LME1208 British Cinematography

Instructor: Dr. Octavian More

M12 Eng | E-mail: tavimore@yahoo.co.uk

Unit 3:
The Neighbourhood, the Battleground. Society and its representations in British Cinema

Unit objectives:
 consolidate knowledge of the history of British cinema

 provide an overview of the realistic modes in European and British cinema

 discuss a number of relevant British realist / “social-problem” films

Unit outline:
1. Reinforcement: review of the main points in the mandatory bibliography

2. Realism and (British) cinema: terminological clarification and methodological considerations

3. Discussion / interpretive sessions: The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner (1962); Local Hero (1983); Trainspotting
(1996)

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1. Reinforcement

Questions:

1. What explains the privileged treatment of the “realist tendency” by most of the critical studies of British film? (Leach 48)

2. Why is “realism” “one of the most complex and contested terms in film studies”? (Leach 48 ff.)

3. What “traditions” did early British realism rely on? (Leach 48)

4. Summarise the new type of realism championed by the writers of the Screen magazine (e.g., McCabe). (Leach 51)

5. Which were the major “fears” (or concerns) regarding social change that British social-problem films tended to reinforce in the
1950’s and 1960’s? (Street 76; 77)

6. Explain the meaning of the term “kitchen sink cinema” (“kitchen sink realism”).

7. Why was the British New Wave “janus-faced”? (Street 76-77)

8. Enumerate the most important technical and thematic characteristics of the British New Wave (Street 78-79, passim)

9. Why did the British New Wave movement fail to be genuinely progressive (as some critics argue)? (Street 78-79)

10. Summarise the commonalities and the differences between the tenets of the Free Cinema and those of the British New Wave.

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2. Realism and (British) cinema – general considerations

Glossary:

adaptation = a transposition of one art form into a different medium (e.g., a literary narrative rewritten for the stage); it
usually preserves both the dialogue and the setting of the original. A film adaptation can take the form of a
screenplay or a proposal treatment
back story = all the important events that happened before the beginning of the story, necessary for understanding the
plot (or the characters’ background)
cinema verité = a style of documentary making characterised by minimalism: no narration, little or no directing, usually
without actors and using very little equipment and a small film crew (from French: “true cinema”)
diegetic / diegesis = realistic or naturally (logically) existing; the narrative elements that appear or originate within the film
frame, e.g., diegetic music is the music which can be heard by the characters themselves (rather than by
the audience only)
direct cinema = a broad synonym for documentary
doc / docu = a colloquial term for documentary
Dogme 95 = a film directors collective founded in Denmark in 1995 (under the leadership of Lars von Tries) which
championed a return to a more “direct”, more “honest”, non-Hollywood type of film making, by relying on
location filming, use of natural lighting, lack of props, use of digital video, no special effects, etc.
fly-on-the-wall = (coll.) the disposition of the (documentary) film maker in an unobtrusive (imperceptible) position as an
observer who captures reality as it happens

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Free Cinema = a documentary film movement which emerged in Britain in the 1950’s; the term was coined by British critic
and director Lindsay Anderson and it was inspired by John Osborne’s play Look Back in Anger. Film makers
associated with Free Cinema (L. Anderson, K. Reisz, T. Richardson, L. Mazzetti) aimed at making productions
free from propagandised intent and box office appeal. Their main thematic focus was the life of ordinary,
working-class Britons and they were generally dismissive of the mainstream British documentary style
(Grierson’s Documentary Film Movement of the 1930’s-1940’s)
location sound = the background sound of a film recorded on location, intended to enhance the realism of the production
method acting = a style of realistic performance in which acting draws on the actors’ own experiences and emotions, thus
avoiding traditional stage conventions; it was first employed by K. Stanislavsky at the beginning of the 20th
century and then popularised in the US by actor Lee Strasberg
morality tale = a type of film which centres on the conflict between good and evil, passing judgement on human character
and behaviour
naturalism = an extreme form of realism which depicts life in an unbiased, stoic manner, usually highlighting certain
taboo aspects (e.g., squalor, physical and moral degradation, sexual exploitation, extreme poverty, etc.)
Neo-Realism = a film movement spanning between the late 1940’s and the 1950’s that originated in Italy, which lay
emphasis on spontaneity and naturalness by shooting outside of the studio (real locations), often without
using a script and employing non-professional actors and focusing on contemporary social and political
issues; the most famous directors associated with this movement are Roberto Rossellini, Luchino Visconti
and Vittorio de Sica

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New Wave = (originally) a group of French film makers, directors and producers (including F. Truffaut, J.-Luc Goddard, C.
Chabrol, E. Rohmer) who espoused the principles of auteur theory and cinema verité and displayed a
markedly iconoclastic and innovative attitude towards cinematography: rejection of literary period pieces,
shooting on location, experimentation with new film forms and techniques (fragmented, discontinuous
editing, long takes, documentary-style realism)
realism = an approach to cinematic art (or the movements / schools that heavily rely on this approach) whereby the
(in cinematography) reality outside the camera is shown objectively, with the least amount of interference / distortion (e.g., by
using uninterrupted takes, deep focus shots, minimal amount of editing, etc.); realist cinema also usually
has as central subject matter various topical social or political issues
re-enactment = a film which reproduces actual events as close and truthfully as possible
underacting = an understated, muted (neutral) acting performance

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Methodological considerations

Lead questions:

 what are the challenges posed by the critical debates regarding “realism” in cinema?

 what are the connections between the “realist tendency / mode” and “social-problem” cinema?

 what are the main characteristics of the “realist tendency / mode” in British cinema?

 what were the most important movements in the British realist cinema of the 20th century?

 how does British realist cinema relate to other realist traditions?

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“Realism” and film studies:

 “realism” = one of the most complex, well-discussed and contested terms in film studies

 cinematic realism – neither a genre, nor a coherent movement: scholars understand by it two distinct approaches to the
cinematic image (and their subsequent modes of film making):

 Hollywood’s approach to narrative causality, in line with Aristotle’s views on verisimilitude / believability
(logical justification, adherence to the rules of the genre and clear, logical sequencing); the technical elements
of the film support this narrative causality / continuity: historically accurate props / sets / wardrobe, camera
transitions that maintain narrative flow, extra-diegetic music that smoothes the passage over temporal and
spatial gaps, etc.

 a position situated between the conventions of classical cinema and the avant-garde innovations

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 interest for the question of “realism” in cinema date back to the early decades of film making – the argument between the
Formalists and the Realists regarding the role and methods of film and film makers (see the introductory course)

 Rudolph Arnheim (early 1930’s): film offers the artist the possibility of “mechanical imitation of nature”

 Siegfried Kracauer, an exponent of the early “Realist” school, proposed a theory of realism in film which was aligned with the
tradition of artistic Realism, yet simultaneously challenged the Hollywood approach: he praised the “realism” of the Lumière
brothers over the “formative” approach of G. Méliès: “like photographs […], they [films] must record and reproduce physical
reality”; for Kracauer, films that make the audience “experience aspects of physical reality are the most valid aesthetically”

 André Bazin, another early 20th century film critic, shared Kracauer’s view, distinguishing between “realist” and “pseudo-
realist” films (examples of the latter being the productions of the “Montagists”); Bazin argued that the “credibility” of film is
due not to verisimilitude, but to the identity between the photographic image and reality

 Stanley Cavell drew attention to the “ontological realism of cinema”: through displacing people and objects from reality onto
the film / screen, movies allow audiences to see the world from a distance, detached, and thus discover what is otherwise
unseen, entailing an intellectual effort through which we are reconciled with reality and reintegrated into the world

 cinematic realism can also be seen as a form of “democracy”: for one thing, it allows for a Marxist critique of illusion (the
critique of those art forms which obscure reality); for another, it gives the opportunity to the marginalised, the small and even
anonymous to express themselves (in a manner distinct from Hollywood’s tendency to turn the lay person into a super-hero)

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Realism in 20th century European film history

 according to A. Bazin, the earliest examples of realism in 20th century film can be found in the works of Erich von Stroheim and
Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau. The latter’s Tabu (1931), a project initiated with documentary film pioneer Robert J. Flaherty, was
shot on location in Tahiti, using local non-professionals in leading roles, sparse titles, while tackling contemporary social
problems such as economic realities and the exploitation of the pearl trade.

 in the early 1930’s, “poetic realism” started taking shape in France, soon becoming one of the most successful film
movements in Europe. Films like L’Atalante (1934, d. Jean Vigo), La Maternelle (1934, d. Marie Epstein), La Bête humaine (1938,
d. Jean Renoir) or Le Jour se lève (1939, d. Marcel Carnés) challenged Hollywood’s conventions (esp. the penchant for happy-
endings), relied on location shooting (or specially constructed sets meant to enhance the sense of place), also addressing
topical social questions (alcoholism, unemployment, poverty). Jean Vigo called for a cinema that “must be continuously
replenished by reality” (thereby rejecting both Hollywood norms and the excessive artistic explorations of the avant-garde).

 in the years before World War II, Jean Renoir emerged as one of the most important representatives of realism in European
cinema. In a series of memorable films produced in the 1930’s (Toni, 1934; Le Crime de Monsieur Lange, 1936; La Grande
Illusion, 1937; La Marseillaise, 1938) he combined melodrama with social and political satire. His most accomplished title, La
Règle du Jeu (1939) is a masterpiece of realism in which he critiques social pretence and illusions on the eve of the war,
employing typical realist cinematic techniques such as dolly shots, depth of focus and outdoor photography.

 the realist tendency is intrinsically connected with the consolidation of national cinemas, given its strong emphasis on social
problems; film realism was also given primacy in periods of social and political turmoil (World War 2 and its aftermath, esp.
the 1950’s and early 1960’s).

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 the first important post-WW II expression of the realist tendency can be found in Italian Neorealism. Its representatives
(Roberto Rossellini, Vittorio De Sica, Luchino Visconti, Giuseppe De Santis) created films that were in stark contrast to the bland
entertainment of the fascist years (the so-called “white telephone films”), in which they tackled the harsh realities of post-war
Italy (the American occupation, economic depression, the struggles of working-class people). De Sica’s Bicycle Thieves (Ladri di
biciclette, 1948) is often given as a prime example of the achievements of this short-lived movement: it was filmed almost
entirely in the streets and buildings of Rome, highlighting images of poverty and unemployment and relying on performances
by non-professional actors. Its cinematic technique was also indicative of the realist tendency (camera functioning as mere
“observer”): spare use of close-ups and point of view shots, avoidance of sudden camera movements and dramatic angles and
reliance, inasmuch as possible, on natural lighting. Italian Neorealism has remained influential over the following decades,
some of its distinctive traits being visible in the films of the British New Wave, or in the work of British directors who remained
active even in the 21st century, like Ken Roach. Various film directors from Africa, South America and Asia have also been
tributary in their works to Italian Neorealism.

 the next major manifestation of the realist tendency was represented by the films of the French New Wave (Nouvelle Vague),
which comprised productions made between 1959 and the mid 1960’s. It was started by a group of enthusiastic young film
makers (Jean-Luc Goddard, François Truffaut, Claude Chabrol, Eric Rohmer, Jacques Rivette) who expressed their discontent
with “daddy’s cinema” (“le cinéma de papa”) and published their views in Les Cahiers du cinéma. Their success as film makers
was indebted, on the one hand, to the interest raised by Roger Vadim’s film And God Created Woman (1956), which pointed to
the need to address a young audience tired with the productions of the past and, on the other, to the development of hand-
held cameras and portable sound recorders, which gave young cinematographers more freedom from studios. The style of
their films was highly experimental: narratives based on chance events, often with open-endings, set in contemporary urban
settings and accompanied by fragmented dialogues frequently punctuated with long and meaningful silences. Intertextuality
and allusion were also common ingredients of these productions.

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 although after the 1960’s the realist tendency became more dissipated and there were no more prominent “movements” or
“schools”, many of the directors continued making cinematic productions in the realist vein and the above two remained
influential; new technologies, such as smaller cameras and digital video made it possible both for mainstream and
independent film makers to enhance the realism of their films as well as give form to new artistic visions (the “realist” touch
became common in previously unexplored genres, such as disaster movies, science-fiction or horror – especially starting with
the late 1990’s); concern for social problems also continued, well into the 21st century.

 more recently, at least one group of cinematographers is worth mentioning, the Danish Dogme 95, led by Lars von Tries and
Thomas Vinterberg, whose Manifesto and “vows of chastity” called for a purification of films from excessive elements, such as
sophisticated special effects, post-production changes and technical artifices. Like their 1950’s and 1960’s forerunners, those
associated with this group advocated shooting on location, the use of hand-held cameras, avoidance of special lighting and
filters and insisted on setting the plots in the present; the movement broke up in 2005.

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The “realist tradition” in British cinema

 R. Armstrong: “realism has been Britain’s richest gift to world cinema”

 the realist tendency and the concern for social realism in British cinema date back to the earliest film productions made in
Britain: at the beginning of the 20th century, British film makers attempted to approach their subjects in the tradition of the
great Victorian realist writers like Dickens and Hardy.

 many early British films, like James Williamson’s A Reservist before the War, and after the War (1902), adopted a realist stance
as a form of social protest; other early 20th British productions emphasises the documentary value of the camera (depiction of
everyday events).

 after WW I and in face of the growing pressure coming from American films, “realism and restraint” were regarded as the
desirable ingredients of a British national cinema; since Hollywood style productions were seen as the prime choice of working-
class audiences, realism became almost synonymous with elitism and intellectual refinement.

 the first major, coherent contribution to the realist mode appeared in Britain in the 1930’s, in the form of the Documentary
Movement. Under the patronage of the Empire Marketing Board and, later, the General Post Office, pioneering
documentarists like John Grierson, Harry Watt or Basil Wright created short films that were in equal measure informative and
educative, demonstrating that cinema can have a social function (e.g., Drifters, 1929; Night Mail, 1936).

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 the realist tendency reached unprecedented peaks in the war years, both in the form of documentaries / propaganda pieces
and movies dealing with the realities of the global conflict; such productions were intent on maintaining and raising the public’s
morale and to strengthen the sense of national unity. One of the key figures of the period was Humphrey Jennings, who
produced “consensus-building” works, like Spare Time (1939) or Listen to Britain (1942), also becoming influential for the
1950’s Free Cinema movement.

 the Free Cinema movement of the mid 1950’s continued the work of the pre-war documentarists. Their representatives (Karel
Reisz, Tony Richardson and Lorenza Mazzetti) laid emphasis on the absence of propaganda value of their productions and lack
of box-office appeal. In a series of eight films released between 1956-1956, they focused on the problems of working class
subjects, overlooked by the middle-class oriented film industry of the period.

 the 1950’s also marked the appearance of the so-called kitchen-sink dramas – a term used to collectively describe literary,
theatrical and cinematic productions whose protagonists were “angry young men”, disillusioned with modern society. The
cinema of “kitchen sink realism” typically dealt with such themes as alienation, frustration, defiance of the system and the
struggle to improve one’s existence.

 reflecting and responding to the general European realist tendencies of the late 1950’s – early 1960’s (especially the French
Nouvelle Vague), the short-lived British New Wave (1959-1963), was responsible for a number of landmark films that explored
working class social issues with the help of innovative cinematic and discursive techniques – e.g., wide shots and plain speaking.
The best productions of the period included Room at the Top (1959, d. Jack Clayton), Saturday Night and Sunday Morning
(1960, d. Karel Reisz), The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner (1962, d. Tony Richardson), A Kind of Loving (1962, d. John
Schlesinger) and This Sporting Life (1963, d. Lindsay Anderson). These films explored subjects considered previously taboo:
prostitution, abortion, homosexuality, infidelity, etc. (relaxation of censorship helped a great deal in making these titles
possible).
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 the realist tendency was continued after the demise of the British New Wave by directors like Ken Loach (influenced, in his turn,
by the Free Cinema Movement) and Mike Leigh. Loach became known for his left-wing orientation and mastery of the hand-
held camera; since the end of the 1960’s, he produced films ranging from naturalism to melodrama (e.g., Kes, 1969; Ladybird
Ladybird, 1994). In films like Life is Sweet (1990) or Secrets and Lies (1996), Mike Leigh illustrated the breakdown of post-war
consensus or the effects upon domestic and communal existence of the Thatcherite policies and of increased multiculturalism.

 television brought in its turn a contribution to perpetuating the realist tendency. In the 1980’s, Channel 4 took over the task of
educating the public for realism, funding productions that became part of the “film on four” series, like My Beautiful
Laundrette (1985, d. Stephen Frears) or Letter to Brezhnev (1985, d. Chris Bernard), which critiqued the excessively idealistic
entrepreneurial spirit of the Thatcher era.

 in the 1990’s social realism took a different turn, and the film productions became more light-hearted, combining the critique
of social problems with a “feel good” individualistic vibe and melodrama (e.g., Trainspotting, 1996 or The Full Monty, 1997)

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3. Discussion session

General questions:

 to what extent do the three films provide a realistic treatment of the social / economic / political (etc.) issues they tackle?

 how does “realism” mix with other tendencies in these films?

 in what degree are they illustrative of the historical-cultural context in which they were produced (i.e. the realities of the
decades they are rooted in)?

 what makes these films endure in time (beyond the immediate realities they deal with)?

 does any of these films have a propaganda value (i.e., is there any overt or hidden political message in it)?

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The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner (1962)
Infosheet:
Country: UK
Release date: 21 Sept. 1962 (London, UK); 8 Oct. 1962 (USA)
Company: Woodfall Film Productions UK

Filming location(s): England, UK (East Sussex, Surrey, Lincolnshire, Nottinghamshire)

Running time: 104 min

Director(s): Tony Richardson

Writer(s): Alan Sillitoe (screenplay); Alan Sillitoe (original short story)
Producer: Tony Richardson (producer); Michael Holden (associate producer)
Director of photography: Walter Lasally
Main cast: Tom Courtenay (Colin Smith)
Michael Redgrave (Ruxton Towers Reformatory Governor)
Alec McCowen (Brown)
James Bolam (Mike)
Joe Robinson (Roach)
Topsy Jane (Audrey)
Julia Foster (Gladys)

Major awards: BAFTA (1963); Mar del Plata Film Festival (1963)

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I. General comprehension:

1. Identify and examine in broad lines the main elements pertaining to the narrative layer of the film: setting, plot, characters,
point of view, general atmosphere, etc.

2. What are the main differences between the story in the film and the story in the source text (i.e. Alan Sillitoe’s eponymous
short story)? What may be the reasons for the departure of the script from the original text?

3. Discuss the relevance / position of the film within its cultural and historical context and relative to the realities of the British
film industry of the time.

II. Film analysis:

A. Common aspects:

1. Which of the elements pertaining to the narrative layer of the film have been significantly shaped by cinematography, in your
opinion? Choose one and explain in depth how the cinematic medium has left its mark on the respective textual element.

2. Identify the sequences / scenes in the film which you consider particularly powerful in impact upon the viewer. Choose one and
explain what makes it effective in this respect. Note: as with the previous question, focus on the peculiar role of the filmic
components (mise-en-scène, lighting, use of props, camera angle, camera movement, montage, etc.)

3. Identify the scenes in the film in which the acting is especially memorable, thus adding to the overall quality of the film. Discuss
one of them in detail.

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B. Specific questions:
1. What is the general pace of the film? How does it change along the narrative? What does this change aim to achieve?
2. What is the prevailing point of view in this film? Does it change occasionally? If so, what cinematic elements suggest this
change?
3. What effect is achieved by breaking with the natural chronology of events? How does this break contribute to enhancing the
realistic dimension of the film?
4. By focusing on a number of relevant sequences, prove that the film relies on contrast / antithesis to convey meaning which
would otherwise be obscured by the narrative layer.
5. Explain how Richardson’s directing and Lasally’s cinematography are indispensable for creating and maintaining dramatic
tension in the film (suggestion: focus on the various “confrontation” scenes).
6. Discuss in detail some of the sequences in which the film takes a lighter turn (verging on melodrama / comedy). What purpose
do you think they serve in tackling the social problematic of the film? Why do you think the director resorted to such an
occasional treatment of the serious subject of his film?
7. Explain the much-discussed ending of the film: Smith’s choice to forfeit the race. What message is transmitted by his defiant
gesture? Do you consider this part tragic or bathetic? How does cinematography contribute to making the point here?
8. By examining a selection of relevant sequences, comment on the adequacy of using hand-held cameras in shooting this film.
9. Discuss the role and effect of black and white cinematography in setting the tone and atmosphere of this film. Do you think
that filming in colour would have made a difference – if so, in what sense?
10. Discuss the role of extra-diegetic music in this film.
11. Comment on the relevance of the theme song for the message of the film (“And Did Those Ancient Feet” / “Jerusalem” – W.
Blake / Sir Hubert Parry).

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12. By summing up your answers to the previous questions (and referring to some of the theoretical points in the previous section
of this unit), prove that The Loneliness of the Long-Distance Runner convincingly exemplifies the tenets and techniques of
British New Wave cinema.

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Local Hero (1983)
Infosheet:
Country: UK
Release date: 18 Feb. 1983 (USA); 28 April 1983 (Australia); 29 April 1983 (UK and Ireland)
Company: Enigma Productions; Goldcrest Films International

Filming location(s): Scotland, UK; Houston, TX

Running time: 111 min

Director(s): Bill Forsyth

Writer(s): Bill Forsyth
Producer: David Puttnam (producer); Iain Smith (associate producer)
Director of photography: Chris Menges
Main cast: Burt Lancaster (Falix Happer)
Peter Riegert (Mac)
Fulton Mackay (Ben)
Denis Lawson (Urquhart)
Jenny Seagrove (Marina)

Major awards: BAFTA (1984, Best Direction); National Board of Review USA (1983, Top ten Films); National Society of Film Critics
Awards (1984, Best Screenplay); New York Film Critics Circle Awards (1983, Best Screenplay)

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I. General comprehension:

1. Identify and examine in detail the main elements pertaining to the narrative layer of the film: setting, plot, characters, point of
view, general atmosphere, etc.

2. The film is based on Bill Forsyth’s experience as a documentarist in Scotland and the script relies on real-life events – the
negotiation of a favourable deal by the Orkney county chief executive during the development of an oil terminal in the area in
the early 1980’s. How are these elements reflected in the cinematic adaptation (to fact extent is the story constructed and
delivered as credible)?

3. Discuss the relevance / position of the film within its cultural and historical context and relative to the realities of the British
film industry of the time.

II. Film analysis:

A. Common aspects:

1. Which of the elements pertaining to the narrative layer of the film have been significantly shaped by cinematography, in your
opinion? Choose one and explain in depth how the cinematic medium has left its mark on the respective textual element.

2. Identify the sequences / scenes in the film which you consider particularly powerful in impact upon the viewer. Choose one and
explain what makes it effective in this respect. Note: as with the previous question, focus on the peculiar role of the filmic
components (mise-en-scène, lighting, use of props, camera angle, camera movement, montage, etc.)

3. Identify the scenes in the film in which the acting is especially memorable, thus adding to the overall quality of the film. Discuss
one of them in detail.

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B. Specific questions:

1. What cultural stereotypes regarding Americans, Scots and Russians are exploited in this film?
2. What is the general pace of the film and how does the cinematography contribute to it?
3. What is the mood of Local Hero and how is it created / sustained?
4. The film contains a number of apparently bizarre sequences (e.g., the rabbit rescued and later served as meal, Mcintyre’s
phone call under the aurora borealis, Marina admittedly being a mermaid). Comment on their symbolism and relevance for the
story.
5. One of the most powerful and finely-constructed sequences takes place during a meteor shower (00:52:45 - 00:54:48). Provide
a detailed analysis of the scene (dialogue, lighting, camera technique, mise-en-scène) and explain its place / role in the film.
6. Discuss the political undercurrent / message of the film. Identify and analyse some relevant sequences in this sense.
7. Identify and discuss the sequences where Local Hero becomes melodramatic. Are such sequences detrimental to the social
commentary transpiring elsewhere in the film?
8. Discuss the adequacy of the deus-ex-machina happy ending of the film. What effect do you think is targeted by it?
9. Analyse in detail the closing sequence of the film (01:46:39 - 01:49:00). How does contrast / antithesis contribute to the
resolution of the conflict and to conveying the final message?
10. How is character development suggested in this film (especially Mac’s transformation)?

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Trainspotting (1996)
Infosheet:
Country: UK
Release date: 23 Feb. 1996 (UK and Ireland); 13 May 1996 (France, Cannes Film Festival); 15 July 1996 (USA, New York City
premiere)
Company: Channel Four Films; Figment Films; The Noel Gay Motion Picture Company

Filming location(s): UK (London, Edinburgh, Glasgow)

Running time: 94 min

Director(s): Danny Boyle

Writer(s): John Hodge (screenplay); Irvine Welsh (original novel)
Producer: Andrew Macdonald
Director of photography: Brian Tufano
Main cast: Ian McGregor (Renton)
Ewen Bremner (Spud)
Johnny Lee Miller (Sick Boy)
Kevin McKidd (Tommy)
Robert Carlyle (Begbie)
Kelly Macdonald (Diane)
Peter Mullan (Swanney)

Major awards: BAFTA (1996, Best Screenplay - Adapted); BAFTA Awards Scotland (1997, Best Feature Film; Best Actor - Film);
Awards Circuit Community Awards (1996, Best Adapted Screenplay); Boston Society of Film Critics Awards (1996,
Best Film); Brit Awards (1997, Best Soundtrack)
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I. General comprehension:

1. Identify and examine the main elements pertaining to the narrative layer of the film: setting, plot, characters, point of view,
general atmosphere, etc.

2. John Hodge’s screenplay for Trainspotting, diverges from the eponymous novel by Irvine Welsh in a number of ways: more fluid,
linear plot sequence, removal of certain character’s (e.g., Renton’s brother, Billy), use of a single narrative voice, focus on
Renton’s perspective / insights, meagre coverage of certain social issues (racism, Scottish nationalism, etc.). Discuss the
adequacy of such an adaptation.

3. As in the case of the previously examined titles, discuss the relevance / position of this film within its cultural and historical
context and relative to the realities of the British film industry of the time.

II. Film analysis:

A. Common aspects:

1. Which of the elements pertaining to the narrative layer of the film have been significantly shaped by cinematography, in your
opinion? Choose one and explain in depth how the cinematic medium has left its mark on the respective textual element.

2. Identify the sequences / scenes in the film which you consider particularly powerful in impact upon the viewer. Choose one and
explain what makes it effective in this respect. Note: as with the previous question, focus on the peculiar role of the filmic
components (mise-en-scène, lighting, use of props, camera angle, camera movement, montage, etc.)

3. Identify the scenes in the film in which the acting is especially memorable, thus adding to the overall quality of the film. Discuss
one of them in detail.

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B. Specific questions:

1. Trainspotting can be discussed as a mix of genres, combining, among others, elements of social drama and comedy. Of these
latter two, which prevails in your opinion? Provide arguments for your answer.
2. Examine the role of Renton’s narration in this film. Is it an omniscient narration? Does it enhance or weaken the meaning(s)
conveyed by the visual layer?
3. What is the general pace of the film? How do the cinematic elements sustain it?
4. The film contains several sequences that may be said to have a surrealist touch. Examine one such sequence closely and explain
how the cinematography conveys the impression of “un-” / “surreality”.
5. Discuss the function and effect of some naturalistic scenes in the film (e.g., those illustrating drug-induced hallucinations,
withdrawal symptoms, the death of Baby Dawn, etc.). Explain how the particular cinematic elements make such scenes more
powerful.
6. Comment on the adequacy and effect of the film’s soundtrack. Choose one sequence where music is of particular importance
and explain how it contributes to the atmosphere / mood of the respective scene(s).
7. Trainspotting ends in a circular manner. Compare and contrast the complementary opening and closing scenes (“I didn’t
choose life” / “I choose life”) and discuss the effect achieved by such a construction.
8. What is the general message of the film? Is it clearly formulated or, on the contrary, is there some ambiguity ambivalence left
at the end of the film?
9. Based on your answers to the previous questions, discuss the extent to which Trainspotting manages to capture and reflect the
general spirit of the 90’s, thus bringing further evidence in support of the realist dimension of the film.
10. Viewers and critics alike have remarked numerous similarities between Danny Boyle’s film and another cult classic, Quentin
Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction. Compare and contrast a selection of scenes which focus on similar topics (e.g., violence, drug-
consumption, etc.) and prove that each film reflects a uniquely British, respectively, American view and treatment of these
topics.

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Further resources:

Abrams, Nathan, Ian Bell and Jan Udris. Studying Film. Arnold, 2001.

Armstrong, Richard. “Social Realism”. BFI Screenonline, 31 March 2018, http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/1037898/index.html.

Edwards, Tymothy John. “Realism, Really?: A Closer Look at Theories of Realism in Cinema”. Kino: The Western Undergraduate Journal
of Film Studies, vol. 4, issue 1, article 10, 2013, http://ir.lib.uwo.ca/kino/vol4/iss1/10. Accessed 31 March 2018.

“Realism”. Film Reference, 31 March 2018, http://www.filmreference.com/encyclopedia/Independent-Film-Road-Movies/Realism.html.

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