Danny Boyle used creative methods while directing, necessitated by the film's low budget. For example, in the scene where Renton shoots a dog with a BB gun and it then goes crazy and attacks its owner, Boyle got the dog to freak out simply by positioning himself just outside of camera range and screaming at it.
In , Robert Carlyle , who played Begbie, told a BAFTA interviewer that he played Begbie as a closeted gay man whose outbursts of violence were due to his "fear of being outed". Irvine Welsh , who wrote the movie's source novel, confirmed that he wrote the Begbie of the book to have an ambiguous sexuality, and agreed with Carlyle's interpretation of the film's version of the character.
The whole film was shot in just seven and a half weeks. Various options were considered to make the film more intelligible for American audiences. Subtitles were ruled out as they would spoil the effect of using them in the disco scene. Instead, the actors re-recorded the first 20 minutes of dialog, softening their accents to atune American ears to the Scottish dialect.
Kelly Macdonald , although supposedly 14 in the film, was 19 when making it. It was released on her 20th birthday. There has been some confusion over the film's title, as none of that particular activity actually takes place in the film apart from Renton forced to stay inside his bedroom which has train-themed wallpaper. Irvine Welsh has since gone on record to explain the title, stating that it started out as a euphemism for taking drugs often done at a train station.
The term gradually evolved to be describe an obsessive hobby that is not understood by people who do not practice it. Welsh thus compared the unusual hobby to heroin addiction, i. To them, it makes perfect sense. Danny Boyle used twins to play the part of baby Dawn, which meant neither baby was forced to be in front of the camera for too long.
All of the cast would play with the two babies between takes to break the tension of the often difficult scenes they were about to shoot.
Jonny Lee Miller was cast on the strength of his performance in Hackers and his ability to do an uncanny Sean Connery accent. Ewen Bremner Spud had previously played Renton in a stage adaptation of the novel. To play the skinny heroin-addicted Renton, Ewan McGregor lost 26 pounds. It took him only two months to reach Renton's target size. He achieved this by grilling everything and by drinking wine and gin instead of beer.
Kevin McKidd Tommy missed the photo shoot for the promos because he was on holiday, and is the only lead cast member not to be in any of the promotional posters or even the video cover. Oasis were asked to contribute to the soundtrack, but Noel Gallagher declined, as he thought the film was actually about trainspotters. However, he would later attend the launch party. Danny Boyle had his actors prepare by making them watch older movies about rebellious youths like The Hustler , The Exorcist and A Clockwork Orange The latter film is directly homaged in the scene set in the Volcano nightclub, which is very similar to that set in the Milk Bar in Stanley Kubrick 's film.
Indeed, the track playing in the Volcano club is by Heaven 17 who took their name from A Clockwork Orange One of the reasons why the film proved to be so popular, particularly in its native UK, was its vibrant marketing campaign. It was actively modeled on the way that Pulp Fiction had been pitched to the public. Filming took place in the height of summer. This was problematic when it came to the night shoots - given it doesn't get dark in Scotland until around 11pm in the summer and the sun's up again by 4.
On the plus side, the short nights meant that Danny Boyle and co could cram an awful lot of filming into one day the director was usually on set around 7am and often didn't finish until 8. The scene where Sick Boy and Renton lie in the park and take potshots with their Westlake. Unfortunately Brian De Palma was setting up the film version of the TV show at the time so getting to the rights to the music simply proved to be too expensive - approximately three times the film's budget.
Both actors were very hungover for the scene in question. Miller is the grandson of Bernard Lee , who played "M" in the Bond series until From the minute the film went into pre-production, Ewan McGregor was always first choice for the part of Renton.
Danny Boyle credits the Spike Jonze -directed music video for "Sabotage" by the Beastie Boys as a major influence on the opening sequence of the film. Before he took up screenwriting, John Hodge was a doctor and had to frequently deal with heroin addicts. Some of his experiences have been worked into the script. One such example is the junkies stealing a television set from an old folks' home. Nevertheless, he manages to keep their humanity at the centre; he keeps coming back to close-ups, searching for whatever virtue he can find and focussing on emotion rather than making didactic commentary.
If Shallow Grave gave an intriguing glimpse of what he was capable of doing, this was the film that cemented him as one of the most essential film-makers that Britain has produced since World War II. Trainspotting is anchored by a series of fantastic performances which still hold up to scrutiny. Alongside McGregor, the best of these is Robert Carlyle; he makes Begbie utterly terrifying by being so unpredictable in both his actions and their timing.
He hangs over the film like a demonic presence, with Renton living in fear even in the scenes when he's not present. Jonny Lee Miller, who remains underrated as an actor, is very impressive as Sick Boy, and Ewen Bremner brings a real sense of pity and sadness to Spud.
Without this last element, the ending would feel somewhat contrived; with it, we understand Renton's actions as both a gesture of friendship and an act of cowardice - he leaves him the money, but doesn't take Spud with him. Trainspotting remains essential viewing and one of the best British films of the s. Despite a number of slow sections, it remains arguably the high point of Boyle's career, as well as one of the best things Ewan McGregor has ever done.
It manages to pull off the rare trick of being a visual treat and an emotional sucker-punch, making us confront tricky subjects without mercy while allowing us to gape in awe at the screen. It is nothing other than a fantastic cinematic achievement for all concerned. Daniel M Super Reviewer. Mar 10, Danny Boyle's direction is superb.
He never pulls punches when depicting the thrill of taking drugs and the devastation they cause. Moments in the movie are simultaneously hilarious and horrific. McGregor's Renton is both lovable and despicable. The movie itself is relatively simple; plot information is secondary to the characters it's made up of. There are some significant moments played out brilliantly by Boyle's direction. Some of it might feel random, but I think that's the point of the movie. If you haven't heard of Trainspotting and want to see why it's regarded as a cult-classic, go find a way to watch it and enjoy.
It's only 90 minutes long and moves along quickly while raising enough questions to dwell on after the end credits roll! Final grade: A -Ben. Ben B Super Reviewer. Aug 29, I had to see what the hubub was all about. Trainspotting is as close to what some might say is a realistic portrayal of hard drug use with a few fantastical elements thrown in by director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge to heighten the experience no pun intended.
Boyle has some solid credits to his name since he came on the scene with this in It helps that he has a fantastic cast or Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle and the rest to fully encompass their roles as these drugged-out somethings. Some of the scenes are, quite frankly, brutal and terrifying. There's a sense of foreboding going into a few of them and seeing the scenarios play out exactly as you think they would.
At other times, there's an underlying sense of uneasy humor running through it. At only 90 minutes, this feels like an extended episode more than a feature-length movie to me. Everything is happening so quick, and the ground we cover in the 90 minutes feels like a sprint over miles of story.
It will be interesting to revisit these characters further down the road when the second film comes out, and perhaps maybe things have changed for the better when we do. Or, you know, they'll still be exactly who they are on drugs. Lane Z Super Reviewer. Jun 15, Really one of those films that is as fantastic as many people give it credit for. We are not so much shown what heroin does to a young person directly but rather we see Renton, Spud, Sick Boy, Tommy, and co.
We see their faults, we see their redeeming factors, and most of all, we see their personalities come, go, and linger like the hits they take. It would be a simpler road to make this film entirely grim as the scenario itself is, but to add comedy and a very much present sense of humor is a stroke of genius.
It was a difficult task even in the s to make a film showing the grim reality that some find themselves trapped in i. Anyone looking for clarity on why Ewan McGregor is as lauded as he is need not look further than this film. Kal X. A Super Reviewer. See all Audience reviews. There are no approved quotes yet for this movie. Best Horror Movies. MacDonald worked with Miramax Films to sell the film as a British Pulp Fiction , [12] flooding the market with postcards, posters, books, soundtrack albums and a revamped music video for " Lust for Life " by Iggy Pop directed by Boyle.
Trainspotting was able to portray itself as British and as an 'exotic' element to the international market while also staying relevant to the American public, making it an international success in its marketing. North Kelvinside. Crosslands pub, where Begbie chucks an empty pint glass from the balcony. Although set in Edinburgh , almost all of the film was shot in Glasgow , apart from the opening scenes, which were shot in Edinburgh, and the final scenes which were shot in London.
Template:Main article The Trainspotting soundtracks were two best-selling albums of music centred around the film. The first is a collection of songs featured in the film, while the second includes those left out from the first soundtrack and extra songs that inspired the filmmakers during production.
The film has gone on to receive much recognition for the soundtrack it has been produced. In , Vanity Fair ranked the Trainspotting original soundtrack at number 7 for best motion picture soundtrack in history.
This article was written 11 years after the film was released. With Oasis dominating the singles chart, and the Spice Girls on the rise, the face of pop shifted from guitars to digitised beats. The soundtrack for Trainspotting has gone on to become a pop culture phenomenon. Finally, there is the techno-dance music from the s, including Bedrock and Ice MC. Trainspotting was screened at the Cannes Film Festival but was shown out of competition, [23] according to the filmmakers, due to its subject.
In Britain, Trainspotting was met with widespread acclaim from critics. In his review for The Guardian , Derek Malcolm gave the film credit for tapping into the youth subculture of the time and felt that it was "acted out with a freedom of expression that's often astonishing. If we Brits can make movies this good about subjects this horrific, what chance does Tinseltown have? American film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and praised its portrayal of addicts' experiences with each other.
Whether he's staging a fumbly sex montage to Sleeper 's version of Atomic or having Renton go cold turkey to the ominous slow build of Underworld 's Dark and Long Trainspotting keeps us wired to the pulse of its characters' passions".
Nor does it really have the dramatic range to cope with such wild extremes. Most of it sticks to the same moderate pitch, with entertainment value enhanced by Mr. Boyle's savvy use of wide angles, bright colours, attractively clean compositions and a dynamic pop score". Rolling Stone Template:'s Peter Travers wrote, "the film's flash can't disguise the emptiness of these blasted lives. Trainspotting is 90 minutes of raw power that Boyle and a bang-on cast inject right into the vein".
The film's release sparked controversy in some countries, including Britain, Australia and the United States, as to whether or not it promoted and romanticized drug use.
US Senator Bob Dole accused it of moral depravity and glorifying drug use during the US presidential campaign , although he later admitted that he had not seen the film.
Time magazine ranked Trainspotting as the third best film of The film had an immediate impact on popular culture. In , Trainspotting was ranked in the 10th spot by the British Film Institute BFI in its list of Top British films of all time, [41] while in the magazine Total Film named it the fourth greatest British film of all time. In contrast, Tommy and Begbie openly criticise heroin use. Tommy lives an athletic, drug-free lifestyle.
Begbie does not believe in heroin, but he is ironically a vicious drunk, eager to pick fights for the mere thrill of instigating physical altercations. This point is clearly illustrated when Begbie is seen casually throwing his pint glass off a bar balcony, injuring a woman and causing a large-scale pub brawl.
Sick Boy and Renton decide to quit heroin, but struggle with temptation. They join Tommy, Begbie and Spud in a dance club where all five men are in pursuit of sex. The other three men have more complicated nights. After complaining about his relationship problems to his mates, Tommy takes Lizzie home for sex, wishing to make love while watching a porno video of themselves, until they discovered that their own tape was missing and instead, there was a football tape.
Renton had previously stolen their personal tape in the film while claiming to borrow the football video. Tommy believes he returned it to the video rental store accidentally - a point of contention with Lizzie that later leads to the end of their relationship. Spud drinks too much alcohol, as he's in a temporary abstinent relationship with his girlfriend, Gail.
That night when Gail tries to have sex, Spud passes out and defecates on her bed. Renton flirts with a young girl named Dianne, who quickly dissects his bad chat-up lines, but takes him home anyway. After the two have sex, Renton is forced to sleep on a couch outside her bedroom and discovers the next morning that he is actually at her parents' house and that she is under the age of sexual consent. He tries to end their relationship, but she blackmails him into staying in contact lest she call the police and inform them of their one-night stand.
With their quest to be sober not as thrilling as hoped, Sick Boy, Spud and Renton decide to get back on heroin. The film shows a montage of drug taking and dirty dealings, while Renton narrates that he and his mates tried all drugs available to them. Tommy is dumped by Lizzie and looks for solace in heroin like his mates, having been told it's "the ultimate hit The group discovers Allison's baby daughter, Dawn, has died.
The cause of death is neglect while they were all present: an infant's distorted wails play over the preceding drug montage. All are shocked and feel terrible - Sick Boy, the father, most of all. A short time later, Renton and Spud are caught stealing from a department store in a reprise of the opening scene of the film. Spud goes to jail but Renton avoids incarceration by enlisting in a Drug Interventions Programme where he is supplied with the heroin substitute methadone.
Even though his journey to sobriety begins with much love from his parents and mates such as Sick Boy and Begbie , within hours Renton is back at the flat of his dealer - named "Mother Superior" for "the length of his habit" - and orders more heroin. Renton overdoses on the heroin and is dragged carelessly by "Mother Superior" and a taxi driver to the hospital, where nurses save his life.
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