Trainspotting (1996)

Director:

Danny Boyle

Writers:

Irvine Welsh (novel)
John Hodge (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 July 1996 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Crime | Drama

Tagline:

Choose life. Choose a job. Choose a starter home. Choose dental insurance, leisure wear and matching luggage. Choose your future. But why would anyone want to do a thing like that?

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Running | Disturbing | Film With Ambiguous Title | Baby | Junkie

Awards:

Nominated for Oscar. Another 18 wins & 13 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Wed. July 30

10:00 PM

TMC

Cast

Ewan McGregor	...	Renton
Ewen Bremner	...	Spud
Jonny Lee Miller	...	Sick Boy
Kevin McKidd	...	Tommy
Robert Carlyle	...	Begbie
Kelly Macdonald	...	Diane
Peter Mullan	...	Swanney
James Cosmo	...	Mr. Renton
Eileen Nicholas	...	Mrs. Renton
Susan Vidler	...	Allison
Pauline Lynch	...	Lizzy
Shirley Henderson	...	Gail
Stuart McQuarrie	...	Gavin / US Tourist
Irvine Welsh	...	Mikey Forrester
Dale Winton	...	Game Show Host
Keith Allen	...	Dealer
Kevin Allen	...	Andreas
Annie Louise Ross	...	Gail's Mother (as Ann-Louise Ross)
Billy Riddoch	...	Gail's Father
Fiona Bell	...	Diane's Mother
Vincent Friell	...	Diane's Father
Hugh Ross	...	Man
Victor Eadie	...	Man
Kate Donnelly	...	Woman
Finlay Welsh	...	Sheriff
Eddie Nestor	...	Estate Agent
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Tom Delmar	...	Pub Heavy (uncredited)
Rachael Fleming	...	Renton's Nurse (uncredited)
John Hodge	...	Store Security Officer (plain clothes) (uncredited)
Andrew Macdonald	...	Flat Buyer (uncredited)

Directed by
Danny Boyle

Writing credits
Irvine Welsh		(novel)
John Hodge		(screenplay)

Produced by
Andrew Macdonald	....	producer
Christopher Figg	....	co-producer (uncredited)

Cinematography by
Brian Tufano		(director of photography)

Film Editing by
Masahiro Hirakubo

Casting by
Andy Pryor
Gail Stevens

Production Design by
Kave Quinn

Art Direction by
Tracey Gallacher

Costume Design by
Rachael Fleming

Makeup Department
Graham Johnston	....	makeup designer
Robert McCann	....	hair stylist
Robert McCann	....	makeup artist

Production Management
Lesley Stewart	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
David Gilchrist	....	first assistant director
Claire Hughes	....	second assistant director
Ben Johnson	....	third assistant director

Art Department
Brian Adams	....	carpenter
Mat Bergel	....	dressing props
Michelle Bowker	....	props trainee
Brian Boyne	....	stand-by stagehand
Stuart Clarke	....	scenic artist
Frances Connell	....	draughtsperson
Penny Crawford	....	set dresser
Stewart Cunningham	....	stand-by props
Paul Curren	....	painter
John Donnelly	....	stagehand
Gordon Fitzgerald	....	prop master
Colin H. Fraser	....	construction manager
Derek Fraser	....	construction chargehand
Bobby Gee	....	painter
Irene Harris	....	art department assistant
Richard Hassall	....	carpenter
Piero Jamieson	....	dressing props
Scott Keery	....	stand-by props
Jean Kerr	....	draughtsperson
Peter Knotts	....	carpenter
Patterson Lindsay	....	plasterer (as Paterson Lindsay)
Niki Longmuir	....	assistant art director
Paul McNamara	....	props trainee
James Patrick	....	painter
Alan Payne	....	art department runner
Bert Ross	....	stand-by carpenter
Miguel Sapochnik	....	art department runner (as Miguel Rosenberg-Sapochnik)
Lorna Stewart	....	art department assistant (as Lorna J. Stewart)
John Watt	....	carpenter
Stephen Wong	....	art department trainee

Sound Department
Martin Cantwell	....	footsteps editor
Tony Cook	....	boom operator
Richard Fettes	....	dialogue editor
Ray Merrin	....	sound re-recording mixer
Jonathan Miller	....	sound effects editor
Colin Nicolson	....	sound recordist
Brian Saunders	....	sound re-recording mixer
Mark Taylor	....	sound re-recording mixer
Noel Thompson	....	sound maintenance engineer
James Boyle	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)
Iain Eyre	....	assistant sound editor (uncredited)

Special Effects by
Perry Costello	....	rigging supplier (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Grant Mason	....	special visual effects
Tony Steers	....	special visual effects

Stunts
Tom Delmar	....	stunt performer
Nrinder Dhudwar	....	stunt performer
Terry Forestal	....	stunt arranger (as Terry Forrestal)
Richard Hammatt	....	stunt performer
Paul Heasman	....	stunt performer
Tom Lucy	....	stunt performer
Andreas Petrides	....	stunt performer
Scott Cowan	....	utility stunts (uncredited)
Bill Little	....	utility stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Simon Bray	....	steadicam operator
Lewis Buchan	....	clapper loader
Willie Cadden	....	gaffer
Neil Davidson	....	camera trainee
Arthur Donnelly	....	electrician
Jimmy Dorigan	....	electrician
John Duncan	....	generator operator
Jim Kerr	....	underwater assistant camera
Liam Longman	....	still photographer
Adrian McCarthy	....	grip
Mark Ritchie	....	best boy
Bob Shipsey	....	focus puller (as Robert Shipsey)
Mike Valentine	....	underwater camera operator
Liam Daniel	....	still photographer (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Stephen Noble	....	wardrobe supervisor

Editorial Department
Denton Brown	....	assistant editor
Anuree De Silva	....	assembly editor
Neil Williams	....	assistant editor
Rab Wilson	....	editor trainee: FT2

Transportation Department
Robbie Ryan	....	action vehicles
Eric Smith	....	driver: camera car
Gregor Telfer	....	driver: props

Other crew
William Adams	....	security officer
Andrew Bainbridge	....	location manager: London
Lene Bausager	....	contact: London
Allan Bell	....	caterer
Jonathan Berger	....	production solicitor
Jenifer Booth	....	production accountant
Anne Coulter	....	script supervisor
Fiona Cowan	....	caterer
Guy Cowan	....	caterer
Mischon De Reya	....	production solicitor
Eamon Doherty	....	special technical advisor
Jackie Douglas	....	caterer
James Dunsmuir	....	security officer
Isabel Graham	....	caterer
Charlie Hiscott	....	location assistant: London
Robert How	....	location manager
Andy Irvine	....	caterer
Billy MacKinnon	....	security officer (as William Mackinnon)
Kirstin McDougall	....	production runner
Dennis McFadden	....	security officer
John McVeigh	....	caterer
Saul Metzstein	....	location assistant
Ian Miller	....	security officer
Michael Queen	....	floor runner
Aidan Quinn	....	floor runner
Jill Robertson	....	assistant to producer
Shellie Smith	....	production coordinator
David Stewart	....	animal handler
Colin Bishop	....	post-production script (uncredited)
Tom Delmar	....	fight director (uncredited)

Thanks
David Aukin	....	thanks
David Bryce	....	special thanks
Jonathan Channon	....	thanks
Carol Anne Docherty	....	thanks
Eamon Doherty	....	special thanks
Richard Findlay	....	thanks
Sara Geater	....	thanks
Nicole Jacob	....	thanks
Archie MacPherson	....	thanks (as Archie Macpherson)
Allon Reich	....	thanks
Kay Sheridan	....	thanks

Production Companies

• Channel Four Films
• Figment Films
• Polygram Filmed Entertainment
• The Noel Gay Motion Picture Company

Distributors

• Alpha Filmes (Brazil) (DVD)
• Alpha Filmes (Brazil) (VHS)
• Buena Vista Home Video
• Columbia TriStar Home Video
• Criterion Collection, The (USA) (laserdisc)
• Fox Crime (2007) (Japan) (TV)
• Home Video Hellas (HVH) (1997) (Greece) (VHS)
• Intersonic (1996) (Czech Republic) (theatrical)
• Miramax Films
• Obshchestvennoye Rossijskoye Televideniye (ORT) Video (Russia) (VHS)
• Pinema (1996) (Turkey) (all media)
• PolyGram Film Distribution (1996) (France) (theatrical)
• Polygram Filmed Entertainment
• Prokino Filmverleih (Germany)
• REP Distribution
• Rosebud (1996) (Greece) (theatrical)
• Sogepaq Distribución (Spain)

Other Companies

• Bickers Action Enterprises  tracking vehicles
• Bristol Television Film Services Ltd.  facility vehicles
• Calton Athletic Football Club  group cast members
• Calton Athletic Recovery Group  special thanks
• Capitol Records  soundtrack released by
• Cinesite  fido services
• Delta Sound Services Ltd.  sound re-recorded at
• Ecosse World Express  freight
• Film Finance  completion bond
• International Stunt Company, The  stunt services and rentals
• Lee Lighting  grip and lighting equipment
• McDonald and Rutter  publicity
• Media Film Services  Arriflex cameras and Zeiss lenses provided by
• Midnight Transfer  video transfers
• Reel Food  catering
• Salon  editing facilities
• Sampson & Allen  insurance
• Sapex Scripts  post-production script
• Sound Design Company, The  sound post-production
• Tods Murray WS  thanks
• Tomato Films Ltd.  titles and typography

Also Known As:

Ferrovipathes (Canada: French title) [fr]
Sin límites (Mexico) (video box title) [es]
Trainspotting (Spain) [es]
Trainspotting (Portugal) [pt]
Trainspotting (Turkey: Turkish title) [tr]
Trainspotting (Czech Republic) [cs]
Trainspotting (Denmark) [da]
Trainspotting (Slovenia) [sl]
Trainspotting (France) [fr]
Trainspotting (Slovakia) [sk]
Trainspotting - Neue Helden (Germany) [de]
Trainspotting - Sem Limites (Brazil) [pt]
Vida en el abismo, La (Mexico) [es]

MPAA:

Rated R for graphic heroin use and resulting depravity, strong language, sex, nudity and some violence.

Runtime:

94 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.78 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:16 | Argentina:18 | Australia:R | Brazil:18 | Canada:16+ (Quebec) | Canada:18A (DVD rating) | Chile:18 | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Germany:16 (bw) | Hong Kong:III | Ireland:18 | Israel:18 | Italy:VM14 | Japan:R-15 (cut) | Netherlands:16 | New Zealand:R18 | Norway:15 | Portugal:M/18 | Singapore:R(A) | South Africa:18 | South Korea:18 | Spain:18 | Sweden:15 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Corrour Station, Highlands, Scotland, UK

Company:

Channel Four Films

Trivia:

References to The Beatles:

• The scene where the store detectives chase Renton down the street is reminiscent of the scene in A Hard Day's Night (1964) where The Beatles are pursued by fans.
• While watching the train, the four friends arrange themselves in the same manner as The Beatles did on the back of the album "Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band".
• The scene where the four friends cross the road and enter the hotel is reminiscent of the cover of the album "Abbey Road".
• The scene where Renton wakes up on the couch in the morning at Diane's home and says hello to someone passing through the hallway while covered with a blanket to his chin, is reminiscent of a scene in Help! (1965) where Ringo is found in a trunk of a car covered up with a blanket, and upon being found, says hello.

Goofs:

Errors in geography: When Diane meets Spud lying comatose on the street, a bus passes by in the background. The bus is orange, which is the colour of Glasgow City buses, but the movie is set in Edinburgh where the buses are maroon and cream.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Mark "Rent-boy" Renton: [narrating] 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 suite 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?

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Mystery Science Theater 3000: Overdrawn at the Memory Bank (#9.22)" (1997)

Soundtrack:

Mile End

Hilarious, imaginative and very anti-drugs

Renton is a heroin addict. He is one of a group of friends who live their lives day to day and hit to hit. When he tries to kick the habit he manages it for a while but eventually falls back into his old way. Meanwhile his friends are as messed up as he is, whether it be Spud's pathetic addiction, Begbie's violent rages or the fact that he is sleeping with a girl who still goes to school.

When it came out this film was very hyped, the poster became a must-have on every student's bedroom wall and the media went nuts over it's supposed glamorisation of drug use. The plot is very difficult to summarise, as it doesn't really have a narrative flow other than the very disjointed experience of Renton. However it manages to be very funny and imaginative all the way, using many different tricks and touches to be funny. The dialogue is very well written and I must admit I found it a lot funnier than the last few comedies I watched.

The media may have condemned this film as promoting drug use, but I can only imagine that they watched a different film from me. Sure, the film shows drugs as being fun and enjoyable but, like Renton says, `why else would we do it?' However the film clearly shows a massive downside where people's lives are destroyed, people OD and lives go day to day just trying to get high. True, it does show this downside in a stylish and funny way but there is no question that the film is promoting drug use in any sense.

Too often I see films that are style over substance; Trainspotting gets it just perfect, stylish but not at the expense of dialogue, character or film. It is helped by a great cast. McGregor jumped to stardom off the back of this role and he deserved it. He keeps his character both likeable but repulsive at the same time and carries the film with surprising ease. The support cast is excellent, even if they lack the same good character of Renton. Whether it is the comic Bremner, the violent Carlyle or the tragic McKidd. While not all their characters are well developed, they do all give good accounts of themselves, whether it is comic or showing the effects of heroin on their lives.

Overall this is a great film that is refreshing to see now without all the `cult student cool' hype or media feeding frenzy over it's supposed pro-drug approach. It is stylish, funny, depressing and downright sobering.