Review of Trainspotting: The Definitive Edition

Introduction

Based on Irvine Walsh`s book of the same name, the story features a collection of friends, some of whom happen to be heroin addicts. It had become a cult classic and John Hodge had the unenviable task of writing the screenplay while remaining true to the spirit of the book. By all accounts he`s done a good job. The film was a commercial success not only here in the UK, but abroad too. It was a different kind of film to Casino and Sense and Sensibility which were released on the same day here in the UK.

Putting actors Ewan McGregor and Robert Carlyle firmly on the big screen map together with its main collaborators, Trainspotting is the quintessential British film of the 1990s. The music of the film defined an era with Iggy Pop`s explosive opening accompanying Ewan McGregor`s monologue about choosing life. It leaves an indelible image of what you`re about to sit through.

Video

Trainspotting is presented with a pretty good 1.85:1 widescreen enhanced video transfer. Colours come across well and so does detail. There is evidence of dirt throughout the film with tiny black specks making regular appearances, but it doesn`t detract in the slightest.

Audio

Trainspotting gets two audio tracks: Dolby Digital and DTS 5.1. The majority of the film is dialogue driven and this comes across well from the centre channel. The music in the film comes out well too from the front speakers. In terms of the quality of the competing tracks, there`s very little in it to favour one over the other. Both do a good job.

Features

This is a nice collection of extras mixing in the old Criterion laserdisc supplements with new stuff.

Disc One:
• Audio Commentary - John Hodge (writer), Andrew Macdonald (producer), Danny Boyle (director) and Ewan McGregor (Renton) provide an interesting commentary. Recorded in 1996, it provides plenty of insight into the film and is well worth listening to if you get the chance.

• The Beginning (9:27) - A short featurette made around the time of the film, which features the main cast and crew. About a third of this is made up of Trainspotting film clips.

• Deleted Scenes - 9 widescreen enhanced deleted scenes with optional director commentary. These can be played on their own or `inserted` into the film via an onscreen scissor icon.


Disc Two:
• Look of the film: Then (4:01), Now (3:12) - contributions from Kave Quinn and Danny Boyle on the production design and visual style.

• Sound of the film: Then (7:40), Now (4:50) - how important is the sound in the film? The choices and collaborations in music needed to get the desired effect.

• Interviews: Origins - Irvine Walsh (4:36), John Hodge (7:57), Danny Boyle (14:31) and Andrew Macdonald (10:31) - These are new interviews filmed around February 2003 with the exception of Walsh`s which was made in 1995. It`s an interesting retrospective from the three regular collaborators and worth watching at least once.

• Behind the Needle (6:22) - This is a nice little multi-angle featurette on how the shot of McGregor shooting up is done using a prosthetic arm. Too bad there aren`t enough of these making of featurettes. Also here is Ewan McGregor talking about Calton Athletic Boys (0:30) football team.

• Biographies - Single static one-page bios for the cast and crew.

• Cannes - Sound bites from Martin Landau, Noel Gallagher, Damon Albarn and Ewan McGregor at the `96 Cannes Film Festival. With the exception of McGregor, this is an utterly pointless extra where you glean nothing interesting as the participants have nothing interesting to say. Especially Mr Gallagher...

• Gallery - A 91 Polaroid slideshow from behind the scenes of the film with Sleeper`s "Atomic" in the background.

• Trailers - Teaser and theatrical trailer.

• Collector`s Booklet - This contains the low-down on what`s contained on the DVDs and has an essay by Irvine Walsh. If you open up the booklet you get a Trainspotting poster, which is no more than the sleeve artwork. Walsh`s essay makes for interesting reading.

The extras clock in around 80-minutes, which isn`t bad at all. There`s a fair few pieces to watch here though it would have been nicer to have a `play all` function. What are missing however are interviews with the cast. Not one cast member provides any kind of retrospective on the film, which is a shame, as this could have been the icing that earns the term "Definitive Edition".

English subtitles round off the package.

Conclusion

"I fantasise about a massive pristine convenience, brilliant gold taps, virginal white marble, a seat carved from ebony, a cistern full of Chanel No.5 and a flunky handing me pieces of raw silk toilet roll..." This precedes a scene where one can`t fail but to grimace every time and there`s plenty more where that came from.

With scenes like this, Trainspotting delivers a poignant look at disparate, fractured friendships wrapped up in an escalating drug scene. John Hodge`s superbly scripted adaptation shows plenty of comedy and drama in equal measure told from Renton`s point-of-view. Such is the pace of the film that when it`s over, you never fully realise that you`ve sat for 90-minutes and can easily sit through it again. Well, I could anyway. Regardless of personal experiences of experimentation, I think one can relate easily to the film in terms of personal friendships, and this familiarity and camaraderie between friends just works very well.

This Trainspotting DVD has been a long time coming and makes for a nice uncut 2-disc set. This is the first time UK home video gets the full version, which concerns a shot of a needle in Renton`s arm. Is it as definitive as the packaging would lead you to believe? Not really because of the lack of new interviews with the cast, but it is a good solid DVD nonetheless. If you enjoyed the film, you`ll certainly enjoy seeing it again here. Recommended.