This is the only British film that I have seen where the english dailogue, setting and characters are absolutely spot on and portraying lower class londoners. If only all British films were like this!
coughTRAINSPOTTINGcoughcough
"Say hello to my little friend!"[gatlin] share
Trainspotting had nothing to do with realism. It only portrayed herion as something "better than sex" and that there are no consequences to murder.
The main character kicks junk, uses again and then isn't addicted; but gets all the money and lives happily ever after. Get real.
The movie was aimed at the young and is socially irresponsible.
Why only such recent films mentioned? If we're talking thrillers, true, we only have to go back thirty years or so to the greatest British example, Get Carter! But then further back when "extreme measures" like heroin wern't neccesary and Britain's greatest film makers, Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger. If anyone reading can look further than comparing how films then look different to now there is Peeping Tom, A Canterbury Tale, Small Back Room for detail and Red Shoes, Life and Death of Colonel Blimp, A Matter of Life and Death for flamboyance, and in all risky and unfettered imagination from the British masters.
shareWell, that should keep me busy for a while.
shareok you really need to see The Long Good Friday, which in my opinion is the best british Gangster film ever made. but i do agree with u more films like this need to be made. the only reason this didnt get as much acclaim as it should have is because Americans find it hard to relate our british culture they are blinded by so much of there own stuff they ignore the rest of the worlds culture. we on the other hand are shown the american way of life on a day to day basis thru tv. i would love for all those people in america who think us londoners talk like the queen would watch this film.
shareI'm an American and I loved this movie. I'll take your advice and see The Long Good Friday. Personally, I believe a lot of good and even great British films don't have enough media coverage in the US. The studios here just want to make money by putting only big stars in their movies. They never take risks. They never give anything new or different a chance. It's quite annoying.
There are a lot of movie lovers here, and not just Hollywood BS movie lovers. I usually follow actors with classical training in Britain or the UK, such as, Gary Oldman, Tim Roth, etc. and many of my friends do as well.
People need to stop catagorizing people by their nationality. Being in America has nothing to do with what movies you like; however, it does control what you're introduced to. I don't think American's find it hard to relate to the British culture. I think a lot of American's have a hard time understanding certain British dialect, especially when spoken fast.
One of my closest friends married a Brit and, in the beginning, he and I couldn't understand one another on the phone. We had to learn to communicate face-to-face. You see, I have a strong southern accent and I sometimes talk very fast, as well. We had a lot of fun with it.
May I recommend Mike Leigh's "Naked"? I rate this and Nil By Mouth as my two favourite movies of all time. Naked is an outstanding Brit film...
shareUm... I am sure you must mean "WORKING CLASS" as it would be very stupid indeed to use the phrase "LOWER CLASS" without realising how utterly offensive it is.
'Trainspotting had nothing to do with realism. It only portrayed herion as something "better than sex" and that there are no consequences to murder.'
So you missed the bit where the baby dies, Renton ODing and then going cold turkey?
Back to the topic...
Other good films which portray British society (which of course usually has something to do with class); My Name is Joe, Brief Encouter and The War Zone.
No. I didn't miss that part. It was real. I just meant the movie as a whole was not realistic. It had good direction and was a good story. It just gave me nightmares (which is my problem) and I think it didn't portray heroin addiction in as dark of a light as it really is. What were the consequences to the baby's death? Did I miss that? I only watched it once, because I couldn't stand to watch again. Enlighten me. Thanks for the movie suggestions.
shareI'm just interested why can't you stand to watch it? It is quite horrific in places, but its a black comedy, the same way Fight Club is.
'I think it didn't portray heroin addiction in as dark of a light as it really is'
This is a criticism which has been made quite a bit. The author of the book, Irvine Welsh, said that he wanted to show that their was a reason people took drugs, because they feel really good, but also the devestating affects they have on users and the people around them (he himself has a heroin addict living in glasgow at one point), this is one reason i love the film so much, its not afraid to show the good with the bad.
The 'consequence of the baby's death' is that their isn't any to a certain extent. After they find her dead and Sick boy shouts 'SOMEBODY SAY SOMETHING', and Renton says something along the lines of 'i'm cooking up', despite the tragic events of a baby dying, the only thought they have is to do more heroin, thus a spiral off self destruction befalls Renton. This scene is to highten the viewers awarness of the nihlism and blatent disregard for themseleves and other people. If that doesn't show the awful affects heroin can have on people i don't know what does?
Great explanation. I think I just missed the whole point of the movie.
shareyes, great explanation, although u did question why trainspotting was hard to watch and fight club wasnt...im afraid that is a bad comparison...just bcoz theyre both black comedies doesnt mean that one can be hard to watch and one cant. trainspotting was a black comedy but it still has horrific scenes, like the aforementioned baby death scene. fight club only had a load of men beating the crap out of each other
i think its fair enuff that people find trainpotting hard to watch. for the most part i didnt but rentons cold turkey scene still affects me
the movie is Tim Roth's THE WAR ZONE. That's the one to see. PEEPING TOM however is excellent.
shareI made the comparison with Fight Club and Trainspotting both contain a certain surreal quality to them, this surreal technique in both films is used to convey the feelings/emotions of the characters (the cold turkey scene in Trainspotting or the sex scene in Fight Club), this (for me at least) gives a sense of detachment, I understand how the characters are feeling but I doesn’t feel ‘real’. Compare this to the rape scene in The War Zone, which is truly horrific, it doesn’t use any ‘fancy’ camera/editing techniques, the camera stays still and cuts between the boy viewing and the actual rape, or another example in Magnolia when Frank TJ Mackey is speaking to his dying father, the outpouring of grief is much more ‘real’ than the cold turkey scene in Trainspotting. I hope that’s explained it!?
Of course art is entirely subjective, so while I may find the surreal quality of films to offer a sort of detachment to real life, others may not.
Nil By Mouth is excellent as is Sexy Beast (even though Ben Kingsley upstages Ray Winstone totally).
Another film definately worth a mention is Young Adam. Ewan McGregor should be remembered for films such as this instead of the new Star Wars films!! Young Adam got hardly any coverage at all and Ewans performance is excellent.
Thank you for bringing Young Adam up, I thaught I was the only one really liking this movie. Beside the excellent McGregor(a role as complexe as the Jerome character in The Pillow Book), Tilda Swinton(that you can also see in the excellent but terrifying The War Zone) was absolutly incredible as the owner of the barge and one of the momentary lover of the principal protagonist. Peter Mullan and Emily Mortimer were also quite good in the secondary roles.
It is a movie to see.
J'aurais aimé avoir du génie et être normal.
- Sempé
i second the suggestion for mike leigh's "naked"...i love that flick...also good is another one by ken loach: "sweet sixteen"
"This is no time to make new enemies."
-Voltaire, when asked on his deathbed to renounce Satan