Trainspotting (film)

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Categories: 1996 films | British films | Cult films | Drama films | Films based on novels

Trainspotting is a 1996 black comedy film directed by Danny Boyle based on the novel Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh about a group of heroin addicts in Edinburgh and their passage through life. It stars Ewan McGregor (as Mark Renton), Ewen Bremner (as Spud Murphey), Jonny Lee Miller (as Sick Boy), Kevin McKidd (as Tommy), Robert Carlyle (as Begbie) and Kelly Macdonald (as Diane). Author Irvine Welsh also has a brief appearance, as drug dealer Mikey Forrester.

The movie's screenplay was adapted from Welsh's novel by John Hodge. Interestingly, the screenplay does not contain any overt references to the non-drug-related hobby of train spotting but instead is a reference to an episode in the original book, where Begbie and Renton encounter Begbie's destitute father in a disused Edinburgh train station, who is apparently just "trainspotting".

Its release sparked controversy in some countries, including the UK and USA, as to whether it promoted drug use. U.S. Sen. Bob Dole decried its moral depravity and glorification of drug use during the 1996 presidential campaign, although he admitted that he had not actually seen the film. However, it was generally praised as an inventive, highly effective film, and received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay in that year's Academy Awards. In 1999 the film came 10th in a BFI poll of British films, while in 2004 the magazine Total Film named it the 4th greatest British film of all time.

The film's release was supported by an imaginative marketing campaign using flyers inspired by rave culture and posters of each of the main actors. Owing to illness, Kevin McKidd went on holiday having finished shooting for the film and did not attend the photoshoot for the posters, a fact noted often when discussing his relatively lacklustre post-Trainspotting career.

Sequel

Boyle has stated his wish to make a sequel to Trainspotting which will take place 10 years after the original film, based on Irvine Welsh's sequel, Porno. He is reportedly waiting until the original actors themselves age visibly enough to portray the same characters, ravaged by time; Boyle joked that the natural vanity of actors would make it a long wait. There have been rumours that a feud exists between McGregor and Boyle, stemming from Boyle's decision to pass over McGregor in favor of Leonardo DiCaprio for his adaptation of The Beach, which would make such a reunion impossible. However, both parties have dismissed the rumors.

Alternate Versions

Upon its initial release in the United States, the first 20 minutes of Trainspotting were re-edited with alternate dialogue. Because of the thick accents of the actors and cultural euphemisms seldom heard outside Scotland, it was believed that American audiences might have difficulty understanding the characters. The original dialogue was later restored on the re-release of the "Director's Cut (Collector's Edition)" DVD in 2004.

See also

• 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.
• Corrour station is the setting for the "great outdoors" scene in the film.
• Talgarth Road is where Renton moves to in London, which is part of the A4 road.
• Archie Gemmill

References

• Smith, Murray. 2002. Trainspotting. London: BFI

External links

• Trainspotting at the Internet Movie Databasede:Trainspotting - Neue Helden

fr:Trainspotting pl:Trainspotting (film) zh:迷幻列車