The Hours inspired by Ulysses

Three outstanding actresses have belied the old belief that there are no good roles for females ... take Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore and the magical Meryl Streep, put them in a powerful drama set around the famous writer Virginia Woolf and the Bloomsbury era of English literature, and you have the sort of film which Hollywood loves at Oscar Time.

The Hours has already brought Kidman a Best Actress Golden Globe - the film was nominated for seven Globes - and it has earned nine Oscar nominations and 11 BAFTA nominations ... it's clearly a woman's world.