Trainspotting - Opening Scene
'Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?'
To begin, the film instantly starts with the beat of Iggy Pop's, icon of the 80s known for his music and intense heroin abuse, 'Lust for Life'. This introduces the live, upbeat feeling which is constant throughout the narration. Within the first second, the film cuts from black to show the running steps of a character, yet no visual aspects which the audience can judge to get an idea of the character, apart from their situation without reason. The low angled camera titling up showcases a town centre, which the audience then know is Edinburgh. This is then contrasted to the mid-shot of Renton (Ewan McGregor) running in the centre of the screen, with Spud alongside. There are shifts between mid shots which convey the facial expressions and low angled shots which highlight the stolen objects falling out of their pockets as they're running. The intensity on their faces show the thrill both of them are receiving from this, that they enjoy it, whilst security guards chasing have anger on their faces.
After being hit by car, Renton with a exasperated grin on his face is freeze-framed, whilst his name appears next to him. This is the significant introduction to the characters which summarise the personality of the characters and what's to be expected from them. This is also shown during a football match, conveyed in quick editing, where the teams contrast - the amuteur one's being our main characters. The characters in those moments, where their titles come up, foreshadow their futures, for example; Spud failing to score and Tommy unable to escape. Even the font could reveal something about the personality of this film, with a rough texture, it reflects their outlook on life and Britain in the 1980s.
There are parallel shots between the football hitting Renton in the face and him getting high on heroin. This conflicts a normal reality with a controversial one, yet aligning them. Eventually the drugs overpower the football, since he lands on the floor in the drug scene. Panned long shots show the scenery, 'welcome to mother superior's' is dripped in paint on the wall, showing the amateurishness and the satire of conflicting a religious figure within a drug den. The split between rooms creates distress to the audience since on the right, there is a baby abandoned whereas in the left, which the camera follows, the needles and drugs scattered across the floor show potential risks, and foreshadows greatly. The colouring in this scene is very significant to the atmosphere, the vibrant reds create a shocking aesthetic which bleeds into the shots, and creates a horror to the drugs.
'Choose Life. Choose a job. Choose a career. Choose a family. Choose a fucking big television, choose washing machines, cars, compact disc players and electrical tin openers. Choose good health, low cholesterol, and dental insurance. Choose fixed interest mortgage repayments. Choose a starter home. Choose your friends. Choose leisurewear and matching luggage. Choose a three-piece suit on hire purchase in a range of fucking fabrics. Choose DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on Sunday morning. Choose sitting on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit-crushing game shows, stuffing fucking junk food into your mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pissing your last in a miserable home, nothing more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourselves. Choose your future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that? I chose not to choose life. I chose somethin' else. And the reasons? There are no reasons. Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?'
To begin, the film instantly starts with the beat of Iggy Pop's, icon of the 80s known for his music and intense heroin abuse, 'Lust for Life'. This introduces the live, upbeat feeling which is constant throughout the narration. Within the first second, the film cuts from black to show the running steps of a character, yet no visual aspects which the audience can judge to get an idea of the character, apart from their situation without reason. The low angled camera titling up showcases a town centre, which the audience then know is Edinburgh. This is then contrasted to the mid-shot of Renton (Ewan McGregor) running in the centre of the screen, with Spud alongside. There are shifts between mid shots which convey the facial expressions and low angled shots which highlight the stolen objects falling out of their pockets as they're running. The intensity on their faces show the thrill both of them are receiving from this, that they enjoy it, whilst security guards chasing have anger on their faces.
After being hit by car, Renton with a exasperated grin on his face is freeze-framed, whilst his name appears next to him. This is the significant introduction to the characters which summarise the personality of the characters and what's to be expected from them. This is also shown during a football match, conveyed in quick editing, where the teams contrast - the amuteur one's being our main characters. The characters in those moments, where their titles come up, foreshadow their futures, for example; Spud failing to score and Tommy unable to escape. Even the font could reveal something about the personality of this film, with a rough texture, it reflects their outlook on life and Britain in the 1980s.
There are parallel shots between the football hitting Renton in the face and him getting high on heroin. This conflicts a normal reality with a controversial one, yet aligning them. Eventually the drugs overpower the football, since he lands on the floor in the drug scene. Panned long shots show the scenery, 'welcome to mother superior's' is dripped in paint on the wall, showing the amateurishness and the satire of conflicting a religious figure within a drug den. The split between rooms creates distress to the audience since on the right, there is a baby abandoned whereas in the left, which the camera follows, the needles and drugs scattered across the floor show potential risks, and foreshadows greatly. The colouring in this scene is very significant to the atmosphere, the vibrant reds create a shocking aesthetic which bleeds into the shots, and creates a horror to the drugs.
The speech is the opening of Trainspotting is crucial to the narrative. The voiceover of Renton aligns the audience with him, identifying him as the main character. The imperative of his main speech saying ‘choose life’ reflects the constant impulsive feeling throughout the film and the conflict between life and drugs. The use of speech in the form of other characters saying their part instead of the narrator is used, in this case Begbie using irony to say ‘I would put that s**te in my body’ even though he’s surrounded by drink and cigarettes. There are also cultural references within the beginning scene, mainly Sick Boy’s impression of Sean Connery, iconic film star known for James Bond and born in Edinburgh himself, therefore showing the advancement from Connery to the Trainspotting boys. The references highlight the importance of the films to British cultural and to make those references could be considered as risky.
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