Trainspotting is only the second feature to be made by a trio of young Scottish film-makers. The first, Shallow Grave, brought together writer John Hodge, a doctor in an Edinburgh hospital who was encouraged to write the screenplay by Andrew Macdonald in 1990; Macdonald himself, the producer (and grandson of producer Emeric Pressburger); and Danny Boyle, a stage director with an international reputation
Shallow Grave was not the kind of film that gets invited to major festivals, so it made its debut in the market at Cannes in 1995, a year which saw quite a few British films in selection, including Ken Loach's politically-charged Land and Freedom..
Not being in competition, Shallow Grave came away with no prizes. But it did pick up some excellent distribution deals following a standing-room-only screening. It went on to become a hit in the UK and France, and generally performed much better than most British do everywhere, that is, except in the US.
'After the success of Shallow Grave,' says Macdonald, 'we were offered a suitcase full of cash by Hollywood, but we felt it was important to stay in Britain and make another contemporary film. Trainspotting fitted the bill, even if it meant cutting the fees to work on a Channel Four budget.'
Macdonald had had Irvine Welsh's cult novel recommended to him by a friend he met on a flight from Glasgow to London, was very impressed by it and showed it to Boyle and Hodge in early 1994. Hodge was initially reluctant ('I thought it would never make a film because it was far too episodic'), but was persuaded to have a go, and delivered the first 40 pages (about a third the length of a normal movie script) in November 1994.
A second draft was written over Christmas and was shown to Channel Four in February. Funding was agreed in March and pre-production started in April. Trainspotting shot for four weeks from 22 May 1995, on location in Glasgow (standing in for Edinburgh), followed by three weeks in the studio and two days in London.
Calton Athletic rehab centre in Glasgow provided technical advice on the drug-taking side of the film. 'This guy came in and we were each given about five needles and all the paraphernalia for shooting up,' recalls Kevin McKidd, who plays Tommy.
'It is never possible to say exactly what makes a film successful: if it was, there would never be any flops and no bankrupt producers. And there are, of course, plenty of both. But, in retrospect, three things certainly helped Trainspotting become a hit: the music; the marketing campaign mounted by UK distributor PolyGram; and not being in competition at Cannes.
The music track for the film which features songs by Iggy Pop, Primal Scream, Elastica, Blur, Pulp and Leftfield was put together by the Premiere Records division of EMI Music Publishing in conjunction with Figment Films.
Next came the hype. To open Trainspotting in the UK, PolyGram reportedly spent £750,000 on marketing, based around the orange numbers logo featuring the lead actors. Posters appeared on major display sites, not just the locations usually associated with films, and a particularly audacious slogan ('Believe the Hype!') suggested the kind of approach to selling Trainspotting rarely associated with a British movie.
Last of all came Cannes. Macdonald and Boyle had had their eyes fixed on an international premiere there from the start, resisting pressure to open the film at the Berlin Film Festival in February, where British films have always performed well..
But they reckoned without the taste of Cannes boss Gilles Jacob, who loathed the film and refused to have it in competition. Urgent negotiations followed and Trainspotting was eventually allocated a 'Special Screening out of Competition' slot. This turned out to be at half past midnight on a Monday night. But the reception given the film was rapturous. Just as crucially, the party that followed it the party to be seen at in Cannes '96 featured music by Leftfield, appearances by Mick Jagger, Eric Clapton and Noel Gallagher and went on until 6.30 in the morning.
Between them, the screening and the party sealed the fate of Trainspotting, guaranteeing it cult status with both press and distributors. The year's biggest hit in Britain, it has already taken US$10 million at the US box-office and over US$40 million worldwide. Boyle, Macdonald, Hodge and (probably) McGregor are now preparing A Life Less Ordinary, the story of a Scottish cleaning man who loses his job to an automated vacuum system and, in retaliation, kidnaps his employer's spoiled daughter.
Prod co: Figment Films, for Channel Four
Prod: Andrew Macdonald.
Dir: Danny Boyle
Guión (Scr): John Hodge, based on the novel by Irvine Welsh
Foto (Ph): Brian Tufano
Art dir (Prod des): Kave Quinn
Mont (Ed): Masahiro Hirakubo
Ints (Cast): Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, Kelly Macdonald
Ventas (Sales): Film Four International
Duración (Running time): 93 mins
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