Day 71

Trainspotting at 25

Content Warning: Discussion of drug use

On this day… the 23rd of February, 1996, the widely celebrated Scottish film, Trainspotting, opened in cinemas across the UK. While largely shot in Glasgow, the film has for its 25-year history been intrinsically associated with Leith, in large part due to Leith being the setting for much within Irvine Welsh’s 1993 eponymous novel of which the filmmakers, Director Danny Boyle, Writer John Hodge and Producer Andrew MacDonald, adapted for screen.

Financed by Channel 4, the film was made with a relatively small budget of 1.7 million pounds, but its success, both critically and financially, was exponential and put Scottish cinema in the spotlight worldwide. The film did not come without controversy. Following the lives of heroin addicts from working class schemes in Scotland, the film was often criticised by local and international politicians as well as local residents for what some called the “glorification of drug culture.” Nevertheless, the film was lauded critically for its its ability to blur the lines of arthouse and popular cinema, and it was the highest grossing film of the year in the UK. It remains the 4th highest grossing UK film of all time. In this introductory teaser by Cinescapes, a project launched by Leith For Ever’s collaborating organisation, Cinetopia, you can hear a few clips from a few experts on Trainspotting and its connection to Leith.

As noted in a previous post by Tim Bell for Leith For Ever (Day 37), the use of word “Trainspotting” in this capacity was first used in a short story written by Welsh, Trainspotting at Leith Central Station, which later become an episode within the novel. It was originally published as part of local pamphlet in which Bell noted that Welsh “wanted to mark the distinct contrast between Edinburgh’s prosperity and Leith’s dereliction.” Today, largely due to both the novel and film’s success and the time at which it came out, the word “Trainspotting” is largely associated with that of “Cool Britannia” that defined 90s Britain.

While not a scene of the original Trainspotting was actually shot in Leith, many scenes of the film’s recent 2018 sequel, T2, were shot here. The sequel also features many tracks from Mercury Prize-winning Leith-based band, Young Fathers on its soundtrack. Leith is also now home to at least two largely successful Trainspotting Walking Tours. The original is led by Tim Bell under the name, Leith Walks. Bell is also author of the book, Choose Life, Choose Leith: Trainspotting on Location, which comprehensively catalogues the Trainspotting phenomenon from its original novel, to the play and finally its eventual film adaptation. It also contextualises Trainspotting in light of what was going on Leith at the time, especially around the AIDS/HIV epidemic as well as the prolific and disastrous impact of heroin use in Leith at the time. Paul Stewart, a tour guide with Invisible Cities also runs a tour about famous Trainspotting locations in Edinburgh and Leith, and he is running a virtual tour today at midday and 3 pm. You can book your spot with either tour guide through the links below.

Cinetopia is planning a screening of Trainspotting in Leith as part of new series, Cinescapes, later in the year in 2021 when it’s possible to do so. Check out more about Cinescapes and Cinetopia’s other film-based activities at their website below.