TELT Magazine

SCOTLAND ON
SCREEN
Trainspotting (1996)
Director: Danny Boyle
Starring: Ewan McGregor,
Robert Carlyle, Ewen
Bremner
him to adapt his hit novel,
but that trust definitely was
not misplaced.
The violent energy of
Welsh’s novel make it to the
big screen with very little
neutering. Auld Reekie
has appeared quite a few
times on the big screen, but
never quite in this way. The
romanticised history of the
city is replaced by a brutal
blend of realism and dark
humour. Fuelled by arguably
the best soundtrack of the
20th century, Trainspotting
wastes no time in this world
either. Each song gives an
insight into lead character
Renton’s (Ewan McGregor)
state as he copes with the
him. It is also clear to see
that the friendship of the
mismatched group he
belongs to is not forced
either. Ewen Bremner as the
hapless Spud offers some
compassion to the twisted
destruction that Robert
Carlyle’s Begbie revels in.
Meanwhile, the antagonistic
friendship between Johnny
Lee Miller’s Sick Boy and
Renton is complex, hilarious
and incredibly convincing.
This mash of conflict,
often without resolution,
carries on through this
perfectly dark comedy which
effortlessly touches on a very
real issue.
Under the Skin (2014)
Director: Johnathon Glazer
Starring: Scarlett Johansson,
Adam Pearson, Paul
Brannigan
on a beach in Auchmithie is
especially notable; the harsh
and isolated setting acting as
the perfect location for one
of the film’s most surprising
moments.
centre, cut with pedestrians
walking past, creates real
paranoia. Opposing large
scale Hollywood invasion
clichés, “Under the Skin”
says they may be living
among us, and they want to
go to Govan.
This film is mostly worth
There is no way any list of
watching to see Scarlett It is by far the least
Scottish cinema would have
Johansson drive a white conventional film listed
been complete without the
van around Glasgow asking here, but scenes like the
film that has appeared on
people about the M8 and one mentioned before
By Patrick Dalziel
nearly every teenage boy’s
Govan. Under the Skin is a make it well worth a watch.
wall since it came out in
divisive film in which an alien Johnathon Glazer has
1996. It is a truly iconic
intent on harvesting humans ensured that each setting
piece of filmmaking, a
as prey comes to Glasgow. used serves a purpose - they
captivating look into ‘90s
This plot is fairly bare bones become as important to
Edinburgh’s dark underbelly
in the way it is told, with the plot as the lead. The
and the counterculture of
Glazer choosing to embrace hidden camera in Scarlett
heroin addicts staying there.
ambiguity and style over Johansson’s van could have
Danny Boyle may have had
outright terror. The Scottish felt cheap but instead adds
only one film under his belt
setting could not be more to the intrigue. Shots of her
before Irvine Welsh trusted madness unfurling around
suited to this film. One scene driving through Glasgow city
TELT: Winter Edition 15