Trainspotting (film): Difference between revisions
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{{short description|1996 film by Danny Boyle}} |
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{{EngvarB|date=September 2013}} |
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{{Use |
{{Use British English|date=September 2013}} |
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{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}} |
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{{Infobox film |
{{Infobox film |
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| name = Trainspotting |
| name = Trainspotting |
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| image = Trainspotting ver2.jpg |
| image = Trainspotting ver2.jpg |
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| alt = |
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| caption = United Kingdom theatrical release poster |
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| alt = |
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| caption = UK release poster |
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| director = [[Danny Boyle]] |
| director = [[Danny Boyle]] |
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| producer = [[Andrew Macdonald (producer)|Andrew Macdonald]] |
| producer = [[Andrew Macdonald (producer)|Andrew Macdonald]] |
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| screenplay = [[John Hodge (screenwriter)|John Hodge]] |
| screenplay = [[John Hodge (screenwriter)|John Hodge]] |
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| based_on = {{Based on|''[[Trainspotting (novel)|Trainspotting]]''|[[Irvine Welsh]]}} |
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| starring = {{Plainlist| |
| starring = {{Plainlist| |
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* [[Ewan McGregor]] |
* [[Ewan McGregor]] |
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* [[Robert Carlyle]] |
* [[Robert Carlyle]] |
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* [[Kelly Macdonald]]}}<!-- per poster --> |
* [[Kelly Macdonald]]}}<!-- per poster --> |
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| narrator = <!-- This film has no narrator; this field is for documentaries only. --> |
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| cinematography = Brian Tufano |
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| cinematography = [[Brian Tufano]] |
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| editing = Masahiro Hirakubo |
| editing = Masahiro Hirakubo |
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| studio = [[Film4 Productions|Channel Four Films]] |
| studio = {{ubl|[[Film4 Productions|Channel Four Films]]|Figment Films|Noel Gay Motion Picture Company}} |
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| distributor = [[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
| distributor = <!--Do not add Miramax per WP:FilmDist-->[[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]] |
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| released = {{film date|df=yes|1996|02|23}} |
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[[Miramax|Miramax Films]] (United States)<ref name="Miramax">Peter Biskind, ''Down and Dirty Pictures: Miramax, Sundance, and the Rise of Independent Film'', Simon and Schuster, 2013 p. 238.</ref> |
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| runtime = 93 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 93:28--><ref>{{cite web|title=''Trainspotting'' (18)|url= https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/trainspotting-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0zndmxmdu |work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=15 December 1995|access-date=19 December 2015|archive-date=27 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191127181903/https://bbfc.co.uk/releases/trainspotting-1970-4|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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| released = {{film date|df=yes|1996|02|23|United Kingdom}} |
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| country = United Kingdom<ref>{{cite web|title=Trainspotting (1996)|website=[[British Film Institute]]|access-date=27 April 2024|url=https://collections-search.bfi.org.uk/web/Details/ChoiceFilmWorks/150438369}}</ref> |
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| runtime = 93 minutes<!--Theatrical runtime: 93:28--><ref>{{cite web|title=''TRAINSPOTTING'' (18)|url=http://www.bbfc.co.uk/releases/trainspotting-1970-4|work=[[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]]|publisher=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=15 December 1995|accessdate=19 December 2015}}</ref> |
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| country = United Kingdom |
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| language = English |
| language = English |
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| budget = £1.5 million<ref name="icon">Alexander Walker |
| budget = £1.5 million<ref name="icon">{{cite book|first=Alexander |last=Walker |title=Icons in the Fire: The Rise and Fall of Practically Everyone in the British Film Industry 1984–2000 |publisher=Orion Books |year=2005 |page=237 |isbn=978-0752864846}}</ref> |
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| gross = $72 million<ref name=DCA>{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=Jonathan|title=Trainspotting|url=http://www.dca.org.uk/assets/general/Trainspotting.pdf|website=Dundee Contemporary Arts|publisher=Edinburgh College of Art| |
| gross = $72 million<ref name=DCA>{{cite web|last1=Murray|first1=Jonathan|title=Trainspotting|url=http://www.dca.org.uk/assets/general/Trainspotting.pdf|website=Dundee Contemporary Arts|publisher=Edinburgh College of Art|access-date=6 September 2015|archive-date=1 October 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201001024140/https://www.dca.org.uk/assets/general/Trainspotting.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><br>(£48 million) |
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£48 million (GBP) |
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}} |
}} |
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'''''Trainspotting''''' is a 1996 British [[black comedy]] [[ |
'''''Trainspotting''''' is a 1996 British [[black comedy|black]] [[comedy drama]] film directed by [[Danny Boyle]], and starring [[Ewan McGregor]], [[Ewen Bremner]], [[Jonny Lee Miller]], [[Kevin McKidd]], [[Robert Carlyle]] and [[Kelly Macdonald]] in her film debut. Based on the [[Trainspotting (novel)|1993 novel]] by [[Irvine Welsh]], the film was released in the United Kingdom on 23 February 1996.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting: A Reader's Guide|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=q5VKzzUUbBIC|publisher = Bloomsbury Academic|date = 1 September 2001|isbn = 9780826452375 |first = Robert|last = Morace}}</ref> |
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The |
The film follows a group of heroin [[Substance dependence|addicts]] in an [[Poverty in the United Kingdom|economically depressed]] area of [[Edinburgh]] and their passage through life. Beyond drug addiction, other themes in the film include an exploration of the urban poverty and squalor in Edinburgh.<ref>{{cite book|chapter-url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JosOAAAAQAAJ&dq=Trainspotting&pg=PA110 |chapter=Genres in transition |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160611063733/https://books.google.com/books?id=JosOAAAAQAAJ&pg=PA111&dq=Trainspotting&lr=#PPA110,M1 |url-status=live |archive-date=11 June 2016 |title=British National Cinema |first=Sarah |last=Street |publisher=Routledge |year=1997 |isbn=0-415-06735-9 |page=111}}</ref> |
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''Trainspotting'' was released to critical acclaim, and is regarded by many critics as one of the best films of the 1990s.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-lists/the-100-greatest-movies-of-the-nineties-195513/trainspotting-1996-2-195688/|title=The 100 Greatest Movies of the '90|magazine=[[Rolling Stone]]|date=12 July 2017|accessdate=9 April 2021|archive-date=10 September 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910142514/https://pandg.tapad.com/tag?gdpr=0&us_privacy=1YYY&referrer_url=&page_url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.rollingstone.com%2Fmovies%2Fmovie-lists%2Fthe-100-greatest-movies-of-the-nineties-195513%2Ffight-club-1999-2-197654%2F&owner=P%26G&bp_id=penskemedia&data=%7B%22category%22%3A%22Movie%20Lists%22%7D|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/best-films-movies-90s-1201852966/|title=The 50 Best Films of the 90s From Pulp Fiction to Groundhog Day|work=[[IndieWire]]|date=14 July 2017|accessdate=9 April 2021|archive-date=16 March 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210316124257/https://www.indiewire.com/2017/07/best-films-movies-90s-1201852966/|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/1990s-films-forrest-gump-titanic-trainspotting-pulp-fiction-movies-cinema-a8411221.html|title=Ten films that define the 1990s: From Forrest Gump to Titanic, Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction|work=[[The Independent]]|first=Joe|last=Summerlad|date=22 June 2018|accessdate=9 April 2021|archive-date=20 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201120094343/https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/1990s-films-forrest-gump-titanic-trainspotting-pulp-fiction-movies-cinema-a8411221.html|url-status=live}}</ref> The film was ranked tenth by the [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) in its list of [[BFI Top 100 British films|Top 100 British films of the 20th century]]. In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time in a general public poll.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3518815.stm|access-date=6 December 2010|publisher=[[BBC News]]|title=Trainspotting wins best film poll|date=24 February 2004|archive-date=7 December 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201207173615/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3518815.stm|url-status=live}}</ref> A 2017 poll, which consisted of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' magazine, ranked it the tenth best British film ever.<ref>{{cite magazine|url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/100-best-british-films#tab_panel_4 |title=The 100 best British films |archive-url=https://archive.today/20190403073405/https://www.timeout.com/london/film/100-best-british-films%23tab_panel_4 |archive-date=3 April 2019 |magazine=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] |access-date=24 October 2017 |url-status=live}}</ref> A [[sequel]], ''[[T2 Trainspotting]]'', was released in January 2017, with [[TriStar Pictures]] distributing it. |
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The film has been ranked 10th by the [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) in its list of [[BFI Top 100 British films|Top 100 British films]] of all time. In 2004 the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time in a general public poll.<ref>{{cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3518815.stm|accessdate=6 December 2010|publisher=News.BBC.co.uk|title=Trainspotting wins best film poll|date=24 February 2004}}</ref> |
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==Plot== |
==Plot== |
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<!-- Per WP:FILMPLOT, plot summaries for film articles should be 400–700 words. 751--> |
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[[Heroin addiction|Heroin addict]] Mark Renton and his circle of friends are introduced: [[Amorality|amoral]] con artist Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson (also an addict); simple-minded, friendly Daniel "Spud" Murphy (another addict); clean-cut athlete Tommy MacKenzie; and [[psychopath]] Francis "Franco" Begbie, who picks fights with people who get in his way. |
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[[Mark Renton]], a 26-year-old unemployed [[heroin]] addict living with his parents in [[Leith]], regularly takes drugs with his "friends": treacherous, womanising [[James Bond]] fanatic Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson; docile and bumbling Daniel "Spud" Murphy; and Swanney—"Mother Superior"—their dealer. Renton's other friends include aggressive alcoholic psychopath Francis "Franco" Begbie, and honest footballer Tommy Mackenzie, who both abstain from drug use, warning him about his dangerous drug habit. |
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Tiring of his reckless lifestyle, Renton attempts to wean himself off heroin with a bare room, foodstuffs, and [[opium]] [[Suppository|suppositories]] from dodgy dealer Mikey Forrester. Developing diarrhoea, he has to relieve himself in the disgusting toilet of a [[betting shop]], then imagines swimming in the filthy water as he retrieves the suppositories. |
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Renton decides to quit heroin and buys [[opium]] [[Suppository|rectal suppositories]] from dealer Mikey Forrester to ease the transition. After his final hit (and a violent spell of [[diarrhea]] caused by cessation of [[heroin]]) he locks himself into a cheap hotel room to endure [[Heroin#Withdrawal|withdrawal]]. He later goes with his friends to a club and, finding that his sex drive has returned, he eventually leaves with a young woman named Diane and they have sex in her home. In the morning, he realises that Diane is a 15-year-old schoolgirl and that her "flatmates" are actually her parents. Anxious, Renton tries to ignore the incident, but is forced to remain in touch after Diane [[blackmail]]s him. |
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Renton attempts to lead a "useful and fulfilling" life away from heroin. This consists of meeting Sick Boy in a park where he uses an [[air gun]] to incite a stranger's dog to attack its owner, supplying Spud with [[amphetamine]] for a job interview that backfires, and stealing a sex tape of Tommy and his girlfriend, Lizzy. |
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Spud, Sick Boy, and Renton start using heroin again. Tommy, whose girlfriend dumped him after a chain of events initiated by Renton, begins using as well. One day the group's heroin-induced stupor is abruptly interrupted when Allison, their friend and fellow addict, discovers that her infant daughter Dawn has died from neglect without any of the group noticing. All are horrified, especially Sick Boy, who is implied to have secretly been Dawn's father. |
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At [[The Volcano (nightclub)|The Volcano nightclub]], Renton notices his cessation of heroin use has increased his [[libido]]. So, he seduces Diane Coulston, returning to hers to have sex. The following morning, he is horrified to learn that she is [[Minor (law)|underaged]] and lives with her parents, whom Renton mistakes for her flatmates. Diane threatens to [[blackmail]] him for [[statutory rape]] if he does not continue the relationship. |
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Renton and Spud are caught stealing from a bookshop and arrested. Spud goes to prison, but Renton avoids punishment by entering a [[Drug Interventions Programme]], where he is given [[methadone]]. Despite support from his family, Renton is desperate for a more substantial high and escapes to his [[drug dealer]]'s flat, where he nearly dies of an [[Drug overdose|overdose]], and his dealer sends him to hospital in a taxicab. After he leaves the hospital, Renton's parents take him home and lock him in his old bedroom to force him through withdrawal. As Renton goes through severe withdrawal symptoms, he has nightmares of Diane singing on the bed, his friends giving him advice, Allison's dead baby crawling on the ceiling, and an imagined TV game show in which host [[Dale Winton]] asks Renton's parents questions about HIV. |
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After several unsuccessful attempts to reintegrate into society, Renton, Sick Boy, and Spud [[relapse]] into heroin use; Tommy also begins to join them after Lizzy dumps him, thanks to the actions of an unknowing Renton. Despite the group’s shock, grief, and horror regarding the negligence-induced death of Dawn, the infant daughter of Sick Boy and Allison, they still do not quit using. |
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Renton is finally roused from his nightmares and hallucinations by his parents, who tell him he needs to [[HIV test|get tested]]. Despite years of sharing syringes with other addicts, Renton tests negative. Low-spirited and [[Depression (mood)|depressed]], he visits Tommy, who has succumbed to addiction and is now severely ill and HIV-positive. Renton moves to [[London]] and takes a job as a property [[letting agent]]. He begins to enjoy his new life of sobriety and saves up money on the side while corresponding with Diane. However, Begbie, who has committed an armed robbery, and Sick Boy, now a pimp and drug dealer, move into Renton's [[bedsit]] unannounced, to Renton's annoyance. |
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When Renton, Sick Boy, and Spud are caught [[shoplifting]], Sick Boy narrowly escapes. Arrested, Spud receives a six-month custodial sentence at [[Edinburgh (HM Prison)|HMP Saughton]], and Renton narrowly avoids jail by entering a [[drug rehabilitation]] programme where he is given [[methadone]] to help him. However, Renton quickly relapses and nearly dies of a heroin [[Drug overdose|overdose]] at Swanney's. |
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In Edinburgh, Tommy dies from HIV-related [[toxoplasmosis]] and the three travel back to [[Scotland]] for his funeral. They meet Spud, who has been released from prison. Sick Boy suggests a lucrative but dangerous heroin transaction, but needs Renton to supply half of the initial £4,000. Renton injects himself with a sample to test the heroin's purity. The four sell the heroin to a dealer for £16,000. During their celebration at a pub, Renton secretly suggests to Spud that they steal the money, but Spud is too scared of Begbie to even consider it. Renton is finally fed up with Begbie after witnessing him [[Glassing|glass]] and then severely beat a man who he bumped into, causing [[beer]] to be spilt on him. Early in the morning as the others sleep, Renton quietly takes the money from sleeping Begbie's arms. Spud wakes up just as Renton is leaving the hotel room. The pair stare at each other for a few moments until Renton walks out, Spud remains silent and does not tell the others. When Begbie awakens, he destroys the hotel room in a violent rage, the police arrive causing Spud and Sick Boy to flee. Renton reiterates his vow to live a stable, traditional life and leaves Spud £2,000. |
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Returning home after his revival at the hospital, Renton's parents lock him in his childhood bedroom and force him to go [[cold turkey]]. Following severe withdrawal punctuated by hallucinations of his friends and visions of Dawn crawling on the ceiling, Renton is released upon the condition of an [[HIV/AIDS]] test. Despite years of sharing syringes with other addicts, he tests negative. |
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Now clean but bored and lacking meaning in his life, Renton visits Tommy, who is now severely addicted to heroin and is HIV-positive. On Diane's advice, Renton moves to [[London]] and works as a property letting agent. He begins to enjoy his new life of sobriety in London and corresponds with Diane, who updates him on home developments. |
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To Renton's shock and frustration Begbie, wanted for a failed [[armed robbery]], finds him, taking refuge in his apartment. Sick Boy, now trying to be a [[pimp]] and [[Illegal drug trade|drug dealer]], soon joins them. The freeloaders later attack two of Renton's clientele (at a supposedly impossible-to-sell property where Renton has sent them to get peace), so he loses his job. The trio returns to Edinburgh to avoid police attention and for Tommy's funeral, who has died of AIDS-related [[toxoplasmosis]]. |
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Following the funeral, Sick Boy asks Renton, Begbie, and Spud (recently released from prison) for help in buying two kilograms of pure heroin from Mikey Forrester, for only £4,000, to sell on, with Renton needing to supply the remaining £2,000 asking price. He reluctantly covers it after Begbie threatens him. |
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So, the four return to London to sell the heroin to a dealer for £16,000. As they celebrate in a pub, Renton secretly suggests to Spud that they take off with the money. He, motivated by fear and loyalty, refuses. Sick Boy indicates he would happily do so, and Begbie brutally beats a man after a minor accident. |
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Concluding that Begbie and Sick Boy are too volatile, Renton quietly steals the bag of money and leaves the following morning. Spud sees, but chooses not to warn the others. Renton leaves £4,000 in a left-luggage locker for Spud, who "never hurt anybody". |
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Begbie, discovering Renton and the money gone, enragedly destroys their hotel room, prompting the police to arrest him as Sick Boy and Spud flee. Spud discreetly claims his share of the money, and Renton walks away to his new life. |
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==Cast== |
==Cast== |
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{{div col}} |
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* [[Ewan McGregor]] as Mark "Rent Boy" Renton |
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* [[Ewan McGregor]] as [[Mark Renton|Mark "Rent Boy" Renton]] |
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* [[Ewen Bremner]] as Daniel "Spud" Murphy |
* [[Ewen Bremner]] as Daniel "Spud" Murphy |
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* [[Jonny Lee Miller]] as Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson |
* [[Jonny Lee Miller]] as Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson |
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* [[Robert Carlyle]] as Francis "Franco" Begbie |
* [[Robert Carlyle]] as Francis "Franco" Begbie |
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* [[Kevin McKidd]] as Thomas "Tommy" |
* [[Kevin McKidd]] as Thomas "Tommy" Mackenzie |
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* [[Kelly Macdonald]] as Diane Coulston |
* [[Kelly Macdonald]] as Diane Coulston |
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* [[Peter Mullan]] as Swanney "Mother Superior" |
* [[Peter Mullan]] as Swanney "Mother Superior" |
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* |
* [[Fiona Bell]] as Mrs Coulson |
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* [[ |
* [[Vincent Friell]] as Mr Coulson |
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* Susan Vidler as Allison |
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* Pauline Lynch as Lizzy |
* Pauline Lynch as Lizzy |
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* Susan Vidler as Allison |
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* Eileen Nicholas as Mrs Renton |
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* [[James Cosmo]] as Davie Renton |
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* [[Shirley Henderson]] as Gail Houston |
* [[Shirley Henderson]] as Gail Houston |
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* [[Stuart McQuarrie]] as Gav Temperley |
* [[Stuart McQuarrie]] as Gav Temperley/American Tourist |
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* [[Irvine Welsh]] as Mikey Forrester |
* [[Irvine Welsh]] as Mikey Forrester |
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* [[Kevin Allen (actor)|Kevin Allen]] as Andreas |
* [[Kevin Allen (actor)|Kevin Allen]] as Andreas |
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* [[Keith Allen (actor)|Keith Allen]] as the Dealer |
* [[Keith Allen (actor)|Keith Allen]] as Hugo the Dealer, reprising his role from ''[[Shallow Grave (1994 film)|Shallow Grave]]'' (1994) |
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* |
* [[Dale Winton]] as Game Show Host |
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* Lauren and Devon Lamb as Baby Dawn Williamson (uncredited)<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/danny-boyle-tracks-down-twin-10723412|title=Danny Boyle tracks down twin girls he picked to play tragic tot in Trainspotting and is relieved they aren't drug addicts|work=[[Daily Record (Scotland)|Daily Record]]|first=Jenny|last=Morrison|date=2 July 2017|access-date=16 November 2019|archive-date=16 November 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191116143116/https://www.dailyrecord.co.uk/scotland-now/danny-boyle-tracks-down-twin-10723412|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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* [[Dale Winton]] as Game Show Host (uncredited) |
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*Calton Athletic Football Club |
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{{div col end}} |
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==Style and themes== |
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Music has great importance in [[Danny Boyle]]'s films, as evident by the best-selling soundtracks for ''Trainspotting'' and ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'', both of which feature many [[Pop music|pop]] and [[punk rock]] artists. In Boyle's view, songs can be "amazing things to use because they obviously bring a lot of baggage with them. They may have painful associations, and so they inter-breathe with the material you're using".<ref>[http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows//blog/2013/03/danny-boyle-brits-brilliant-with-music-but-rubbish-at-film ''Danny Boyle: Brits "Brilliant With Music" But "Rubbish at Film"''] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160302043947/http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows//blog/2013/03/danny-boyle-brits-brilliant-with-music-but-rubbish-at-film |date=2 March 2016 }}, by Paul Hechinger, Published by BBC America, 2013.</ref> |
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The combination of images and music with the setting of the criminal underworld has drawn comparisons to ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'' and the films of Quentin Tarantino, that had created a certain type of "90s indie cinema" which "strove to dazzle the viewer with self-conscious cleverness and empty shock tactics".<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/danny-boyle-career-10-songs |title=Danny Boyle: a career in 10 songs |date=March 26, 2013 |last=O’Callaghan |first=Paul |website=BFI |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160506093200/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/danny-boyle-career-10-songs |archive-date=6 May 2016 |url-status=live}}</ref> This affected the shooting style of the film, which features "wildly imaginative" and "downright hallucinatory" visual imagery, achieved through a mix of "a handheld, hurtling camera", jump cuts, zoom shots, freeze frames and wide angles.<ref>{{cite journal|url=https://www.proquest.com/openview/c907b4cf9efc9f9bec60991094bd10d8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar |title=Fiction into film, or bringing Welsh to a Boyle |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210910142413/https://www.proquest.com/openview/c907b4cf9efc9f9bec60991094bd10d8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar |archive-date=September 10, 2021 |access-date=10 September 2021 |first=Bert |last=Cardullo |journal=Literature/Film Quarterly |year=1997 |volume=25 |number=3 |pages=158–162 |url-status=live}}</ref> This vigorous style contributed to the "breathless" pace that Boyle's films have been associated with.<ref name="ebert"/> |
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For the look of the film, Boyle was influenced by the colours of [[Francis Bacon (painter)|Francis Bacon's]] paintings, which represented "a sort of in-between land – part reality, part fantasy".<ref name="grundy2"/> The scene where Renton (McGregor) dives into a toilet is a reference to [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s 1973 novel ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]]''.<ref name="GravitysRainbow">{{cite news | last = Dubravka | first = Juraga | title = ''Socialist Cultures East and West: A Post-Cold War Reassessment'' | pages = 77 | publisher = [[Greenwood Publishing Group]] | date = 2002 | isbn = 9780275974909 | url = https://books.google.com/books?id=hD-adL-aL3wC | access-date = 16 February 2016 | archive-date = 10 September 2021 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20210910142445/https://books.google.com/books?id=hD-adL-aL3wC | url-status = live }}</ref> |
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==Production== |
==Production== |
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===Development=== |
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Producer [[Andrew Macdonald (producer)|Andrew Macdonald]] read [[Irvine Welsh]]'s book on a plane in December 1993 and felt that it could be made into a film.<ref name="grundy">{{cite news | last = Grundy | first = Gareth | title = Hey! Hey! We're the Junkies! | work = [[Neon (magazine)|Neon]] | page = 102 | language = | publisher = | date = February 1998 | url = | accessdate = 18 August 2013}}</ref> He turned it on to director [[Danny Boyle]] and writer [[John Hodge (screenwriter)|John Hodge]] in February 1994.<ref name="gordinier">{{cite news | last = Gordinier | first = Jeff| title = Stupor Heroes | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 2 August 1996 | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293580,00.html | accessdate = 9 September 2009}}</ref><ref name="empiremag">{{cite news | last = | first = | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | page = 128 | language = | publisher = | date = June 1999 | url = | accessdate = 11 October 2009}}</ref> Boyle was excited by its potential to be the "most energetic film you've ever seen – about something that ultimately ends up in [[purgatory]] or worse".<ref name="gordinier"/> Hodge read it and made it his goal to "produce a screenplay which would seem to have a beginning, a middle and an end, would last 90 minutes and would convey at least some of the spirit and the content of the book".<ref name="empiremag"/> Boyle convinced Welsh to let them option the rights to his book by writing him a letter stating that Hodge and Macdonald were "the two most important Scotsmen since [[Kenny Dalglish]] and [[Alex Ferguson]]".<ref name="grundy"/> Welsh remembered that originally the people wanting to option his book "wanted to make a po-faced piece of [[social realism]] like ''[[Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (film)|Christiane F]]'' or ''[[The Basketball Diaries (film)|The Basketball Diaries]]''".<ref name="grundy"/> He was impressed that Boyle, Hodge and Macdonald wanted everyone to see the film and "not just the arthouse audience".<ref name="grundy"/> In October 1994, Hodge, Boyle and Macdonald spent a lot of time discussing which chapters of the book would and would not translate into film. Hodge finished the first draft by December.<ref name="grundy"/> Macdonald secured financing from [[Channel 4]], a British television station known for funding independent films.<ref name="gordinier"/> |
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Producer [[Andrew Macdonald (producer)|Andrew Macdonald]] read [[Irvine Welsh]]'s book on a plane in December 1993, and felt that it could be made into a film.<ref name="grundy">{{cite news | last = Grundy | first = Gareth | title = Hey! Hey! We're the Junkies! | work = [[Neon (magazine)|Neon]] | page = 102 | date = February 1998 }}</ref> He turned it on to director Danny Boyle and writer [[John Hodge (screenwriter)|John Hodge]] in February 1994.<ref name="gordinier">{{cite magazine | last = Gordinier | first = Jeff | title = Stupor Heroes | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | date = 2 August 1996 | url = https://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293580,00.html | access-date = 9 September 2009 | archive-date = 11 August 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090811055327/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293580,00.html | url-status = dead }}</ref><ref name="empiremag">{{cite news | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | page = 128 | date = June 1999 }}</ref> Boyle was excited by its potential to be the "most energetic film you've ever seen — about something that ultimately ends up in [[purgatory]] or worse".<ref name="gordinier"/> Hodge read it and made it his goal to "produce a screenplay which would seem to have a beginning, a middle and an end, would last 90 minutes and would convey at least some of the spirit and the content of the book".<ref name="empiremag"/> Boyle convinced Welsh to let them [[Option (filmmaking)|option the rights]] to his book by writing him a letter stating that Hodge and Macdonald were "the two most important Scotsmen since [[Kenny Dalglish]] and [[Alex Ferguson]]".<ref name="grundy"/> Welsh remembered that originally the people wanting to option his book "wanted to make a po-faced piece of [[social realism]] like ''[[Christiane F. – Wir Kinder vom Bahnhof Zoo (film)|Christiane F]]'' or ''[[The Basketball Diaries (film)|The Basketball Diaries]]''".<ref name="grundy"/> He was impressed that Boyle, Hodge and Macdonald wanted everyone to see the film and "not just the arthouse audience".<ref name="grundy"/> In October 1994, Hodge, Boyle and Macdonald spent a lot of time discussing which chapters of the book would and would not translate into film. Hodge finished the first draft by December.<ref name="grundy"/> Macdonald secured financing from [[Channel 4]], a British television station known for funding independent films.<ref name="gordinier"/> |
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===Casting=== |
===Casting=== |
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Pre-production began in April 1995 |
Pre-production began in April 1995. [[Ewan McGregor]] was cast after impressing Boyle and Macdonald with his work on their previous film, ''[[Shallow Grave (1994 film)|Shallow Grave]]''.<ref name="grundy"/> According to Boyle, for the role of Renton, they wanted the quality of [[Michael Caine]]'s character Alfie Elkins in ''[[Alfie (1966 film)|Alfie]]'' and [[Malcolm McDowell]]'s character [[Alex (A Clockwork Orange)|Alex DeLarge]] in ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]'', "repulsive ... with charm 'that makes you feel deeply ambiguous about what he's doing'."<ref name="gordinier"/> McGregor shaved his head and lost 2 stone (12.7 kilograms) for the film.<ref name="gordinier"/> [[Ewen Bremner]] had played Renton in the stage adaptation of ''Trainspotting'' and agreed to play the role of Spud, saying he felt the characters "were part of my heritage".<ref name="grundy"/> Boyle had heard about [[Jonny Lee Miller]] playing an American in the film ''[[Hackers (film)|Hackers]]'' and was impressed when he auditioned by doing a [[Sean Connery]] accent.<ref name="grundy2">Grundy, Gareth (February 1998). "Hey! Hey! We're the Junkies!" Neon. p. 103.</ref> For the role of Begbie, Boyle considered casting [[Christopher Eccleston]] for his resemblance to how he imagined the character in the novel, but asked [[Robert Carlyle]] instead. Carlyle was initially hesitant, believing he was too short to play the character, but Boyle convinced him by telling him, "No, small psychos are better." Carlyle said, "I've met loads of Begbies in my time. Wander round [[Glasgow]] on Saturday night and you've a good chance of running into Begbie."<ref name="grundy2"/> For the role of Diane, Boyle wanted an unknown actress so audiences would not realise that a 19-year-old was playing a 15-year-old.<ref name="grundy2"/> The filmmakers sent flyers to nightclubs and boutiques and approached people on the street, eventually hiring [[Kelly Macdonald]].<ref name="grundy2"/> The casting of [[Keith Allen (actor)|Keith Allen]] as the Dealer was a reference to his role in ''Shallow Grave'' with the implication being that he plays the same character in both.<ref>{{Cite book|title = Danny Boyle - Lust for Life: A Critical Analysis of All the Films from Shallow Grave to 127 Hours|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=wr21BAAAQBAJ|publisher = Andrews UK Limited|date = 1 May 2012|isbn = 9780957112803 |first = Mark|last = Browning}}</ref> |
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===Pre-production=== |
===Pre-production=== |
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McGregor read books about [[crack cocaine|crack]] and heroin to prepare for the role. He also went to Glasgow and met people from the Calton Athletic Recovery Group, an organisation of recovering heroin addicts. He was taught how to cook up heroin with a spoon using [[glucose]] powder.<ref name="jolly">{{cite news |
McGregor read books about [[crack cocaine|crack]] and heroin to prepare for the role. He also went to Glasgow and met people from the Calton Athletic Recovery Group, an organisation of recovering heroin addicts, who play the opposing football team in the opening credits. He was taught how to cook up heroin with a spoon using [[glucose]] powder.<ref name="jolly">{{cite news|last = Jolly|first = Mark|title = ''Trainspotting''s Engine That Could|work = [[Interview (magazine)|Interview]]|page = 107|date = August 1996|access-date = 11 October 2009|url = http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-trainspotting/print/|archive-date = 27 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160227112131/http://www.interviewmagazine.com/film/new-again-trainspotting/print/|url-status = dead}}</ref> McGregor considered injecting heroin to better understand the character, but eventually decided against it.<ref name="grundy2"/> Many of the book's stories and characters were dropped to create a cohesive script of adequate length. Danny Boyle had his actors prepare by making them watch older films about rebellious youths like ''[[The Hustler]]'' and ''A Clockwork Orange''.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Live and Let Die|url = http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/1996/07/live_and_let_die.html|newspaper = Slate|date = 23 July 1996|access-date = 16 February 2016|issn = 1091-2339|first = Michael|last = Wood|archive-date = 24 February 2016|archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20160224192907/http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/1996/07/live_and_let_die.html|url-status = live}}</ref> |
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The main cast of the film attended Calton Athletic Recovery Group's self-help meetings to prepare for their roles in the film. The Calton Athletic Football Club appears in a [[Cameo appearance|cameo]] scene at the beginning of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |title=The effects of playing football… |url=https://www.caltonathleticrecoverygroup.com/football |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=Calton Athletic Recovery Group |language=en-US}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Seriously..., Seriously... - The real-life addicts who inspired Trainspotting |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/articles/14prW9s3BfR8jMv27vT2PY7/the-real-life-addicts-who-inspired-trainspotting |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=[[BBC Radio 4]] |language=en-GB}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=Catlin |first=Karin Goodwin, Photos: Angela |date=2016-02-23 |title=The Real-Life Addicts Who Taught the 'Trainspotting' Cast How to Be Junkies |url=https://www.vice.com/en/article/vdb8v4/calton-athletic-trainspotting-20th-anniversary |access-date=2024-08-05 |website=[[Vice Media]] |language=en}}</ref> |
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Many of the book's stories and characters were dropped to create a cohesive script of adequate length. Danny Boyle had his actors prepare by making them watch older movies about rebellious youths like ''[[The Hustler (film)|The Hustler]]'' and ''[[A Clockwork Orange (film)|A Clockwork Orange]]''.<ref>{{Cite news|title = Live and Let Die|url = http://www.slate.com/articles/arts/movies/1996/07/live_and_let_die.html|newspaper = Slate|date = 23 July 1996|access-date = 16 February 2016|issn = 1091-2339|language = en-US|first = Michael|last = Wood}}</ref> |
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===Principal photography=== |
===Principal photography=== |
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''Trainspotting'' was shot in mid-1995 over seven weeks on a budget of £1.5 |
''Trainspotting'' was shot in mid-1995 over seven weeks on a budget of £1.5{{nbsp}}million with the cast and crew working out of an abandoned cigarette factory in Glasgow.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/trainspotting-behind-scenes-history/|title=Trainspotting: The Complete Behind-The-Scenes History|date=26 February 2022|work=Empireonline|accessdate=22 April 2022}}</ref> |
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Due to time constraints and a tight budget, most scenes were done in one take, which contributed to the grungy look of the film. For example, when Renton sinks into the floor after overdosing on heroin, the crew built a platform above a trap door and lowered the actor down.<ref name="gordinier"/> The faeces in the 'Worst Toilet in Scotland' scene was made from chocolate.<ref>{{Cite book|title = The Amazing Book of Movie Trivia|url = https://books.google.com/books?id=LPLyBgAAQBAJ|publisher = Andrews UK Limited|date = 11 February 2015|isbn = 9781785381294|first = Jack|last = Goldstein}}</ref><ref>{{cite magazine | title=A deep dive into Trainspotting's iconic toilet scene | first=Sara | last=Vilkomerson | magazine=[[Entertainment Weekly]] | date=30 March 2017 | url=https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/30/trainspotting-toilet-scene-danny-boyle/ | access-date=11 October 2019 | archive-date=12 October 2019 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012030705/https://ew.com/movies/2017/03/30/trainspotting-toilet-scene-danny-boyle/ | url-status=live }}</ref> |
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[[File:Glasgow. Café D'Jaconelli. 570 Maryhill Road.jpg|thumb|Glasgow. Café D'Jaconelli. 570 Maryhill Road. The café, where Renton and Spud share a milkshake.<ref name="Location">{{cite web | url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/t/trainspotting.html | title=Filming Locations for Trainspotting | publisher=Movie-Locations.com | access-date=2 January 2008 | archive-date=12 February 2011 | archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110212055827/http://movie-locations.com/movies/t/trainspotting.html | url-status=dead }}</ref>]] |
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===Marketing and theatrical release=== |
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[[File:Glasgow. North Kelvinside. Crosslands. 182 Queen Margaret Drive.jpg|thumb|Glasgow. [[North Kelvinside]]. Crosslands pub, where Begbie chucks an empty pint glass from the balcony.<ref name="Location"/>]] |
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Macdonald worked with [[Miramax Films]] to sell the film as a British ''[[Pulp Fiction (film)|Pulp Fiction]]'' {{Citation needed|date = February 2016}}, flooding the market with postcards, posters, books, soundtrack albums and a revamped music video for "[[Lust for Life (song)|Lust for Life]]" by [[Iggy Pop]] directed by Boyle.<ref name="gordinier"/> |
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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]].<ref name="Location"/> |
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Upon its initial release in the United States, the first 20 minutes of ''Trainspotting'' were re-edited with alternative dialogue to allow the American audience to comprehend the strong [[Scottish English|Scottish accents]] and slang. In addition, to ensure that the film received an R rating, Boyle trimmed two scenes: a graphic display of a syringe filled with heroin being inserted into a vein and Kelly Macdonald straddling McGregor during an orgasm.<ref name="gordinier"/>{{Failed verification|date=March 2015}} The original dialogue was later restored on the [[Criterion Collection]] [[laserdisc]] in 1997 and then on the re-release of the "Director's Cut (The Collector's Edition)" DVD in 2004. |
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==Filming locations== |
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[[File:Glasgow. Café D'Jaconelli. 570 Maryhill Road.jpg|thumb|Glasgow. Café D'Jaconelli. 570 Maryhill Road. The café, where Renton and Spud share a milkshake.<ref name="Location">{{cite web | url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/t/trainspotting.html | title=Filming Locations for Trainspotting | publisher=Movie-Locations.com | accessdate=2 January 2008}}</ref>]] |
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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.<ref name="Location">{{cite web | url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/t/trainspotting.html | title=Filming Locations for Trainspotting | publisher=Movie-Locations.com | accessdate=2 January 2008}}</ref> |
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Locations in the film include: |
Locations in the film include: |
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* The opening scene of Renton and Spud being chased by security for shoplifting is on [[Princes Street]] |
* The opening scene of Renton and Spud being chased by security for shoplifting is shot in Edinburgh, on [[Princes Street]] and Calton Road under [[Regent Bridge]].<ref name="Location" /> |
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* The park where Sick Boy and Renton discuss [[James Bond]], Sean Connery and ''[[The Name of the Rose (film)|The Name of the Rose]]'' is [[Rouken Glen Park]] in [[Giffnock]], near [[Glasgow]]. The park was also the site of the grave in Boyle's previous film, ''Shallow Grave''.<ref name="Location" /> |
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* The chase ending is on Calton Road, Edinburgh, near the rear entrance of [[Waverley Station]]. |
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* The park where Sick Boy and Renton discuss [[James Bond]], [[Sean Connery]] and ''[[The Name of the Rose (film)|The Name of the Rose]]'' is Rouken Glen Park in [[Giffnock]], near [[Glasgow]]. The park was also the site of the grave in Boyle's previous film, ''[[Shallow Grave]]''.<ref name="Location" /> |
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* [[Corrour railway station]] is the setting for the "great outdoors" scene in the film, where Tommy suggests the group climb [[Leum Uilleim]].<ref name="Location" /> |
* [[Corrour railway station]] is the setting for the "great outdoors" scene in the film, where Tommy suggests the group climb [[Leum Uilleim]].<ref name="Location" /> |
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* The scenes where they do their drug deal take place in [[Paddington]]. The scene where they parody the cover of [[the Beatles]] album ''[[Abbey Road]]'' takes place as they walk out of Smallbrook Mews across Craven Road to the Royal Eagle, 26–30 Craven Road, [[Paddington]].<ref name="Location"/> |
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* The flat that Renton shows the young couple around when he gets the job as an estate agent and ultimately stashes Begbie and Sick Boy in is 78A Talgarth Road in [[West Kensington]], London, opposite [[West Kensington tube station]]. |
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* The scenes where they do their drug deal takes place in [[Bayswater]]. The scene where they parody the cover of [[the Beatles]] album ''[[Abbey Road]]'' takes place as they walk out of Smallbrook Mews across Craven Road to the Royal Eagle, 26–30 Craven Road, [[Bayswater]].<ref name="Location"/> |
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* The school attended by Diane is [[Jordanhill School|Jordanhill]] in Glasgow's West End.<ref name="Location" /> |
* The school attended by Diane is [[Jordanhill School|Jordanhill]] in Glasgow's West End.<ref name="Location" /> |
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* The pub in which Begbie throws a pint glass off a balcony is Crosslands, located on Queen Margaret Drive, [[Glasgow]]. The pub has an oil painting depicting the scene hung in the upstairs area. |
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* 30 of the 50 locations used were in the then derelict Wills' Cigarette Factory on Alexandra Parade, Glasgow. |
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==Soundtracks== |
==Soundtracks== |
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{{Main |
{{Main|Trainspotting (soundtrack)}} |
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[[Trainspotting (soundtrack)|The ''Trainspotting'' soundtracks]] were two best-selling albums of music |
[[Trainspotting (soundtrack)|The ''Trainspotting'' soundtracks]] were two best-selling albums of music based on 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. |
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The soundtrack for ''Trainspotting'' has gone on to become a pop culture phenomenon.<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/trainspotting-phenomenon-20-years|title=The Trainspotting phenomenon... 20 years on|last=O'Callaghan|first=Paul|website=BFI|access-date=17 February 2017|archive-date=20 March 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170320210955/http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/trainspotting-phenomenon-20-years|url-status=live}}</ref> Nearly all of the score is pre-recorded music from existing artists.{{sfn|Smith|2002|loc=[https://archive.org/details/trainspotting0000smit/page/10/mode/2up 10]}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=24}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=65–68}} This score is divided into three distinct groups, all representing a different eras and styles: The first being pop music from the 1970s, by artists such as [[Lou Reed]] and [[Iggy Pop]]; who are all musicians closely associated with drug use and are referred to throughout the original novel.{{sfn|Smith|2002|loc=[https://archive.org/details/trainspotting0000smit/page/10/mode/2up 10]}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=24}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=65–68}}<ref>{{Cite journal|last=Jeffers|first=Jennifer M.|year=2005|title=Rhizome National Identity: "Scatlin's Psychic Defense" in "Trainspotting"|journal=Journal of Narrative Theory|volume=35|pages=89|doi=10.1353/jnt.2005.0012|s2cid=55976364}}</ref> The second group is the music from the [[Britpop]] era in the 1990s, with bands [[Blur (band)|Blur]] and [[Pulp (band)|Pulp]]. Finally, there is the [[techno]]-[[dance music]] from the 1990s, including [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]], [[Bedrock (producers)|Bedrock]] and [[Ian Campbell (rapper)|Ice MC]].{{sfn|Smith|2002|loc=[https://archive.org/details/trainspotting0000smit/page/10/mode/2up 10]}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|p=24}}{{sfn|Smith|2002|pp=65–68}} Danny Boyle approached [[Oasis (band)|Oasis]] about contributing a song to the soundtrack but [[Noel Gallagher]] turned down the opportunity due to him mistakenly believing it would be a film about actual [[Trainspotters in the United Kingdom|trainspotters]].<ref>{{Cite web |url=https://www.faroutmagazine.co.uk/oasis-noel-gallagher-rejected-trainspotting-soundtrack/%3Famp |title=Why Oasis rejected the opportunity to score the 'Trainspotting' soundtrack |publisher=[[Far Out Magazine]] |website=faroutmagazine.co.uk |access-date=2 February 2021}}</ref> |
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==Reception== |
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''Trainspotting'' was screened at the [[1996 Cannes Film Festival]] but was shown out of competition,<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4705/year/1996.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Trainspotting |accessdate=20 September 2009 |work=Festival-Cannes.com}}</ref> according to the filmmakers, due to its subject.<ref name="power">{{cite news | last = Power | first = Carla |author2=Thomas, Dana | title = Track Stars | work = [[Newsweek]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 15 July 1996 | url = http://www.newsweek.com/id/108146 | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> It went on to become the festival's one unqualified critical and popular hit.<ref name="ressner">{{cite news | last = Ressner | first = Jeffrey | title = All You Need is Hype | work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 27 May 1996 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984611,00.html | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> The film made £12 million in the domestic market and $72 million internationally.<ref name="petrie">{{cite news | last = Petrie | first = Duncan J | title = ''Contemporary Scottish Fictions—Film, Television, and the Novel: Film, Television and the Novel'' | work = | pages = 101–102 | language = | publisher = Edinburgh University Press | year = 2004 | url = | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> By the time it opened in North America, on 19 July 1996, the film had made more than $18 million in Britain. It initially opened in eight theatres and on its first weekend grossed $33,000 per screen.<ref name="gordinier"/> The film finally made $16.4 million in North America.<ref name="boxoffice">{{cite news | last = | first = | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = Box Office Mojo | pages = | language = | publisher = | url = http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=trainspotting.htm | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> ''Trainspotting'' was the highest-grossing British film of 1996, and at the time it was the fourth highest grossing British film in history.<ref name="Lash">Lash, Scott; Lury Celia (2007) ''Global Culture Industry: The Mediation of Things'', Polity, ISBN 978-0-7456-2482-2, p. 167.</ref> |
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Through the years, acclaim for the soundtrack has been sustained. In 2007, ''[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]]'' ranked the ''Trainspotting'' original soundtrack at number 7 for best motion picture soundtrack in history. Additionally, ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' ranked the ''Trainspotting'' soundtrack as 17th on their 100 best movie soundtracks list.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://filmsite.org/100soundtracks.html |title=100 Best Movie Soundtracks |publisher=[[Entertainment Weekly]] |website=filmsite.org |access-date=17 February 2017 |archive-date=18 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218063359/http://www.filmsite.org/100soundtracks.html |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2013, ''[[Rolling Stone]]'' listed it as the 13th best soundtrack in their 25 best soundtracks.<ref>{{Cite magazine |url=http://rollingstone.com/movies/lists/the-25-greatest-soundtracks-of-all-time-20130829 |title=The 25 Greatest Soundtracks of All Time |first1=Jon |last1=Dolan |first2=Will |last2=Hermes |first3=Christian |last3=Hoard |first4=Rob |last4=Sheffield |magazine=Rolling Stone |date=29 August 2013 |access-date=3 November 2017 |archive-date=3 November 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171103125143/http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/lists/the-25-greatest-soundtracks-of-all-time-20130829 |url-status=live }}</ref> In 2015, ''[[NME|New Musical Express]]'' praised it as a "perfect snapshot of 1996 music."<ref name=NME>{{Cite news |url=https://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/how-the-trainspotting-soundtrack-gave-us-a-perfect-snapshot-of-1996-music-15140 |title=How The Trainspotting Soundtrack Gave Us A Perfect Snapshot Of 1996 Music |first=April Clare |last=Welsh |newspaper=NME |date=1 October 2015 |access-date=3 November 2017 |archive-date=4 September 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170904050448/http://www.nme.com/blogs/nme-blogs/how-the-trainspotting-soundtrack-gave-us-a-perfect-snapshot-of-1996-music-15140 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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===Critical reception=== |
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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." <ref name="malcolm">{{cite news | last = Malcolm | first = Derek | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = [[The Guardian]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 22 February 1996 | url = http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,530807,00.html | accessdate = 16 April 2009 | location=London}}</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine gave the film five out of five stars and described the film as "something Britain can be proud of and Hollywood must be afraid of. If we Brits can make movies this good about subjects this horrific, what chance does Tinseltown have?"<ref name="jeffries">{{cite news | last = Jeffries | first = Neil | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | url = http://www.empireonline.com/reviews/reviewcomplete.asp?FID=132350 | accessdate = 16 April 2009 }}</ref> |
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1996 saw a drastic change in British music with the rise of popularity for Britpop, although old-fashioned pop was still firmly rooted in British culture. With Oasis dominating the singles chart and the [[Spice Girls]] on the rise,<ref name=NME/> the ''Trainspotting'' soundtrack aimed to champion the alternative music legacy of 1996 Britain with a focus on presenting [[electronic music]] on equal footing with [[rock music]] in a way that had never been done before.<ref>{{Cite news |url=https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/how-trainspotting-made-america-realize-that-electronic-music-matters-just-as-much-as-rock |title=How 'Trainspotting' Made America Realize that Electronic Music Matters Just as Much as Rock |first=Joshua |last=Glazer |newspaper=Thump |date=25 March 2016 |access-date=3 November 2017 |archive-date=18 February 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170218100824/https://thump.vice.com/en_us/article/how-trainspotting-made-america-realize-that-electronic-music-matters-just-as-much-as-rock |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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American film critic [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film three out of four stars and praised its portrayal of addicts' experiences with each other.<ref name="ebert">{{cite news | last = Ebert | first = Roger | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 26 July 1996 | url = http://rogerebert.suntimes.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/19960726/REVIEWS/607260303/1023 | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> In his review for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', Kenneth Turan wrote, "in McGregor ... the film has an actor whose magnetism monopolizes our attention no matter what".<ref name="turan">{{cite news|last=Turan |first=Kenneth |title=''Trainspotting'' |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |pages= |language= |publisher= |date=19 July 1996 |url=http://www.calendarlive.com/movies/reviews/cl-movie960719-5,0,6595973.story |accessdate=16 April 2009 }}{{dead link|date=June 2016|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}}</ref> ''[[Entertainment Weekly]]'' gave the film an "A" rating and [[Owen Gleiberman]] wrote, "Like [[Martin Scorsese|Scorsese]] and [[Quentin Tarantino|Tarantino]], Boyle uses pop songs as rhapsodic mood enhancers, though in his own ravey-hypnotic style. Whether he's staging a fumbly sex montage to [[Sleeper (band)|Sleeper]]'s version of ''[[Atomic (song)|Atomic]]'' or having Renton go cold turkey to the ominous slow build of [[Underworld (band)|Underworld]]'s ''Dark and Long'' ... ''Trainspotting'' keeps us wired to the pulse of its characters' passions".<ref name="gleiberman">{{cite news | last = Gleiberman | first = Owen | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 19 July 1996 | url = http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293364,00.html | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> In her review for ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Janet Maslin]] wrote, "''Trainspotting'' doesn't have much narrative holding it together. 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".<ref name="maslin">{{cite news | last = Maslin | first = Janet | title = Bad Taste in a Vile Story Doesn't Rule Out Fun | work = [[The New York Times]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 19 July 1996 | url = http://movies.nytimes.com/movie/review?_r=1&res=9F07EEDA1F39F93AA25754C0A960958260&partner=Rotten%20Tomatoes | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> |
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==Release== |
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''[[Rolling Stone]]''{{'}}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".<ref name="travers">{{cite news | last = Travers | first = Peter | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = [[Rolling Stone]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 8 August 1996 | url = http://www.rollingstone.com/reviews/movie/5947253/review/5947254/trainspotting | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> In his review for the ''[[Washington Post]]'', Desson Howe wrote, "Without a doubt, this is the most provocative, enjoyable pop-cultural experience since ''[[Pulp Fiction (film)|Pulp Fiction]]''".<ref name="howe">{{cite news | last = Howe | first = Desson | title = ''Trainspotting'': A Wild Ride | work = [[Washington Post]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 26 July 1996 | url = http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/trainspottinghowe.htm | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]], in his review for the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'', wrote, "Like ''[[Twister (1996 film)|Twister]]'' and ''[[Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day]]'', this movie is a theme-park ride – though it's a much better one, basically a series of youthful thrills, spills, chills, and swerves rather than a story intended to say very much".<ref name="rosenbaum">{{cite news | last = Rosenbaum | first = Jonathan | title = Too High to Die | work = [[Chicago Reader]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 26 July 1996 | url = http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/archives/0896/08026.html | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> ''Trainspotting'' has an 90% "Certified Fresh" rating on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] and an 83 metascore on [[Metacritic]]. |
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===Marketing and theatrical release=== |
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MacDonald worked with [[Miramax Films]] to sell the film as a British ''[[Pulp Fiction (film)|Pulp Fiction]]'',<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://fordonfilm.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/why-trainspotting-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time/|title=Why Trainspotting is the greatest film of all time|date=14 March 2013|website=Ford On Film|access-date=17 February 2017|archive-date=17 February 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170217223942/https://fordonfilm.wordpress.com/2013/03/14/why-trainspotting-is-the-greatest-film-of-all-time/|url-status=live}}</ref> flooding the market with postcards, posters, books, soundtrack albums and a revamped music video for "[[Lust for Life (Iggy Pop song)|Lust for Life]]" by Iggy Pop directed by Boyle.<ref name="gordinier"/> |
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Prior to its release in the United States, Miramax, the film's US distributor, requested that some of the dialogue be [[Dubbing (filmmaking)|dubbed]] so the film would be easier to understand for American viewers unfamiliar with [[Scottish English|Scottish slang]] and [[British English|British slang]] in general.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/trainspotting-made-easy-for-americans-1349197.html|title='Trainspotting' made easy - for Americans|work=[[The Independent]]|first=Milly|last=Jenkins|date=26 May 1996|access-date=30 March 2020|archive-date=26 March 2018|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180326202542/https://www.independent.co.uk/news/uk/home-news/trainspotting-made-easy-for-americans-1349197.html|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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Its release sparked some controversy in some countries, including Britain, Australia and the United States, as to whether it promoted drug use or not. [[US Senator]] [[Bob Dole]] accused it of moral depravity and glorifying drug use during the [[United States presidential election, 1996|1996 US presidential campaign]], although he later said that he had not seen the film.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ross|first=Andrew|title=The fall and fall of Bob Dole|url=http://www.salon.com/1996/09/19/news_544/|accessdate=11 January 2012|newspaper=[[Salon.com]]|date=19 September 1996}}</ref> Producer of the film Andrew Macdonald responded to these claims in a BBC interview stating "we were determined to show why people took drugs ... you had to show that it was fun and that it was awful" to which Boyle adds "It's the music and humour that makes people feel it's glamorising drugs."<ref>Movie Connections, [television programme, online], Prod. credit n.k., Prod. company n.k., Prod. country n.k., 22:35 26 January 2009, BBC ONE, 40mins. <nowiki>http://bobnational.net/record/215775</nowiki>, (Accessed 16 February 2016).</ref> Despite the controversy, it was widely praised and received a nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] in that year's [[Academy Awards]]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine ranked ''Trainspotting'' as the third best film of 1996.<ref name="time96">{{cite news | last = | first = | title = The Best of Cinema 1996 | work = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 23 December 1996 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985745,00.html | accessdate = 16 April 2009}}</ref> |
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[[PolyGram Filmed Entertainment]], the company responsible for the distribution of the film, launched a publicity campaign of half as much as the film's production costs (£850,000) in the UK alone, making the film stand out more as a Hollywood blockbuster rather than a smaller European production.{{sfn|Smith|2002}} |
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===Legacy=== |
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The film had an immediate impact on popular culture. In 1999, ''Trainspotting'' was ranked in the 10th spot by the [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) in its list of [[BFI Top 100 British films|Top 100 British films]] of all time,<ref name="James2">{{cite news | last = James | first = Nick | title = Nul Britannia | work = [[Sight and Sound]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = September 2002 | url = http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/351 | accessdate = 10 September 2009}}</ref> while in 2004 the magazine ''[[Total Film]]'' named it the fourth greatest British film of all time. ''[[The Observer]]'' polled several filmmakers and film critics who voted it the best British film in the last 25 years.<ref name="Ob25">{{cite news | last = | first = | title = The Observer Film Quarterly's best British films of the last 25 years | work = [[The Observer]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 30 August 2009 | url = http://www.guardian.co.uk/film/gallery/2009/aug/30/best-british-films-25-years | accessdate = 31 August 2009 | location=London}}</ref> In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time by the public in a poll for ''The List'' magazine.<ref name="TopScott">{{cite news | last = | first = | title = ''Trainspotting'' wins best film poll | work = [[BBC]] | pages = | language = | publisher = | date = 24 February 2004 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3518815.stm | accessdate = 10 September 2009}}</ref> ''Trainspotting'' has since developed a [[cult following]].<ref name="Catterall">{{cite news | last = Catterall | first = Ali |author2=Simon Wells | title = Your Face Here: British Cult Movies Since the Sixties | work = | page = 233 | language = | publisher = Fourth Estate | year = 2002 | url = | accessdate = 10 September 2009}}</ref> It was recognised as an important film during the 1990s British cultural tour de force known as [[Cool Britannia]].{{citation needed|date=February 2016}} It was also featured in the documentary ''[[Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop]].''<ref>"Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Britpop" (2003). BBC. London: Passion Pictures.</ref> |
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''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.{{sfn|Smith|2002}} |
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The film title is a reference to a scene (not included in the film) in the original book, where Begbie and Renton meet 'an auld drunkard' who turns out to be Begbie's estranged father, in the disused [[Leith Central railway station]], which they are using as a toilet. He asks them if they are "trainspottin'."<ref>Welsh, 1997, ''Trainspotting'', p. 309.</ref> |
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=== |
=== Home media === |
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The film was released on [[VHS]] after its theatrical release. It was released on DVD on 25 March 1998, and on [[Blu-ray]] on 13 September 2011.<ref>{{Citation |title=Trainspotting / |date=1998-03-25 |url=https://www.amazon.com/Trainspotting-Ewan-McGregor/dp/6304806442 |access-date=2024-03-18 |publisher=Walt Disney Video}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Blu-ray News and Reviews {{!}} High Def Digest |url=https://bluray.highdefdigest.com/5494/trainspotting.html |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=bluray.highdefdigest.com}}</ref> A remastered version of the film was released by [[The Criterion Collection]] on Blu-ray and [[Ultra HD Blu-ray]] on January 30, 2024.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Butler |first=Owen |date=2024-01-22 |title=TRAINSPOTTING Criterion Review: Danny Boyle's '90s Masterpiece, Restored In 4K |url=https://www.filminquiry.com/trainspotting-criterion-review/ |access-date=2024-03-18 |website=Film Inquiry |language=en-us}}</ref> |
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''Trainspotting'' was nominated for three [[British Academy Film Awards]] in 1996, including John Hodge for Best Adapted Screenplay, Best Film and Best British Film. Hodge won in his category.<ref name="BAFTA">{{cite news | last = | first = | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = | pages = | language = | publisher = [[British Film Institute]] | url = http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/529312?view=event | accessdate = 10 September 2009}}</ref> Hodge also won Best Screenplay from the [[Evening Standard]] British Film Awards. The film won the Golden Space Needle (the award for Best Film) at the 1996 [[Seattle International Film Festival]]. Ewan McGregor was named Best Actor from the [[London Film Critics Circle]], BAFTA Scotland Awards, and ''Empire'' magazine.<ref name="BAFTA"/> Hodge was also nominated for an [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay]] but lost to [[Billy Bob Thornton]]'s ''[[Sling Blade]]''. |
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==Reception== |
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==Style and themes== |
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''Trainspotting'' was screened at the [[1996 Cannes Film Festival]] but was shown out of competition,<ref name="festival-cannes.com">{{cite web |url=http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4705/year/1996.html |title=Festival de Cannes: Trainspotting |access-date=20 September 2009 |work=Festival-Cannes.com |archive-date=6 October 2012 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121006104504/http://www.festival-cannes.com/en/archives/ficheFilm/id/4705/year/1996.html |url-status=live }}</ref> according to the filmmakers, due to its subject.<ref name="power">{{cite news | last1 = Power | first1 = Carla | author-link=Carla Power | last2 = Thomas | first2 = Dana | title = Track Stars | work = [[Newsweek]] | date = 15 July 1996 | url = http://www.newsweek.com/id/108146 | access-date = 16 April 2009 | archive-date = 23 March 2010 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20100323111810/http://www.newsweek.com/id/108146 | url-status = live }}</ref> It went on to become the festival's one unqualified critical and popular hit.<ref name="ressner">{{cite magazine | last = Ressner | first = Jeffrey | title = All You Need is Hype | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date = 27 May 1996 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984611,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080308025711/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,984611,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 8 March 2008 | access-date = 16 April 2009}}</ref> |
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[[Danny Boyle]] uses a coherent film style throughout his filmography. Music has great importance in his films, as evidenced by the best-selling soundtracks for ''Trainspotting'' and ''[[Slumdog Millionaire]]'', both of which feature a lot of pop and punk rock artists. In Boyle's view, songs can be “amazing things to use because they obviously bring a lot of baggage with them. They may have painful associations, and so they inter-breathe with the material you’re using”<ref>[http://www.bbcamerica.com/shows//blog/2013/03/danny-boyle-brits-brilliant-with-music-but-rubbish-at-film]. ''Danny Boyle: Brits ‘Brilliant With Music’ But ‘Rubbish at Film’'', by Paul Hechinger, Published by BBC America, 2013.</ref> |
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The film had previews in the UK on 17 screens, grossing £18,970, before opening on 23 February 1996 in a platform release on 57 screens in the [[West End of London]], Scotland and Ireland, grossing £532,950 in its opening weekend and placing fifth at the UK box office.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=UK Top 15: Feb 23-25|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=1 March 1996|page=27}}</ref> It was the number one film in London.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=London Top 1 Feb 23-25|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=1 March 1996|page=27}}</ref> It expanded nationwide to 245 screens in its third week of release and was the [[List of 1996 box office number-one films in the United Kingdom|number one film in the UK]] with a gross of £1,422,906 for the weekend.<ref>{{cite magazine|title=UK Top 15: March 8–10|magazine=[[Screen International]]|date=15 March 1996|page=23}}</ref> |
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The combination of visuals and music with the setting of the criminal underworld has drawn comparisons to ''[[Pulp Fiction]]'' and the films of [[Quentin Tarantino]], that had spawned a certain type of "90s indie cinema" which "strove to dazzle the viewer with self-conscious cleverness and empty shock tactics".<ref>[http://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/danny-boyle-career-10-songs]. ''Danny Boyle: a career in 10 songs'', by Paul O’Callaghan , Published by BFI, 2015.</ref> This impacted the shooting style of the film, which features "wildly imaginative" and "downright hallucinatory" visual imagery, achieved through a mix of "a handheld, hurtling camera", jump cuts, zoom shots, freeze frames and wide angles.<ref>[http://search.proquest.com/openview/c907b4cf9efc9f9bec60991094bd10d8/1?pq-origsite=gscholar]. ''Fiction into film, or bringing Welsh to a Boyle'', by Bert Cardullo, Published by Literature/Film Quarterly, 1997. ''Page 158-62''.</ref> This vigorous style contributed to the "breathless" pace that Boyle's films have been associated with.<ref name="ebert"/> |
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By the time it opened in North America, on 19 July 1996, the film had grossed more than $18{{nbsp}}million in Britain. It initially opened in eight theatres in the U.S. and Canada and on its first weekend grossed $33,000 per screen.<ref name="gordinier"/> The film expanded to 357 screens and made $16.4{{nbsp}}million in North America,<ref name="boxoffice">{{cite news | title = ''Trainspotting'' | work = Box Office Mojo | url = https://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=trainspotting.htm | access-date = 16 April 2009 | archive-date = 1 July 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090701003105/http://www.boxofficemojo.com/movies/?id=trainspotting.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> one of the biggest grossing films of 1996 in limited release.<ref>{{cite news | title =Top 20 '96 Domestic Limited Releases | work =[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]| page=20 | date=4 November 1996 }}</ref> ''Trainspotting'' was the highest-grossing British film of 1996, and at the time it was the fourth highest grossing British film in history.<ref name="Lash">Lash, Scott; Lury Celia (2007) ''Global Culture Industry: The Mediation of Things'', Polity, {{ISBN|978-0-7456-2482-2}}, p. 167.</ref> The film grossed £12{{nbsp}}million in the UK and $72{{nbsp}}million internationally.<ref name="petrie">{{cite news | last = Petrie | first = Duncan J | title = ''Contemporary Scottish Fictions—Film, Television, and the Novel: Film, Television and the Novel'' | pages = 101–102 | publisher = Edinburgh University Press | year = 2004 |isbn=978-0748617890 |edition=1st}}</ref> Based on a cost-to-return ratio, ''Trainspotting'' was the most profitable film of the year.<ref>{{cite news|work=[[Variety (magazine)|Variety]]|title=Pix get ratio-active|first=Leonard|last=Klady|date=10 February 1997|page=1}}</ref> |
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For the look of the film, Boyle was influenced by the colours of [[Francis Bacon (painter)|Francis Bacon's]] paintings, which represented "a sort of in-between land – part reality, part fantasy".<ref name="grundy2"/> The scene where Renton (McGregor) dives in a toilet is a reference to [[Thomas Pynchon]]'s 1973 novel ''[[Gravity's Rainbow]]''.<ref name="GravitysRainbow">{{cite news | last = Dubravka | first = Juraga | title = ''Socialist Cultures East and West: A Post-Cold War Reassessment'' | work = | pages = 77| language = | publisher = [[Greenwood Publishing Group]]| date = 2002 | url = https://books.google.co.uk/books?id=hD-adL-aL3wC&dq | accessdate = 16 February 2016}}</ref> |
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===Critical reception=== |
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==Sequel== |
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The film has an approval rating of 90% on [[Rotten Tomatoes]] based on 95 reviews collected by the site, with an average score of 8.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A brutal, often times funny, other times terrifying portrayal of drug addiction in Edinburgh. Not for the faint of heart, but well worth viewing as a realistic and entertaining reminder of the horrors of drug use".<ref name="tomato">{{cite web|url=https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/trainspotting|title=Trainspotting (1996)|website=[[Rotten Tomatoes]]|publisher=[[Fandango Media]]|access-date=April 30, 2024|archive-date=27 November 2017|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20171127041504/https://www.rottentomatoes.com/m/trainspotting/|url-status=live}}</ref> On [[Metacritic]], the film has a [[weighted average]] score of 83 out of 100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".<ref name="metacritic">{{cite web|title=Trainspotting|url=https://www.metacritic.com/movie/trainspotting|website=Metacritic|access-date=8 February 2018|archive-date=12 November 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201112013158/https://www.metacritic.com/movie/trainspotting|url-status=live}}</ref> 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."<ref name="malcolm">{{cite news | last = Malcolm | first = Derek | title = Trainspotting | work = [[The Guardian]] | date = 22 February 1996 | url = http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,530807,00.html | access-date = 16 April 2009 | location = London | archive-date = 7 April 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120407202859/http://film.guardian.co.uk/News_Story/Critic_Review/Guardian_review/0,,530807,00.html | url-status = live }}</ref> ''[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]'' magazine gave the film five out of five stars and described the film as "something Britain can be proud of and Hollywood must be afraid of. If we Brits can make movies this good about subjects this horrific, what chance does Tinseltown have?"<ref name="jeffries">{{cite news | last = Jeffries | first = Neil | title = Trainspotting Review | work = [[Empire (magazine)|Empire]] | url = https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/trainspotting-review/ | date=1 January 2000 | access-date = 16 April 2009 }}</ref> |
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{{main article|T2: Trainspotting}} |
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Boyle has declared his wish to make a [[sequel]] to ''Trainspotting'' which would take place nine years after the original film, based on Irvine Welsh's sequel, ''[[Porno (novel)|Porno]]''. He was reportedly waiting until the original actors themselves aged visibly enough to portray the same characters, ravaged by time; Boyle joked that the natural vanity of actors would make it a long wait. Ewan McGregor stated in an interview that he would return for a sequel, saying "I'm totally up for it. I'd be so chuffed to be back on set with everybody and I think it would be an extraordinary experience."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=536452007 |title=Junkies reunited as sequel gets go-ahead |work=The Scotsman |date=13 January 2009 |accessdate=3 April 2009 |location=Edinburgh |first1=Michael |last1=Howie |first2=Kevin |last2=Schofield}}</ref> |
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American film critic [[Roger Ebert]] gave the film three out of four stars and praised its portrayal of addicts' experiences with each other.<ref name="ebert">{{cite news | last = Ebert | first = Roger | author-link = Roger Ebert | title = Trainspotting | work = [[Chicago Sun-Times]] | date = 26 July 1996 | url = https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/trainspotting-1996 | access-date = 16 April 2009 | archive-date = 12 April 2013 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20130412084854/http://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/trainspotting-1996 | url-status = live }}</ref> In his review for the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'', [[Kenneth Turan]] wrote, "in McGregor ... the film has an actor whose magnetism monopolizes our attention no matter what".<ref name="turan">{{cite news |last=Turan |first=Kenneth |author-link=Kenneth Turan |title=Movie Review : Talkin' 'bout Their Lost Generation |work=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=19 July 1996 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-19-ca-25541-story.html |access-date=16 April 2009 |archive-date=12 October 2019 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191012030705/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-07-19-ca-25541-story.html |url-status=live }}</ref> ''Entertainment Weekly'' gave the film an "A" rating and [[Owen Gleiberman]] wrote, "Like [[Martin Scorsese|Scorsese]] and [[Quentin Tarantino|Tarantino]], Boyle uses pop songs as rhapsodic mood enhancers, though in his own ravey-hypnotic style. Whether he's staging a fumbly sex montage to [[Sleeper (band)|Sleeper]]'s version of "[[Atomic (song)|Atomic]]" or having Renton go cold turkey to the ominous slow build of Underworld's "[[Dark & Long|Dark and Long]]" ... ''Trainspotting'' keeps us wired to the pulse of its characters' passions".<ref name="gleiberman">{{cite magazine | last = Gleiberman | first = Owen | author-link = Owen Gleiberman | title = Trainspotting: Read EW's original 1996 review | magazine = [[Entertainment Weekly]] | date = 19 July 1996 | url = https://ew.com/article/1996/07/19/trainspotting-2/ | access-date = 16 April 2009 | archive-date = 27 April 2009 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20090427122247/http://www.ew.com/ew/article/0,,293364,00.html | url-status = live }}</ref> In her review for ''[[The New York Times]]'', [[Janet Maslin]] wrote, "''Trainspotting'' doesn't have much narrative holding it together. 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".<ref name="maslin">{{cite news | last = Maslin | first = Janet | author-link = Janet Maslin | title = Bad Taste in a Vile Story Doesn't Rule Out Fun | work = [[The New York Times]] | date = 19 July 1996 | url = https://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/19/movies/film-review-bad-taste-in-a-vile-story-doesn-t-rule-out-fun.html | access-date = 16 April 2009 | archive-date = 26 May 2015 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20150526164937/http://www.nytimes.com/1996/07/19/movies/film-review-bad-taste-in-a-vile-story-doesn-t-rule-out-fun.html | url-status = live }}</ref> |
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In 2013, Boyle said he wants to make a sequel that would be loosely based on ''[[Porno (novel)|Porno]]'' which he has described as "not a great book in the way that ''Trainspotting'', the original novel, is genuinely a masterpiece". Boyle says that if the sequel happens 2016 would be the release date.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://collider.com/trainspotting-2-sequel-danny-boyle |title=Danny Boyle Planning for TRAINSPOTTING Sequel in 2016 with Original Cast: 'You Want to Make Sure You Don’t Disappoint People' |publisher=Collider.com |date=11 March 2013 |accessdate=29 March 2013}}</ref> |
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''Rolling Stone''{{'}}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".<ref name="travers">{{cite magazine | last = Travers | first = Peter | author-link = Peter Travers | title = Trainspotting | magazine = [[Rolling Stone]] | date = 23 February 1996 | url = https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/trainspotting-104723/ | access-date = 16 April 2009 | quote = Believe him or not, Trainspotting looks hard at the alternatives to living in oblivion. They're not as trendy as stealing and shooting up to a pulsating Brit-pop score (Elastica, Primal Scream, Pulp), but 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. | archive-date = 12 October 2019 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20191012032243/https://www.rollingstone.com/movies/movie-reviews/trainspotting-104723/ | url-status = live }}</ref> In his review for ''[[The Washington Post]]'', [[Desson Howe]] wrote, "Without a doubt, this is the most provocative, enjoyable pop-cultural experience since ''Pulp Fiction''".<ref name="howe">{{cite news | last = Howe | first = Desson | author-link = Desson Howe | title = ''Trainspotting'': A Wild Ride | newspaper = [[The Washington Post]] | date = 26 July 1996 | url = https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/trainspottinghowe.htm | access-date = 16 April 2009 | archive-date = 7 November 2012 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20121107213514/http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/trainspottinghowe.htm | url-status = live }}</ref> [[Jonathan Rosenbaum]], in his review for the ''[[Chicago Reader]]'', wrote, "Like ''[[Twister (1996 film)|Twister]]'' and ''[[Independence Day (1996 film)|Independence Day]]'', this movie is a theme-park ride – though it's a much better one, basically a series of youthful thrills, spills, chills, and swerves rather than a story intended to say very much".<ref name="rosenbaum">{{cite news | last = Rosenbaum | first = Jonathan | author-link = Jonathan Rosenbaum | title = Too High to Die | work = [[Chicago Reader]] | date = 26 July 1996 | url = http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/archives/0896/08026.html | access-date = 16 April 2009 | archive-date = 20 July 2008 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20080720113006/http://www.chicagoreader.com/movies/archives/0896/08026.html | url-status = dead }}</ref> |
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On 6 May 2014, during a BBC Radio interview with Richard Bacon, Welsh confirmed that he had spent a week with Boyle, Andrew Macdonald and the creative team behind ''Trainspotting'' to discuss the sequel. Welsh stated that the meeting was in order to "explore the story and script ideas. We're not interested in doing something that will trash the legacy of ''Trainspotting''. ... We want to do something that's very fresh and contemporary."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27293478|title=Irvine Welsh in talks over Trainspotting film sequel|publisher=BBC News|accessdate=15 June 2015}}</ref> Welsh did not however confirm any kind of timeline for the film, unlike Boyle's comments about wanting the film to come out in 2016. |
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The film's release sparked controversy in some countries, including Britain, Australia and the United States, as to whether or not it promoted and romanticised drug use. [[United States Senate|U.S. Senator]] [[Bob Dole]] accused it of moral depravity and glorifying drug use during the [[1996 United States presidential election|1996 U.S. presidential campaign]], although he later admitted that he had not seen the film.<ref>{{cite news|last=Ross|first=Andrew|title=The fall and fall of Bob Dole|url=http://www.salon.com/1996/09/19/news_544/|access-date=11 January 2012|newspaper=[[Salon (website)|Salon]]|date=19 September 1996|archive-date=15 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150915200324/http://www.salon.com/1996/09/19/news_544/|url-status=live}}</ref> Producer of the film Andrew Macdonald responded to these claims in a [[BBC]] interview stating "we were determined to show why people took drugs ... you had to show that it was fun and that it was awful" to which Boyle adds "It's the music and humour that makes people feel it's glamorising drugs."<ref>{{cite episode|series=[[Movie Connections]] |title=Trainspotting |url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yL4yTYFqX2Y&feature=youtu.be&themeRefresh=1 |date=26 January 2009 |network=BBC One |access-date=16 February 2016}}</ref> Despite the controversy, it was widely praised and received a nomination for [[Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]] in that year's [[Academy Awards]]. ''[[Time (magazine)|Time]]'' magazine ranked ''Trainspotting'' as the third best film of 1996.<ref name="time96">{{cite magazine | title = The Best of Cinema 1996 | magazine = [[Time (magazine)|Time]] | date = 23 December 1996 | url = http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985745,00.html | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20070717025427/http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,985745,00.html | url-status = dead | archive-date = 17 July 2007 | access-date = 16 April 2009}}</ref> |
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In a newspaper interview with ''[[The Scotsman]]'' on 17 November 2014, Welsh revealed that McGregor and Boyle had resolved their differences and had held meetings about the film, saying "I know Danny and Ewan are back in touch with each other again. There are others in the cast who've had a rocky road, but now also reconciled. With the ''Trainspotting'' sequel the attention is going to be even more intense this time round because the first was such a great movie—and Danny's such a colossus now. We're all protective of the ''Trainspotting'' legacy and we want to make a film that adds to that legacy and doesn’t take away from it."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/film/trainspotting-sequel-looks-set-to-go-ahead-1-3607627|title=Trainspotting sequel looks set to go ahead|work=The Scotsman|accessdate=15 June 2015}}</ref> |
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===Legacy=== |
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On 7 September 2015, at the [[Telluride Film Festival]], Boyle stated his next film would be a sequel, tentatively titled ''Trainspotting 2''.<ref>{{cite journal|first=Daniel|last=Kreps|url=http://www.rollingstone.com/movies/news/danny-boyle-reveals-next-film-is-trainspotting-2-20150907#ixzz3l4KoGLEC|title=Danny Boyle Reveals Next Film Is 'Trainspotting 2'|work=Rolling Stone|date=7 September 2015|accessdate=19 December 2015}}</ref> |
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The film had an immediate effect on popular culture. In 1999, ''Trainspotting'' was ranked in the tenth spot by the [[British Film Institute]] (BFI) in its list of [[BFI Top 100 British films|Top 100 British films]] of all time,<ref name="James2">{{cite news | last = James | first = Nick | title = Nul Britannia | work = [[Sight and Sound]] | date = September 2002 | url = http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/351 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20120618102050/http://old.bfi.org.uk/sightandsound/feature/351 | url-status = dead | archive-date = 2012-06-18 | access-date = 10 September 2009}}</ref> while in 2004 the magazine ''[[Total Film]]'' named it the fourth greatest British film of all time. That same year, Channel 4 named it as the greatest British film of all time.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/G/greatest-brits/results/nominees/film/5-1_results.html|title=Greatest Brits vote from channel4.com/film|year=2004|publisher=[[Channel 4]]|location=London|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20040711053446/http://www.channel4.com/film/newsfeatures/microsites/G/greatest-brits/results/nominees/film/5-1_results.html|archive-date=11 July 2004|url-status=dead|access-date=14 August 2018}}</ref> ''[[The Observer]]'' polled several filmmakers and film critics who voted it the best British film in the last 25 years.<ref name="Ob25">{{cite news | title = The Observer Film Quarterly's best British films of the last 25 years | work = [[The Observer]] | date = 30 August 2009 | url = https://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2009/aug/30/best-british-films-25-years | access-date = 31 August 2009 | location = London | archive-date = 31 August 2014 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20140831203606/http://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2009/aug/30/best-british-films-25-years | url-status = live }}</ref> In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time by the public in a poll for ''[[The List (magazine)|The List]]'' magazine.<ref name="TopScott">{{cite news | title = ''Trainspotting'' wins best film poll | work = [[BBC News]] | date = 24 February 2004 | url = http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3518815.stm | access-date = 10 September 2009 | archive-date = 7 December 2020 | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20201207173615/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/scotland/3518815.stm | url-status = live }}</ref> ''Trainspotting'' has developed a [[cult following]].<ref name="Catterall">{{cite news | last1 = Catterall | first1 = Ali |first2=Simon |last2=Wells | title = Your Face Here: British Cult Movies Since the Sixties | page = 233 | publisher = Fourth Estate | year = 2002 }}</ref> It was recognised as an important film during the 1990s British cultural tour de force known as [[Cool Britannia]].{{sfn|Smith|2002}} It was also featured in the documentary ''[[Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop]].''<ref>{{cite AV media|title=Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Britpop |year=2003 |location=London |publisher=Passion Pictures}}</ref> |
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The film title is a reference to a scene in the book where Begbie and Renton meet "an auld drunkard" who turns out to be Begbie's estranged father, in the disused [[Leith Central railway station]], which they are using as a toilet. He asks them if they are "trainspottin{{'"}}.{{sfn|Welsh|1997|p=309}} This scene is later included as a [[Flashback (narrative)|flashback]] in ''[[T2 Trainspotting]]''. |
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In a 27 September 2015 interview with ''[[ComingSoon.net]]'', Boyle revealed that a script for the sequel has been written, and that filming will reportedly take place between May and June 2016, in the hopes of releasing the film within that same year to commemorate ''Trainspotting's'' 20th anniversary.<ref name="comingsoon">{{cite web|url=http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/617297-danny-boyle-hopes-to-shoot-his-trainspotting-sequel-next-summer|title=Danny Boyle Hopes to Shoot His Trainspotting Sequel Next Summer|author=Edward Douglas|publisher=[[ComingSoon.net]]|date=27 September 2015|accessdate=28 September 2015}}</ref> |
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The [[music video]] for the 2019 song "Doorman" by English rapper [[Slowthai]] contains several references to the film.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.clashmusic.com/videos/slowthais-doorman-video-channels-the-legacy-of-trainspotting|title=slowthai's 'Doorman' Video Channels The Legacy Of Trainspotting|work=[[Clash (magazine)|Clash]]|first=Robin|last=Murray|date=7 January 2019|accessdate=10 January 2019}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://i-d.vice.com/en_uk/article/pa558g/slowthai-trainspotting-tribute-in-new-doorman-music-video|title=Slowthai pays tribute to 'Trainspotting' in his new video|work=[[i-D]]|first=Frankie|last=Dunn|date=7 January 2019|accessdate=10 January 2019}}</ref> |
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While promoting ''[[Steve Jobs (2015 film)|Steve Jobs]]'' in November 2015, Boyle reiterated the hopes of beginning principal photography for the sequel in May and June 2016, and has started pre-production in [[Edinburgh]]. Boyle also clarified that [[John Hodge (screenwriter)|John Hodge]] wrote an original screenplay for the sequel, and will not be a strict adaptation of ''[[Porno (novel)|Porno]]''. An earlier script was reportedly written about 10 years prior, but was scrapped and redone so that the original cast would agree to return for a film sequel. The current working title for the sequel is ''T2''.<ref name="boyleign">{{cite web|url=http://www.ign.com/articles/2015/11/16/why-trainspotting-2-has-taken-20-years?utm_source=IGN%20hub%20page&utm_medium=IGN%20(front%20page)&utm_content=16&utm_campaign=Blogroll|title=Why Trainspotting 2 Has Taken 20 Years|author=Chris Tilly|publisher=[[IGN]]|date=16 November 2015|accessdate=16 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="boyletimeout">{{cite web|url=http://www.timeout.com/london/film/danny-boyle-talks-steve-jobs-casting-fassbender-and-working-on-a-trainspotting-sequel|title=Danny Boyle talks 'Steve Jobs', casting Fassbender and working on a 'Trainspotting' sequel|author=Damon Wise|work=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]|date=9 November 2015|accessdate=16 November 2015}}</ref><ref name="boylebbc">{{cite web|url=http://www.bbc.co.uk/newsbeat/article/34568739/danny-boyle-nervous-about-trainspotting-sequel|title=Danny Boyle nervous about Trainspotting sequel|publisher=[[BBC Newsbeat]]|date=18 October 2015|accessdate=16 November 2015}}</ref> |
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===Awards=== |
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In a November 2015 phone interview with ''[[NME]]'', [[Robert Carlyle]] confirmed he will be returning for the sequel to play Begbie. According to Carlyle, he and other members of the ''Trainspotting'' cast have already read John Hodge's script, and will take place 20 years (much like its intended 2016 release) after the original plot. Filming started on the 16th of May 2016,<ref name="startfilming">{{cite web|url=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HvWXuXTIM_w|title=Trainspotting original cast return in Danny Boyle’s T2 – In cinemas Jan 2017|date=16 May 2016|publisher=[[Sony Pictures Entertainment]]}}</ref> Carlyle praised Hodge's screenplay and hinted that ''T2'' "is going to be quite emotional for people. Because the film sort of tells you to think about yourself. You are going to be thinking: 'Fuck. What have I done with my life?'"<ref name="carlylenme">{{cite web|url=http://www.nme.com/blogs/the-movies-blog/robert-carlyle-on-making-trainspotting-2-its-one-of-the-best-scripts-ive-fucking-ever-read?utm_source=facebook&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=trainspotting2|title=Robert Carlyle On Making 'Trainspotting 2': 'It's One Of The Best Scripts I've Fucking Ever Read'|author=Nick Levine|publisher=[[NME]]|date=19 November 2015|accessdate=19 November 2015}}</ref> |
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''Trainspotting'' was nominated for two [[British Academy Film Awards]] at the [[49th British Academy Film Awards]] in 1996, [[BAFTA Award for Outstanding British Film|Best British Film]] and John Hodge for [[BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay|Best Adapted Screenplay]].<ref name=bafta1996>{{cite web |url=http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=1996&page=1 |title=BAFTA Awards Search (1996) |publisher=British Academy of Film and Television Arts |access-date=3 March 2017 |archive-date=4 March 2017 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170304113651/http://awards.bafta.org/keyword-search?keywords=1996&page=1 |url-status=live }}</ref> Hodge won in his category.<ref name=bafta1996/><ref name="BAFTA">{{cite news | title = ''Trainspotting'' | publisher = [[British Film Institute]] | url = http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/529312?view=event | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20081022232422/http://ftvdb.bfi.org.uk/sift/title/529312?view=event | url-status = dead | archive-date = 22 October 2008 | access-date = 10 September 2009}}</ref> Hodge also won Best Screenplay from the [[Evening Standard British Film Awards|''Evening Standard'' British Film Awards]]. The film won the Golden Space Needle (the award for Best Film) at the 1996 [[Seattle International Film Festival]]. Ewan McGregor tied with [[Ian McKellen]] for [[Richard III (1995 film)|''Richard III'']] for [[London Film Critics' Circle Award for British Actor of the Year|Best British Actor of the Year]] at the [[London Film Critics Circle Awards 1996]] for his work in this film as well as ''[[Brassed Off]]'', ''[[Emma (1996 theatrical film)|Emma]]'' and ''[[The Pillow Book (film)|The Pillow Book]]''. McGregor was also named Best Actor at the [[BAFTA Scotland]] Awards, and by ''Empire'' magazine.<ref name="BAFTA"/> Hodge was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the [[69th Academy Awards]] but lost to [[Billy Bob Thornton]]'s ''[[Sling Blade (film)|Sling Blade]]''. |
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==Sequel== |
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{{main|T2 Trainspotting}} |
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Boyle had declared his wish to make a [[sequel]] to ''Trainspotting'' which would take place nine years after the original film, based on Irvine Welsh's sequel, ''[[Porno (novel)|Porno]]''. He was reportedly waiting until the original actors themselves aged visibly enough to portray the same characters, ravaged by time; Boyle joked that the natural vanity of actors would make it a long wait. Ewan McGregor stated in an interview that he would return for a sequel, saying "I'm totally up for it. I'd be so chuffed to be back on set with everybody and I think it would be an extraordinary experience."<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=536452007 |title=Junkies reunited as sequel gets go-ahead |work=[[The Scotsman]] |date=13 January 2009 |access-date=3 April 2009 |location=Edinburgh |first1=Michael |last1=Howie |first2=Kevin |last2=Schofield |archive-date=3 May 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070503183317/http://news.scotsman.com/entertainment.cfm?id=536452007 |url-status=live }}</ref> |
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On 6 May 2014, during a [[BBC Radio]] interview with [[Richard Bacon (broadcaster)|Richard Bacon]], Welsh confirmed that he had spent a week with Boyle, Andrew Macdonald and the creative team behind ''Trainspotting'' to discuss the sequel. Welsh stated that the meeting was to "explore the story and script ideas. We're not interested in doing something that will trash the legacy of ''Trainspotting''. ... We want to do something that's very fresh and contemporary."<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27293478|title=Irvine Welsh in talks over Trainspotting film sequel|work=BBC News|access-date=15 June 2015|archive-date=25 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150925164338/http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-27293478|url-status=live}}</ref> Welsh did not however confirm any kind of timeline for the film, unlike Boyle's comments about wanting the film to come out in 2016. |
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In a newspaper interview with ''[[The Scotsman]]'' on 17 November 2014, Welsh said that McGregor and Boyle had resolved their differences and had held meetings about the film, saying "I know Danny and Ewan are back in touch with each other again. There are others in the cast who've had a rocky road, but now also reconciled. With the ''Trainspotting'' sequel the attention is going to be even more intense this time round because the first was such a great movie—and Danny's such a colossus now. We're all protective of the ''Trainspotting'' legacy and we want to make a film that adds to that legacy and doesn't take away from it."<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/film/trainspotting-sequel-looks-set-to-go-ahead-1-3607627|title=Trainspotting sequel looks set to go ahead|work=[[The Scotsman]]|access-date=15 June 2015|archive-date=30 June 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150630003407/http://www.scotsman.com/what-s-on/film/trainspotting-sequel-looks-set-to-go-ahead-1-3607627|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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In a September 2015 interview with [[ComingSoon.net]], Boyle said that a script for the sequel had been written, and that filming would take place between May and June 2016, in the hope of releasing the film that year to commemorate ''Trainspotting's'' 20th anniversary.<ref name="comingsoon">{{cite web|url=https://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/617297-danny-boyle-hopes-to-shoot-his-trainspotting-sequel-next-summer|title=Danny Boyle Hopes to Shoot His Trainspotting Sequel Next Summer|first=Edward|last=Douglas|publisher=[[ComingSoon.net]]|date=27 September 2015|access-date=28 September 2015|archive-date=28 September 2015|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150928200943/http://www.comingsoon.net/movies/news/617297-danny-boyle-hopes-to-shoot-his-trainspotting-sequel-next-summer|url-status=live}}</ref> |
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''T2 Trainspotting'' was released in the UK on 27 January 2017, and worldwide in February and March 2017. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $42.1 million against a production budget of $18 million. It is a [[black comedy]]-[[Comedy drama|drama film]], directed by Boyle and written by John Hodge. Set in and around Edinburgh, it is based on characters created by Welsh in his 1993 novel ''Trainspotting'' and its 2002 follow-up ''Porno''. ''T2'' stars the original [[ensemble cast]], including leads Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, and Robert Carlyle, with Shirley Henderson, James Cosmo, and Kelly Macdonald. The film features a new character, Veronika, played by [[Anjela Nedyalkova]], and includes clips, music, and archive sound from the first film. |
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== See also == |
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* {{Portal-inline|United Kingdom}} |
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* {{Portal-inline|Film}} |
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* {{Portal-inline|1990s}} |
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* [[List of cult films]] |
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==References== |
==References== |
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{{Reflist |
{{Reflist}} |
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* {{Cite book|first=Murray|last=Smith |title=Trainspotting|publisher=BFI Publishing|year=2002|isbn= 978-0-85170-870-6}} |
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==Bibliography== |
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* {{Cite book|first=Irvine|last=Welsh |title=Trainspotting|publisher=Minerva|year=1997|isbn= 978-0-7493-8520-0}} |
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*{{Cite book|title=Trainspotting|last=Smith|first=Murray|publisher=British Film Institute|year=2002|isbn=978-0-85170-870-6|location=London|url=https://archive.org/details/trainspotting0000smit|oclc=762340066}} |
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*{{Cite book|first=Irvine|last=Welsh |title=Trainspotting|publisher=Minerva|year=1997|isbn=978-0-7493-8520-0}} |
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== Further reading == |
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* ''Trainspotting'', by Fredric Dannen, John Hodge, Barry Long, Irvine Welsh. Published by Hyperion, 1997. ISBN |
* ''[[Trainspotting (novel)|Trainspotting]]'', by Fredric Dannen, John Hodge, Barry Long, Irvine Welsh. Published by Hyperion, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7868-8221-2}}. |
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* [http://sfy.ru/sfy.html?script=trainspotting ''Trainspotting'' screenplay by John Hodge]. |
* [http://sfy.ru/sfy.html?script=trainspotting ''Trainspotting'' screenplay by John Hodge]. |
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* ''Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting: A Reader's Guide'', by Robert A. Morace. Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001. ISBN |
* ''Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting: A Reader's Guide'', by Robert A. Morace. Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001. {{ISBN|0-8264-5237-X}}. |
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* ''Working-class Fiction: From Chartism to Trainspotting'', by Ian Haywood. Published by Northcote House in association with the British Council, 1997. ISBN |
* ''Working-class Fiction: From Chartism to Trainspotting'', by Ian Haywood. Published by Northcote House in association with the British Council, 1997. {{ISBN|0-7463-0780-2}}. |
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* ''Trainspotting: Director, Danny Boyle'', by Martin Stollery. Published by Longman, 2001. ISBN |
* ''Trainspotting: Director, Danny Boyle'', by Martin Stollery. Published by Longman, 2001. {{ISBN|0-582-45258-9}}. |
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* [https://books.google.com/books?id=tdnPmptS7U8C |
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=tdnPmptS7U8C&dq=Trainspotting+film&pg=PA103 "Welsh Warner and Cinematic Adaptation"]. In ''Contemporary Scottish Fictions: Film, Television and the Novel'', by Duncan J. Petrie. Published by Edinburgh University Press, 2004.{{ISBN|0-7486-1789-2}}. pp. 101–102. |
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* [https://books.google.com/books?id=FSGt6VoSh28C&pg=PA68 |
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=FSGt6VoSh28C&pg=PA68 "Trendspotting: Screening ''Trainspotting''{{-"}}]. In ''Irvine Welsh'', by Aaron Kelly. Published by Manchester University Press, 2005. {{ISBN|0-7190-6651-4}}. pp. 68–78. |
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* [https://books.google.com/books?id=n-4U1nnD2lAC |
* [https://books.google.com/books?id=n-4U1nnD2lAC&dq=Trainspotting+film&pg=PA169 ''Trainspotting'' and ''My Name is Joe''] ''Hooked: Drug War Films in Britain, Canada, and the US'', by Susan C. Boyd. Published by Routledge, 2008. {{ISBN|0-415-95706-0}}. p.. |
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* {{cite news | last=Wartofsky | first=Alona | title='Trainspotting': Junk Culture | newspaper=[[The Washington Post]] | date=21 July 1996 | url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-srv/style/longterm/review96/ftrainspotting.htm }} |
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==External links== |
==External links== |
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{{wikiquote}} |
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{{Portal|United Kingdom|Crime|Film|1990s}} |
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* {{Official website|http://www.miramax.com/movie/trainspotting}} |
* {{Official website|http://www.miramax.com/movie/trainspotting}} |
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* {{IMDb title|0117951 |
* {{IMDb title|0117951}} |
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* {{mojo title|trainspotting|Trainspotting}} |
* {{mojo title|trainspotting|Trainspotting}} |
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* {{Rotten Tomatoes| |
* {{Rotten Tomatoes|trainspotting|Trainspotting}} |
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* {{ |
* {{Metacritic film|title=Trainspotting}} |
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* {{Screenonline title|526560}} |
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* [http://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/06/13/trainspotting_se_1996_dvd_review.shtml BBC Films review – ''Trainspotting'' Definitive Edition DVD (1996)] |
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* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2003/06/13/trainspotting_se_1996_dvd_review.shtml BBC Films review – ''Trainspotting'' Definitive Edition DVD (1996)] |
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{{Danny Boyle}} |
{{Danny Boyle}} |
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{{Irvine Welsh}} |
{{Irvine Welsh}} |
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{{Navboxes |
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|title = Awards for ''Trainspotting'' |
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|list = |
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{{Boston Society of Film Critics Award for Best Film}} |
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Latest revision as of 17:32, 8 January 2025
Trainspotting | |
---|---|
Directed by | Danny Boyle |
Screenplay by | John Hodge |
Based on | Trainspotting by Irvine Welsh |
Produced by | Andrew Macdonald |
Starring | |
Cinematography | Brian Tufano |
Edited by | Masahiro Hirakubo |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | PolyGram Filmed Entertainment |
Release date |
|
Running time | 93 minutes[1] |
Country | United Kingdom[2] |
Language | English |
Budget | £1.5 million[3] |
Box office | $72 million[4] (£48 million) |
Trainspotting is a 1996 British black comedy drama film directed by Danny Boyle, and starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle and Kelly Macdonald in her film debut. Based on the 1993 novel by Irvine Welsh, the film was released in the United Kingdom on 23 February 1996.[5]
The film follows a group of heroin addicts in an economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life. Beyond drug addiction, other themes in the film include an exploration of the urban poverty and squalor in Edinburgh.[6]
Trainspotting was released to critical acclaim, and is regarded by many critics as one of the best films of the 1990s.[7][8][9] The film was ranked tenth by the British Film Institute (BFI) in its list of Top 100 British films of the 20th century. In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time in a general public poll.[10] A 2017 poll, which consisted of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine, ranked it the tenth best British film ever.[11] A sequel, T2 Trainspotting, was released in January 2017, with TriStar Pictures distributing it.
Plot
[edit]Mark Renton, a 26-year-old unemployed heroin addict living with his parents in Leith, regularly takes drugs with his "friends": treacherous, womanising James Bond fanatic Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson; docile and bumbling Daniel "Spud" Murphy; and Swanney—"Mother Superior"—their dealer. Renton's other friends include aggressive alcoholic psychopath Francis "Franco" Begbie, and honest footballer Tommy Mackenzie, who both abstain from drug use, warning him about his dangerous drug habit.
Tiring of his reckless lifestyle, Renton attempts to wean himself off heroin with a bare room, foodstuffs, and opium suppositories from dodgy dealer Mikey Forrester. Developing diarrhoea, he has to relieve himself in the disgusting toilet of a betting shop, then imagines swimming in the filthy water as he retrieves the suppositories.
Renton attempts to lead a "useful and fulfilling" life away from heroin. This consists of meeting Sick Boy in a park where he uses an air gun to incite a stranger's dog to attack its owner, supplying Spud with amphetamine for a job interview that backfires, and stealing a sex tape of Tommy and his girlfriend, Lizzy.
At The Volcano nightclub, Renton notices his cessation of heroin use has increased his libido. So, he seduces Diane Coulston, returning to hers to have sex. The following morning, he is horrified to learn that she is underaged and lives with her parents, whom Renton mistakes for her flatmates. Diane threatens to blackmail him for statutory rape if he does not continue the relationship.
After several unsuccessful attempts to reintegrate into society, Renton, Sick Boy, and Spud relapse into heroin use; Tommy also begins to join them after Lizzy dumps him, thanks to the actions of an unknowing Renton. Despite the group’s shock, grief, and horror regarding the negligence-induced death of Dawn, the infant daughter of Sick Boy and Allison, they still do not quit using.
When Renton, Sick Boy, and Spud are caught shoplifting, Sick Boy narrowly escapes. Arrested, Spud receives a six-month custodial sentence at HMP Saughton, and Renton narrowly avoids jail by entering a drug rehabilitation programme where he is given methadone to help him. However, Renton quickly relapses and nearly dies of a heroin overdose at Swanney's.
Returning home after his revival at the hospital, Renton's parents lock him in his childhood bedroom and force him to go cold turkey. Following severe withdrawal punctuated by hallucinations of his friends and visions of Dawn crawling on the ceiling, Renton is released upon the condition of an HIV/AIDS test. Despite years of sharing syringes with other addicts, he tests negative.
Now clean but bored and lacking meaning in his life, Renton visits Tommy, who is now severely addicted to heroin and is HIV-positive. On Diane's advice, Renton moves to London and works as a property letting agent. He begins to enjoy his new life of sobriety in London and corresponds with Diane, who updates him on home developments.
To Renton's shock and frustration Begbie, wanted for a failed armed robbery, finds him, taking refuge in his apartment. Sick Boy, now trying to be a pimp and drug dealer, soon joins them. The freeloaders later attack two of Renton's clientele (at a supposedly impossible-to-sell property where Renton has sent them to get peace), so he loses his job. The trio returns to Edinburgh to avoid police attention and for Tommy's funeral, who has died of AIDS-related toxoplasmosis.
Following the funeral, Sick Boy asks Renton, Begbie, and Spud (recently released from prison) for help in buying two kilograms of pure heroin from Mikey Forrester, for only £4,000, to sell on, with Renton needing to supply the remaining £2,000 asking price. He reluctantly covers it after Begbie threatens him.
So, the four return to London to sell the heroin to a dealer for £16,000. As they celebrate in a pub, Renton secretly suggests to Spud that they take off with the money. He, motivated by fear and loyalty, refuses. Sick Boy indicates he would happily do so, and Begbie brutally beats a man after a minor accident.
Concluding that Begbie and Sick Boy are too volatile, Renton quietly steals the bag of money and leaves the following morning. Spud sees, but chooses not to warn the others. Renton leaves £4,000 in a left-luggage locker for Spud, who "never hurt anybody".
Begbie, discovering Renton and the money gone, enragedly destroys their hotel room, prompting the police to arrest him as Sick Boy and Spud flee. Spud discreetly claims his share of the money, and Renton walks away to his new life.
Cast
[edit]- Ewan McGregor as Mark "Rent Boy" Renton
- Ewen Bremner as Daniel "Spud" Murphy
- Jonny Lee Miller as Simon "Sick Boy" Williamson
- Robert Carlyle as Francis "Franco" Begbie
- Kevin McKidd as Thomas "Tommy" Mackenzie
- Kelly Macdonald as Diane Coulston
- Peter Mullan as Swanney "Mother Superior"
- Fiona Bell as Mrs Coulson
- Vincent Friell as Mr Coulson
- Pauline Lynch as Lizzy
- Susan Vidler as Allison
- Eileen Nicholas as Mrs Renton
- James Cosmo as Davie Renton
- Shirley Henderson as Gail Houston
- Stuart McQuarrie as Gav Temperley/American Tourist
- Irvine Welsh as Mikey Forrester
- Kevin Allen as Andreas
- Keith Allen as Hugo the Dealer, reprising his role from Shallow Grave (1994)
- Dale Winton as Game Show Host
- Lauren and Devon Lamb as Baby Dawn Williamson (uncredited)[12]
- Calton Athletic Football Club
Style and themes
[edit]Music has great importance in Danny Boyle's films, as evident by the best-selling soundtracks for Trainspotting and Slumdog Millionaire, both of which feature many pop and punk rock artists. In Boyle's view, songs can be "amazing things to use because they obviously bring a lot of baggage with them. They may have painful associations, and so they inter-breathe with the material you're using".[13]
The combination of images and music with the setting of the criminal underworld has drawn comparisons to Pulp Fiction and the films of Quentin Tarantino, that had created a certain type of "90s indie cinema" which "strove to dazzle the viewer with self-conscious cleverness and empty shock tactics".[14] This affected the shooting style of the film, which features "wildly imaginative" and "downright hallucinatory" visual imagery, achieved through a mix of "a handheld, hurtling camera", jump cuts, zoom shots, freeze frames and wide angles.[15] This vigorous style contributed to the "breathless" pace that Boyle's films have been associated with.[16]
For the look of the film, Boyle was influenced by the colours of Francis Bacon's paintings, which represented "a sort of in-between land – part reality, part fantasy".[17] The scene where Renton (McGregor) dives into a toilet is a reference to Thomas Pynchon's 1973 novel Gravity's Rainbow.[18]
Production
[edit]Development
[edit]Producer Andrew Macdonald read Irvine Welsh's book on a plane in December 1993, and felt that it could be made into a film.[19] He turned it on to director Danny Boyle and writer John Hodge in February 1994.[20][21] Boyle was excited by its potential to be the "most energetic film you've ever seen — about something that ultimately ends up in purgatory or worse".[20] Hodge read it and made it his goal to "produce a screenplay which would seem to have a beginning, a middle and an end, would last 90 minutes and would convey at least some of the spirit and the content of the book".[21] Boyle convinced Welsh to let them option the rights to his book by writing him a letter stating that Hodge and Macdonald were "the two most important Scotsmen since Kenny Dalglish and Alex Ferguson".[19] Welsh remembered that originally the people wanting to option his book "wanted to make a po-faced piece of social realism like Christiane F or The Basketball Diaries".[19] He was impressed that Boyle, Hodge and Macdonald wanted everyone to see the film and "not just the arthouse audience".[19] In October 1994, Hodge, Boyle and Macdonald spent a lot of time discussing which chapters of the book would and would not translate into film. Hodge finished the first draft by December.[19] Macdonald secured financing from Channel 4, a British television station known for funding independent films.[20]
Casting
[edit]Pre-production began in April 1995. Ewan McGregor was cast after impressing Boyle and Macdonald with his work on their previous film, Shallow Grave.[19] According to Boyle, for the role of Renton, they wanted the quality of Michael Caine's character Alfie Elkins in Alfie and Malcolm McDowell's character Alex DeLarge in A Clockwork Orange, "repulsive ... with charm 'that makes you feel deeply ambiguous about what he's doing'."[20] McGregor shaved his head and lost 2 stone (12.7 kilograms) for the film.[20] Ewen Bremner had played Renton in the stage adaptation of Trainspotting and agreed to play the role of Spud, saying he felt the characters "were part of my heritage".[19] Boyle had heard about Jonny Lee Miller playing an American in the film Hackers and was impressed when he auditioned by doing a Sean Connery accent.[17] For the role of Begbie, Boyle considered casting Christopher Eccleston for his resemblance to how he imagined the character in the novel, but asked Robert Carlyle instead. Carlyle was initially hesitant, believing he was too short to play the character, but Boyle convinced him by telling him, "No, small psychos are better." Carlyle said, "I've met loads of Begbies in my time. Wander round Glasgow on Saturday night and you've a good chance of running into Begbie."[17] For the role of Diane, Boyle wanted an unknown actress so audiences would not realise that a 19-year-old was playing a 15-year-old.[17] The filmmakers sent flyers to nightclubs and boutiques and approached people on the street, eventually hiring Kelly Macdonald.[17] The casting of Keith Allen as the Dealer was a reference to his role in Shallow Grave with the implication being that he plays the same character in both.[22]
Pre-production
[edit]McGregor read books about crack and heroin to prepare for the role. He also went to Glasgow and met people from the Calton Athletic Recovery Group, an organisation of recovering heroin addicts, who play the opposing football team in the opening credits. He was taught how to cook up heroin with a spoon using glucose powder.[23] McGregor considered injecting heroin to better understand the character, but eventually decided against it.[17] Many of the book's stories and characters were dropped to create a cohesive script of adequate length. Danny Boyle had his actors prepare by making them watch older films about rebellious youths like The Hustler and A Clockwork Orange.[24]
The main cast of the film attended Calton Athletic Recovery Group's self-help meetings to prepare for their roles in the film. The Calton Athletic Football Club appears in a cameo scene at the beginning of the film.[25][26][27]
Principal photography
[edit]Trainspotting was shot in mid-1995 over seven weeks on a budget of £1.5 million with the cast and crew working out of an abandoned cigarette factory in Glasgow.[28] Due to time constraints and a tight budget, most scenes were done in one take, which contributed to the grungy look of the film. For example, when Renton sinks into the floor after overdosing on heroin, the crew built a platform above a trap door and lowered the actor down.[20] The faeces in the 'Worst Toilet in Scotland' scene was made from chocolate.[29][30]
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.[31]
Locations in the film include:
- The opening scene of Renton and Spud being chased by security for shoplifting is shot in Edinburgh, on Princes Street and Calton Road under Regent Bridge.[31]
- The park where Sick Boy and Renton discuss James Bond, Sean Connery and The Name of the Rose is Rouken Glen Park in Giffnock, near Glasgow. The park was also the site of the grave in Boyle's previous film, Shallow Grave.[31]
- Corrour railway station is the setting for the "great outdoors" scene in the film, where Tommy suggests the group climb Leum Uilleim.[31]
- The scenes where they do their drug deal take place in Paddington. The scene where they parody the cover of the Beatles album Abbey Road takes place as they walk out of Smallbrook Mews across Craven Road to the Royal Eagle, 26–30 Craven Road, Paddington.[31]
- The school attended by Diane is Jordanhill in Glasgow's West End.[31]
Soundtracks
[edit]The Trainspotting soundtracks were two best-selling albums of music based on 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 soundtrack for Trainspotting has gone on to become a pop culture phenomenon.[32] Nearly all of the score is pre-recorded music from existing artists.[33][34][35] This score is divided into three distinct groups, all representing a different eras and styles: The first being pop music from the 1970s, by artists such as Lou Reed and Iggy Pop; who are all musicians closely associated with drug use and are referred to throughout the original novel.[33][34][35][36] The second group is the music from the Britpop era in the 1990s, with bands Blur and Pulp. Finally, there is the techno-dance music from the 1990s, including Underworld, Bedrock and Ice MC.[33][34][35] Danny Boyle approached Oasis about contributing a song to the soundtrack but Noel Gallagher turned down the opportunity due to him mistakenly believing it would be a film about actual trainspotters.[37]
Through the years, acclaim for the soundtrack has been sustained. In 2007, Vanity Fair ranked the Trainspotting original soundtrack at number 7 for best motion picture soundtrack in history. Additionally, Entertainment Weekly ranked the Trainspotting soundtrack as 17th on their 100 best movie soundtracks list.[38] In 2013, Rolling Stone listed it as the 13th best soundtrack in their 25 best soundtracks.[39] In 2015, New Musical Express praised it as a "perfect snapshot of 1996 music."[40]
1996 saw a drastic change in British music with the rise of popularity for Britpop, although old-fashioned pop was still firmly rooted in British culture. With Oasis dominating the singles chart and the Spice Girls on the rise,[40] the Trainspotting soundtrack aimed to champion the alternative music legacy of 1996 Britain with a focus on presenting electronic music on equal footing with rock music in a way that had never been done before.[41]
Release
[edit]Marketing and theatrical release
[edit]MacDonald worked with Miramax Films to sell the film as a British Pulp Fiction,[42] flooding the market with postcards, posters, books, soundtrack albums and a revamped music video for "Lust for Life" by Iggy Pop directed by Boyle.[20]
Prior to its release in the United States, Miramax, the film's US distributor, requested that some of the dialogue be dubbed so the film would be easier to understand for American viewers unfamiliar with Scottish slang and British slang in general.[43]
PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, the company responsible for the distribution of the film, launched a publicity campaign of half as much as the film's production costs (£850,000) in the UK alone, making the film stand out more as a Hollywood blockbuster rather than a smaller European production.[44]
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.[44]
Home media
[edit]The film was released on VHS after its theatrical release. It was released on DVD on 25 March 1998, and on Blu-ray on 13 September 2011.[45][46] A remastered version of the film was released by The Criterion Collection on Blu-ray and Ultra HD Blu-ray on January 30, 2024.[47]
Reception
[edit]Trainspotting was screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival but was shown out of competition,[48] according to the filmmakers, due to its subject.[49] It went on to become the festival's one unqualified critical and popular hit.[50]
The film had previews in the UK on 17 screens, grossing £18,970, before opening on 23 February 1996 in a platform release on 57 screens in the West End of London, Scotland and Ireland, grossing £532,950 in its opening weekend and placing fifth at the UK box office.[51] It was the number one film in London.[52] It expanded nationwide to 245 screens in its third week of release and was the number one film in the UK with a gross of £1,422,906 for the weekend.[53]
By the time it opened in North America, on 19 July 1996, the film had grossed more than $18 million in Britain. It initially opened in eight theatres in the U.S. and Canada and on its first weekend grossed $33,000 per screen.[20] The film expanded to 357 screens and made $16.4 million in North America,[54] one of the biggest grossing films of 1996 in limited release.[55] Trainspotting was the highest-grossing British film of 1996, and at the time it was the fourth highest grossing British film in history.[56] The film grossed £12 million in the UK and $72 million internationally.[57] Based on a cost-to-return ratio, Trainspotting was the most profitable film of the year.[58]
Critical reception
[edit]The film has an approval rating of 90% on Rotten Tomatoes based on 95 reviews collected by the site, with an average score of 8.30/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "A brutal, often times funny, other times terrifying portrayal of drug addiction in Edinburgh. Not for the faint of heart, but well worth viewing as a realistic and entertaining reminder of the horrors of drug use".[59] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted average score of 83 out of 100 based on 28 reviews, indicating "universal acclaim".[60] 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."[61] Empire magazine gave the film five out of five stars and described the film as "something Britain can be proud of and Hollywood must be afraid of. If we Brits can make movies this good about subjects this horrific, what chance does Tinseltown have?"[62]
American film critic Roger Ebert gave the film three out of four stars and praised its portrayal of addicts' experiences with each other.[16] In his review for the Los Angeles Times, Kenneth Turan wrote, "in McGregor ... the film has an actor whose magnetism monopolizes our attention no matter what".[63] Entertainment Weekly gave the film an "A" rating and Owen Gleiberman wrote, "Like Scorsese and Tarantino, Boyle uses pop songs as rhapsodic mood enhancers, though in his own ravey-hypnotic style. 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".[64] In her review for The New York Times, Janet Maslin wrote, "Trainspotting doesn't have much narrative holding it together. 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".[65]
Rolling Stone'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".[66] In his review for The Washington Post, Desson Howe wrote, "Without a doubt, this is the most provocative, enjoyable pop-cultural experience since Pulp Fiction".[67] Jonathan Rosenbaum, in his review for the Chicago Reader, wrote, "Like Twister and Independence Day, this movie is a theme-park ride – though it's a much better one, basically a series of youthful thrills, spills, chills, and swerves rather than a story intended to say very much".[68]
The film's release sparked controversy in some countries, including Britain, Australia and the United States, as to whether or not it promoted and romanticised drug use. U.S. Senator Bob Dole accused it of moral depravity and glorifying drug use during the 1996 U.S. presidential campaign, although he later admitted that he had not seen the film.[69] Producer of the film Andrew Macdonald responded to these claims in a BBC interview stating "we were determined to show why people took drugs ... you had to show that it was fun and that it was awful" to which Boyle adds "It's the music and humour that makes people feel it's glamorising drugs."[70] Despite the controversy, it was widely praised and received a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay in that year's Academy Awards. Time magazine ranked Trainspotting as the third best film of 1996.[71]
Legacy
[edit]The film had an immediate effect on popular culture. In 1999, Trainspotting was ranked in the tenth spot by the British Film Institute (BFI) in its list of Top 100 British films of all time,[72] while in 2004 the magazine Total Film named it the fourth greatest British film of all time. That same year, Channel 4 named it as the greatest British film of all time.[73] The Observer polled several filmmakers and film critics who voted it the best British film in the last 25 years.[74] In 2004, the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time by the public in a poll for The List magazine.[75] Trainspotting has developed a cult following.[76] It was recognised as an important film during the 1990s British cultural tour de force known as Cool Britannia.[44] It was also featured in the documentary Live Forever: The Rise and Fall of Brit Pop.[77]
The film title is a reference to a scene in the book where Begbie and Renton meet "an auld drunkard" who turns out to be Begbie's estranged father, in the disused Leith Central railway station, which they are using as a toilet. He asks them if they are "trainspottin'".[78] This scene is later included as a flashback in T2 Trainspotting.
The music video for the 2019 song "Doorman" by English rapper Slowthai contains several references to the film.[79][80]
Awards
[edit]Trainspotting was nominated for two British Academy Film Awards at the 49th British Academy Film Awards in 1996, Best British Film and John Hodge for Best Adapted Screenplay.[81] Hodge won in his category.[81][82] Hodge also won Best Screenplay from the Evening Standard British Film Awards. The film won the Golden Space Needle (the award for Best Film) at the 1996 Seattle International Film Festival. Ewan McGregor tied with Ian McKellen for Richard III for Best British Actor of the Year at the London Film Critics Circle Awards 1996 for his work in this film as well as Brassed Off, Emma and The Pillow Book. McGregor was also named Best Actor at the BAFTA Scotland Awards, and by Empire magazine.[82] Hodge was also nominated for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay at the 69th Academy Awards but lost to Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade.
Sequel
[edit]Boyle had declared his wish to make a sequel to Trainspotting which would take place nine years after the original film, based on Irvine Welsh's sequel, Porno. He was reportedly waiting until the original actors themselves aged visibly enough to portray the same characters, ravaged by time; Boyle joked that the natural vanity of actors would make it a long wait. Ewan McGregor stated in an interview that he would return for a sequel, saying "I'm totally up for it. I'd be so chuffed to be back on set with everybody and I think it would be an extraordinary experience."[83]
On 6 May 2014, during a BBC Radio interview with Richard Bacon, Welsh confirmed that he had spent a week with Boyle, Andrew Macdonald and the creative team behind Trainspotting to discuss the sequel. Welsh stated that the meeting was to "explore the story and script ideas. We're not interested in doing something that will trash the legacy of Trainspotting. ... We want to do something that's very fresh and contemporary."[84] Welsh did not however confirm any kind of timeline for the film, unlike Boyle's comments about wanting the film to come out in 2016.
In a newspaper interview with The Scotsman on 17 November 2014, Welsh said that McGregor and Boyle had resolved their differences and had held meetings about the film, saying "I know Danny and Ewan are back in touch with each other again. There are others in the cast who've had a rocky road, but now also reconciled. With the Trainspotting sequel the attention is going to be even more intense this time round because the first was such a great movie—and Danny's such a colossus now. We're all protective of the Trainspotting legacy and we want to make a film that adds to that legacy and doesn't take away from it."[85]
In a September 2015 interview with ComingSoon.net, Boyle said that a script for the sequel had been written, and that filming would take place between May and June 2016, in the hope of releasing the film that year to commemorate Trainspotting's 20th anniversary.[86]
T2 Trainspotting was released in the UK on 27 January 2017, and worldwide in February and March 2017. It received generally positive reviews from critics and was a commercial success, grossing $42.1 million against a production budget of $18 million. It is a black comedy-drama film, directed by Boyle and written by John Hodge. Set in and around Edinburgh, it is based on characters created by Welsh in his 1993 novel Trainspotting and its 2002 follow-up Porno. T2 stars the original ensemble cast, including leads Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, and Robert Carlyle, with Shirley Henderson, James Cosmo, and Kelly Macdonald. The film features a new character, Veronika, played by Anjela Nedyalkova, and includes clips, music, and archive sound from the first film.
See also
[edit]References
[edit]- ^ "Trainspotting (18)". British Board of Film Classification. 15 December 1995. Archived from the original on 27 November 2019. Retrieved 19 December 2015.
- ^ "Trainspotting (1996)". British Film Institute. Retrieved 27 April 2024.
- ^ Walker, Alexander (2005). Icons in the Fire: The Rise and Fall of Practically Everyone in the British Film Industry 1984–2000. Orion Books. p. 237. ISBN 978-0752864846.
- ^ Murray, Jonathan. "Trainspotting" (PDF). Dundee Contemporary Arts. Edinburgh College of Art. Archived (PDF) from the original on 1 October 2020. Retrieved 6 September 2015.
- ^ Morace, Robert (1 September 2001). Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting: A Reader's Guide. Bloomsbury Academic. ISBN 9780826452375.
- ^ Street, Sarah (1997). "Genres in transition". British National Cinema. Routledge. p. 111. ISBN 0-415-06735-9. Archived from the original on 11 June 2016.
- ^ "The 100 Greatest Movies of the '90". Rolling Stone. 12 July 2017. Archived from the original on 10 September 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ "The 50 Best Films of the 90s From Pulp Fiction to Groundhog Day". IndieWire. 14 July 2017. Archived from the original on 16 March 2021. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
- ^ Summerlad, Joe (22 June 2018). "Ten films that define the 1990s: From Forrest Gump to Titanic, Trainspotting and Pulp Fiction". The Independent. Archived from the original on 20 November 2020. Retrieved 9 April 2021.
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Bibliography
[edit]- Smith, Murray (2002). Trainspotting. London: British Film Institute. ISBN 978-0-85170-870-6. OCLC 762340066.
- Welsh, Irvine (1997). Trainspotting. Minerva. ISBN 978-0-7493-8520-0.
Further reading
[edit]- Trainspotting, by Fredric Dannen, John Hodge, Barry Long, Irvine Welsh. Published by Hyperion, 1997. ISBN 0-7868-8221-2.
- Trainspotting screenplay by John Hodge.
- Irvine Welsh's Trainspotting: A Reader's Guide, by Robert A. Morace. Published by Continuum International Publishing Group, 2001. ISBN 0-8264-5237-X.
- Working-class Fiction: From Chartism to Trainspotting, by Ian Haywood. Published by Northcote House in association with the British Council, 1997. ISBN 0-7463-0780-2.
- Trainspotting: Director, Danny Boyle, by Martin Stollery. Published by Longman, 2001. ISBN 0-582-45258-9.
- "Welsh Warner and Cinematic Adaptation". In Contemporary Scottish Fictions: Film, Television and the Novel, by Duncan J. Petrie. Published by Edinburgh University Press, 2004.ISBN 0-7486-1789-2. pp. 101–102.
- "Trendspotting: Screening Trainspotting". In Irvine Welsh, by Aaron Kelly. Published by Manchester University Press, 2005. ISBN 0-7190-6651-4. pp. 68–78.
- Trainspotting and My Name is Joe Hooked: Drug War Films in Britain, Canada, and the US, by Susan C. Boyd. Published by Routledge, 2008. ISBN 0-415-95706-0. p..
- Wartofsky, Alona (21 July 1996). "'Trainspotting': Junk Culture". The Washington Post.
External links
[edit]- 1996 films
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