"Poison or Pearls, Reality or Fantasy?" (Street 110): How do the makers of Trainspotting depict British youth sub-culture and what methods of filming do they use to communicate their message in the surrealist way the film is famous for?
Trainspotting (1996) is a "depiction of the squalid depravities and exploitative self interest that characterises the everyday life of heroin addiction." (Petrie 90) Its' realistic style, use of language and unflinching portrayal of drug use was what first attracted me to look at it a bit closer. Based on the novel by Irvine Welsh, it tells the story of a group of working class unemployed drug addicts, focusing on their problems with heroin abuse, inability to get a job and family problems. Set in Edinburgh in the early nineties, Danny Boyle's (director) style is undoubtedly extremely realistic, fairly disgusting and at times, shocking. British realist films became popular in the late fifties, with Look Back in Anger (1959) and Room at the Top (1959). Realism was defined as "a determination to tackle `real' social issues and experiences in a manner which matched, a style which was honest and `realistic' as well" (Hill 127).
There were a many new characteristics in Trainspotting which hadn't been attempted before, one of which being showing the good side to heroin as well as the bad.
"Take yir best orgasm, multiply the feeling by twenty, and you're still fuckin miles off the pace. My dry, cracking bones are soothed and liquefied by ma beautiful heroin's tender caresses. The earth moved, and it's still moving" (Ewan McGregor, Trainspotting).
This accentuates the realism of the film, makes people horrified at the characters and their filthy habits, and really makes the viewer think that t...
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...erview. This would attain a more accurate analysis of the film, and more could be discovered from the results of others' thoughts on the film.
Bibliography
Barker, M. From Antz to Titanic: Reinventing Film Analysis. Pluto Press; London: 2000
Freeman, A. Studies in Scottish Fiction 1945 to the Present. Peter Lang; Frankfurt; 1996
Hill, J. Sex, Class and Realism. British Film Institute; London: 1986
Kuhn, A. ed. Journal of Popular British Cinema. Bookcraft; Bath: 1999
Lothe, J. Narrative in Film and Fiction: An Introduction. Oxford University Press; Oxford: 2000
Petrie, D. Contemporary Scottish Fictions: Film Television and the Novel. Edinburgh University Press; Edinburgh: 2004.
Spicer, A. Typical Men: The Representation of Masculinity and Popular British Cinema. Tauris; London: 2001
Street, S. British National Cinema. Routledge; London: 1997
In conclusion, by using the production elements of both allusion and symbolism; director Tim Burton has created the film in such a manner by making deliberate choices in order to invite a certain response. The film is constructed and given greater depth through the allusion to elements from other genres and ridicules the suburbia’s materialism and lack of imagination, which in turn enhances the invited response.
The Trouble with Men: Masculinities in European and Hollywood Cinema - Phil Powrie, Ann Davies and Bruce Babington.
Perhaps an even stronger testament to the deepness of cinema is Darren Aronofsky’s stark, somber Requiem for a Dream. Centering on the drug-induced debasement of four individuals searching for the abstract concept known as happiness, Requiem for a Dream brims with verisimilitude and intensity. The picture’s harrowing depiction of the characters’ precipitous fall into the abyss has, in turn, fascinated and appalled, yet its frank, uncompromising approach leaves an indelible imprint in the minds of young and old alike.
In the classical Western and Noir films, narrative is driven by the action of a male protagonist towards a clearly defined, relatable goal. Any lack of motivation or action on the part of the protagonist problematizes the classical association between masculinity and action. Due to inherent genre expectations, this crisis of action is equivalent to a crisis of masculinity. Because these genres are structured around male action, the crises of action and masculinity impose a crisis of genre. In the absence of traditional narrative elements and character tropes, these films can only identify as members of their genres through saturation with otherwise empty genre symbols. The equivalency between the crises of genre and masculinity frames this symbol saturation as a sort of compensatory masculine posturing.
Tuss, Alex (Winter 2004). "Masculine Identity and Success: A Critical Analysis of Patricia Highsmith's The Talented Mr. Ripley and Chuck Palahniuk's Fight Club". The Journal of Men's Studies 12 (2): 93–102.
A common recreational drug that is illegally dealt is Heroin. To many this drug is known by a few slang/street names, some being; smack, brown stone and junk (Tracy, 2012). Heroin is a highly addictive opiate that caused many different issues regarding physical and mental health. It can be consumed in 3 different ways: snorting, injecting and smoking. The original purpose of heroin is far different then the purpose that it is used for today in society. In 1874, heroin was first produced from morphine and 24 years later began its journey in the field of medicine to help morphine addicted patients (Scott, 1998). After use of the medicine it became present that the drug was just as addictive as morphine and was in turn creating patients to become addicted to the new drug. In 1902, doctors ceased the use of heroin in the medical field and a few years following, 8 years later, the first case of a heroin addict was admitted to a hospital for treatment (Scott, 1998). The drug is no longer used for a medical purposes but is still present in the legal drug selling market. Many countries have stiff penalties if caught in possession of or are selling heroin, because this drug is listed as a Class A drug (“Opium, Morphine, Heroin”, n.d.).
In 1805, morphine and codeine were isolated from opium, and morphine served as a cure for opium addiction since its addictive characteristics were not known. Morphine’s use as a treatment for opium addiction was initially well received as morphine has about ten times more euphoric effects than the equivalent amount of opium. Over the years, however, morphine abuse increased.
Firstly, the hyper-sexualisation of female victims. Janet Leigh is filmed in long, lingering tracking shots time and time again, particularly when she is dressing or undressing. The camera acts as the “male gaze” (Item 9) which sees the woman on screen as an object of desire, rather than a subject with autonomy.
...r, with investigation into the visual elements of this film, meanings of this film expand beyond the literal dialog and -- existing in the film.
Williams, Linda. "Film Bodies: Genre, Gender and Excess." Braudy and Cohen (1991 / 2004): 727-41. Print.
Trainspotting presents an ostensible image of fractured society. The 1996 film opens, famously, with a series of postulated choicesvariables, essentially, in the delineation of identity and opposition. Significant here is the tone in which these options are deliveredit might be considered the rhetorical voice of society, a playful exposition of the pressure placed on individuals to make the "correct" choices, to conform to expectation.
For the purpose of this study, I will critically examine the representation of homosexuality in Hollywood cinema. I will specifically analyse films from the early 90’s to mid 2000’s from ‘Philadelphia’ to ‘Brokeback Mountain’. This dissertation will argue that over the space of 12 years homosexuality has become an acceptable part of cinema. I will look at early Hollywood’s representation of homosexuality depicting how aesthetically so much has changed. The current paper will predominantly focus on the two films ‘Philadelphia’ and ‘Brokeback Mountain’, by critically analysing the aesthetic differences between each film as well as their overall importance to gay culture.
Pride and Prejudice, the beloved novel about the romance of Elizabeth Bennet and Fitzwilliam Darcy written by Jane Austen, has always been a favourite of film producers. Joe Wright, the director of the 2005 adaptation managed to fit the main story into a two-hour film, but unavoidably made some adjustments to the original novel. However, regardless of some lines and settings altered to fit the twenty-first-century audience, this essay holds the view that the 2005 filmed version in fact reaffirms gender hierarchies in the original novel by adding exact scenes and using special cinematic techniques.
The common theme found through reading various pieces of Scottish literature is the reality that comes to life. The pages of artistic work the writers put forth are astounding. The literature has a beating heart of its’ own. The venues that audiences explore will allow them to see exactly this point. The poetry is designed to fluently glide through Scottish history. Then when readers connect the verse to the short stories they will become aware of the in-depth quality that reflects the important aspects of life. Lastly, when the novel is introduced it will summarize the feeling that the Scottish put themselves and those around them into the works. Forever sealing the time into literature that is passed through various generations of analysts.
In module 11, postmodernism was defined to “call attention to the storytelling process, but through a high incidence of quotation, appropriation, borrowing, homage, copying and recycling”. Additionally, postmodernism involves making references to contemporary culture and everything tends to be built from fragments of other things. It is involves mixture of high and low culture references. Furthermore, it tends to show “the world as imaginary, and reality as a construction” (module 11). Woody Allen’s Annie Hall and Nelson Pereira do Santos’s How Tasty Was My Little Frenchman are classic examples of postmodern film with unique characteristics.