Trainspotting (film)

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

The screenplay was adapted from Welsh's novel by John Hodge. It does not contain any references to the non-drug-related hobby of train spotting. The title is a reference to an episode in the original book where Begbie and Renton encounter Begbie's destitute father in the disused Leith Central railway station. He asks them (in a weak attempt at a joke) if they are "trainspotting".

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

The film's release was supported by an imaginative marketing campaign using flyers inspired by rave culture and posters of each of the main actors. Owing to illness, Kevin McKidd went on holiday having finished shooting for the film and did not attend the photoshoot for the posters.

Cast

Ewan McGregor - Mark Renton
Ewen Bremner - Ralph "Spud" Murphy
Jonny Lee Miller - Geoffrey "Sick Boy" Harris
Robert Carlyle - Francis Begbie
Kevin McKidd - Tommy MacKenzie
Kelly Macdonald - Diane Forman
Peter Mullan -Swanney (Mother Superior)
James Cosmo - Mr Renton
Eileen Nicholas - Mrs Renton
Susan Vidler - Allison
Pauline Lynch - Lizzy
Shirley Henderson - Gail
Irvine Welsh - Mikey Forrester

Sequel

Boyle has stated his wish to make a sequel to Trainspotting which will take place 10 years after the original film, based on Irvine Welsh's sequel, Porno. He is reportedly waiting until the original actors themselves age visibly enough to portray the same characters, ravaged by time; Boyle joked that the natural vanity of actors would make it a long wait.

Other versions

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

Stage adaptation

Soon after publication, the book was adapted for the stage. The stage version inspired the film, and regularly toured the UK in the mid 1990s.

Parodies

The film has been parodied on the animated FOX series The Simpsons in episode 317, The Regina Monologues which originally aired on November 23 2003. It has also been parodied on another FOX show, Family Guy. In the episode Love Thy Trophy Stewie becomes addicted to pancakes, and the subsequent aftermath mirrors Renton's withdrawal from heroin. Also, the Eureka Seven character Renton Thurston is named after the main character Mark Renton.

References

Smith, Murray. 2002. Trainspotting. London: BFI

External links

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