Classic 90s Movie: “Trainspotting”

May is Classic 90s Movie month. Today’s guest post comes from Sue Bennett.

Movie Title: Trainspotting

Year: 1996

Writers: Irvine Welsh (novel) John Hodge (screenplay)

Lead Actors: Ewan McGregor, Robert Carlyle, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kelly Macdonald

Director: Danny Boyle

IMDB Plot Summary: Renton, deeply immersed in the Edinburgh drug scene, tries to clean up and get out, despite the allure of the drugs and influence of friends.

Why I Think This Is A Classic 90s Movie: The sight of Ewan McGregor running down an Edinburgh high street to the sound of Iggy Pop will be forever emblazoned on the minds of an entire generation. Opening with a caustic manifesto on choosing life, that still managed to somehow be hugely invigorating, the film joined the party of an end of the century British youth culture that was both rebellious and, at the same time, full of self-affirmation.

Trainspotting’s Britpop soundtrack entered the film into an arts culture that on its release in 1996 was booming. Even the film’s posters, white and orange, and presenting the lead characters in a line-up became a piece of iconography that was seen everywhere in teenage bedrooms, house shares, cafes and student clubs in the UK throughout the era.

The film, through its honesty, certainly does not glamourize a drug addled lifestyle, but it is nevertheless a visual pleasure. Irvine Welsh’s much celebrated novel was the basis for the film, and the script in its eloquence, verbosity and humor is outstanding. It is quite possibly one of the best examples as to why sometimes a voiceover, and a really long one, is the right thing to do.

In retrospect this style of heavy dialoguing seems to follow a trend and a desire in the 90s for substantial vocal reflections delivered by characters, and people, who inhabited the zeitgeist; it brings to mind Tarantino’s script work, and an indie music scene starring Damon Albarn and Jarvis Cocker et al that produced lyrics with a narrative. It was also extremely congruent with Douglas Coupland’s representation of Generation X in terms of its desire for more meaning in world where commerciality aligns itself with aspiration.

Trainspotting is in many ways a dark comedy that depicts the surreal nature of a drug induced consciousness and ironically, in the process, achieves a sense of realism.

My Favorite Moment In The Movie: Renton meets Sick Boy in the park; Sick Boy has also just given up heroin and Renton muses ‘not because he wanted to, you understand, but just to annoy me’. The pair then lie on the grass smoking Regal cigarettes, discussing Sick Boy’s ‘unifying theory of life’ and shoot pellets at an unsuspecting Pitbull and its punk owner.

My Favorite Dialogue In the Movie:

Renton: “Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life… But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin’ else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you’ve got heroin?”

Key Things You Should Look For When Watching This Movie: To use Welsh’s listing aesthetic, aside from the amazing camerawork, script and soundtrack, look out for Trainspotting as a classic film of the nineties because of:

Outstanding performances, the worst toilet in Scotland, Begbie screaming ‘bad boooy’, Sick Boy’s unifying theory of life, pub brawls, bleach blonde hair, suede adidas trainers, Diane’s summation of Renton’s chat-up technique, Born Slippy, Lizzie’s mother insisting on cleaning Spud’s sheets, sinking carpets, monologues and Ewan McGregor in drainpipes running, spouting philosophy and breaking all the rules.

When put in these terms the uninitiated could be forgiven for thinking the film’s fast paced nihilistic imagery is akin to cinematic aversion therapy, no need for Clockwork Orange style eye-openers here though; this is one you’ll want to watch over and over again.

Thanks, Sue! To show our gratitude for your guest post, here’s a dash of creative juju for you. Whoosh!

You may follow Sue on Twitter: @suebeesuebeesue

We already have a set of 80s Movies. This month we cover 90s movies. So thanks to all of you for your participation in this project, creating a resource for writers, movies they should watch to help learn the craft of screenwriting!

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