing with each other. A dissolve of a woman in a gambling, seductive costume into an image of Finnegan’s casket. Guests pushing Finnegan back into his casket as he gets riled up by the image of this woman. Scene of a rocket blasting off into outer space followed by the montage of death and destruction. Finnegan and his casket dissolving onto a stage, Finnegan gets up and tries on different hats. Shot of Finnegan in a white hat, walking with a white background and he tosses his hat into the air. End of Part one.