Exploring Ideology and Narrative in Trainspotting
A deep dive into the narrative structure and ideological themes of the film Trainspotting, examining character goals, obstacles, and the protagonist's journey through addiction and self-discovery. The film's portrayal of addiction, socialism, liberalism, and post-Thatcherite counter-culture is explored, as well as its gritty realism juxtaposed with surreal sequences. The film challenges societal norms and offers a nuanced perspective on marginalized individuals.
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TRAINSPOTTING - NARRATIVE Todorov Equilibrium Disruption Recognition Repair New Equilbrium McKee Exposition Inciting Incident Progressive Complications Climax Resolution Narrative detail Introduction to group taking heroin, stealing and swindling. Renton meets Diane. Home porn video theft Baby s death (Sick Boy) Renton is not going to jail Spud goes down. Heroin withdrawal. Moves to London (literally crossing a bridge (London Bridge) Tommy s death Heroin exchange Renton leaves with the money whilst Begbie and co. are asleep (Spud is shocked). Getting rid of Sick Boy and Begbie. Renton collects the money from his safe. Attempts to quit heroin Worst toilet in Scotland Spud job interview Character Goals Obstacles Character Propp s Character type Renton #1: To get a hit #2: To woo Diane #3: To not get caught #4: To get clean #5: To get a job and make a living #1: Not enough money #2: She s too young #3: All his friends are going down #4: Life without heroin is boring easily tempted #5: The old way of life Renton Protagonist (Anti-hero) Spud Sidekick Spud To get by and spend time with the guys The trouble his friends get him into Sick Boy Sidekick Sick Boy To live the high life, to hustle, to be a know-it-all Baby s death, addiction issues Diane Princess Diane 16 going on 30 (growing up too fast) Her youth (she wants to be a womannot a girl) Begbie To be top dog, to be toughest, no-one matters but himself and his alcoholism Everyone trying to appeal to his humanity, undermined by drug addicts Begbie Antagonist Johann Hari Addiction (liberal ideology on an alternative method to combat drug addiction) https://www.ted.com/talks/johann_hari_everything_y ou_think_you_know_about_addiction_is_wrong?langu age=en Iggy Pop Lust For Life (Choose Life non- diagetic soundtrack) Imperative verbs of Choose Life voiceover, iconoclastic persona of Renton (anti-hero) Britpop Culture,New Labour The cultural zeitgeist The Streets The Irony of it All Underworld Born Slippy(illegal rave scene)
TRAINSPOTTING - IDEOLOGY Left Centre Centre-right Right Socialism Democratic Socialism Statism Social Democrat Libertarianism Socialism Liberalism Liberal Conservative Neoliberalism Libertarianism Traditional Conservative Capitalism Authoritarianism No such thing as the undeserving poor Liberty and equality Freedom of expression Identity politics New Labour Thatcherite Conservatism Free market economics Equality of opportunity but not of outcome Meritocracy Law, authority, hierarchy, tradition Pull yourself up by the bootstraps mentality War on drugs Humanising of marginalised people in society so many Scottish people below the poverty line. Boyle s nuanced attitude towards drug culture, class, gender politics etc. Feminist interpretation Diane as a smart, powerful self-assured teenage woman. Renton becomes an estate agent (free market self-employed businessmen - entrepreneur) Sick Boy (business swindler, hustler) Even a heroin addict should be considered a key member of society. Extreme (Far) Trainspotting Example Postmodernism (Britpop cultural references, breaking the fourth wall with Renton, hyperreality of cold turkey , Baudrillard s simulacra and simulation). Gritty kitchen sink realism (Loach, Leigh) with surreal sequences which reflect the experience of a drug addict. Film noir (The Public Enemy in the Hays Code era who gets his comeuppance) but Renton gets away with it theft he is a problematic complex hero. Auteur theory Danny Boyle. Post-Thatcherite counter-culture a rejection of the free market capitalist survival of the fittest paradigm there is no such thing as society . Fascism (right) Communism (left) Totalitarianism (centre) Anarchism (any) Fundamentalism (any) Violence towards the opposition in the name of any cause. Begbie psychopathic violence, sadistic, transphobic reaction, misogyny All male characters - women as conquests The chaotic lifestyle of Renton and co. (anarchist) Anarcho-capitalist illegal rave culture
THIS IS ENGLAND - NARRATIVE Todorov Equilibrium Disruption Recognition Repair New Equilbrium McKee Exposition Inciting Incident Progressive Complications Climax Resolution Narrative detail 80s political context introduced Shaun is teased by Harvey about his flares escalates into fight gets corporal punishment Befriends Woody s group, bullied by Gadget, gets girlfriend (Smell). Gets head shaved by Lol Cynthia (Shaun s mum) warns group to look after him. Combo returns and spews extremist racist ideologies to the group Pukey, Gadget and Shaun join his nationalist gang. Woody, Milky and Lol distance themselves. Smell meets Cynthia. Combo s gang attends nationalist rallies. Combo s gang intimidate immigrant locals. Combo harasses Lol. Invites Milky over but then beats him almost to death. Shaun is horrified and leaves the group. Shaun reflects on missing his father who died in Falklands War with his mother Cynthia. Shaun throws St. George s Flag into the sea as a rejection of nationalism. Character Goals Obstacles Character Propp s Character type Shaun To fit in and be accepted into social groups To make his late father proud To get a girlfriend Bullied by Harvey, Gadget and Pukey Manipulated by Combo (nationalist extremist) Smell is too old for him (severe age gap) Shaun Protagonist (Anti-hero) Woody and Milky Group leaders Woody and Milky To grow up as a skinhead in a vibrant sub- culture To return of Combo from prison Gadget, Meggy, Banjo, Pukey Sidekicks Gadget, Meggy, Banjo, Pukey To fit in and be accepted into social groups Manipulated by Combo (nationalist extremist) Lol, Smell Princess Lol, Smell To enjoy life with Woody and gang To have a boyfriend Return of Combo from prison Shaun is too young for her Combo Antagonist Combo To build a nationalist army and demonise immigration Woody and gang increasingly perceive him as extreme. Political context 1983, Midlands, PM - Margaret Thatcher (Conservative), miner s strike, Battle of Orgreave, Falklands War. St. George s Flag adopted by Richard the Lionheart (ironically, St George was born in Palestine appropriated as nationalist symbol despite origin). Film soundtrack Ska/Reggae Shane Meadows (auteur) TwentyFourSeven, Dead Man s Shoes, Somer s Town, Once Upon a Time in the Midlands. Movement how the Skinhead movement when racist https://allthatsinteresting.com/skinheads-history Television Series 86, 88, 90 Kitchen sink social realism Ken Loach, Mike Leigh
THIS IS ENGLAND - IDEOLOGY Left Centre Centre-right Right Socialism Democratic Socialism Statism Social Democrat Libertarianism Socialism Liberalism Liberal Conservative Neoliberalism Libertarianism Traditional Conservative Capitalism Authoritarianism No such thing as the undeserving poor Liberty and equality Freedom of expression Identity politics New Labour Thatcherite Conservatism Free market economics Equality of opportunity but not of outcome Meritocracy Law, authority, hierarchy, tradition Pull yourself up by the bootstraps mentality War on drugs Military industrial complex (Neocon) Working class 80s culture Thatcher is a Twat graffiti rejection of Conservative ideology Meadows focuses on the marginalisation of working classes through meritocracy/glass ceiling Reflects on dangers of populist left and right rhetoric ivory towers Thatcher encouraging business start-ups and entrepreneurial self- employment Falklands War Extreme (Far) Trainspotting Example Postmodernism breaking the fourth wall direct address from Shaun at the New Equilbrium stage. Gritty kitchen sink realism (Loach, Leigh) representation of Midlands. Reggae/ska music representation of Skinhead scene. Auteur theory Shane Meadows. Post-Thatcherite counter-culture a rejection of the free market capitalist survival of the fittest paradigm there is no such thing as society . Fascism (right) Communism (left) Totalitarianism (centre) Anarchism (any) Fundamentalism (any) Neo-Nazi nationalist movement represented by Combo. Racist and xenophobic rabble-rousing. Violence against minority groups. Misogynistic behaviour.
Repair Climax Recognition Progressive Complication Tension Disruption Inciting Incident New Equilibrium Exposition New Equilibrium Resolution Time
CONTROL dictate NATIONALISM state focused AUTHORITARIAN anti-freedom NATIONAL COMMUNISM FASCISM FUNDAMENTALISM NATIONALISM COMMUNISM TOTALITARIANISM NATIONALISTIC SOCIALISM TRADITIONALISM REPRESENTATION Ideology AUTHORIT- ARIANISM STATISM CONSERVATISM SOCIALISM NEOLIBERALISM Right LEFt SOCIAL DEMOCRACY COMMUNITARIAN welfare of the people ECONOMY TARIAN welfare of the economy LIBERALISM PROGRESSIVISM DEMOCRATIC SOCIALISM LIBERTARIAN CAPITALISM LIBERTARIAN SOCIALISM LIBERTARIANISM ACTIVISM COMMUNISM ANARCHO- CAPITALISM ANARCHO- ANARCHO- SOCIALISM INDIVIDUALISM SYNDICALISM MUTUALISM ANARCHO- COLLECTIVISM ANARCHISM LIBERTARIAN freedom of the individual CHAOISM anti state CONNECT relate
Music video and postmodernism - the three minute culture the MTV generation length of peoples attention spans fast editing, intense imagery - Relevant theory: Lyotard/Baudrillard/Jameson structures of feeling and cultural logic - Guy Debord - Society of the spectacle overly visual culture that pursues high levels of stimulation Simulacra and Simulation (Baudrillard) - Blurred boundary between the real and imagined - Distinction between media and reality has collapsed - Reality defined by images and representations - This meta-conceptual realm is a form of hyper-reality - Deals with the ambiguity of polar opposites artifice and authenticity Modernism philosophical movement transformations of 20th century Western society rejected certainty of Enlightenment thinking and religious belief make it new stream-of- consciousness novel, abstract art, self-conscious style, experimental form, rejection of realism creative revolution (science, art, technology) power of human beings to create, improve and reshape environment progress and growth emphasised. Post-modernism as cultural production peaked, post-modernism became a new movement that critiqued the modernist era with scepticism, deconstruction and a post-structuralist mode of analysis it is marked by a cyclical return to previous styles but adding new contextual meaning through bricolage. Deconstructing picking apart media to find out the motive and purpose of a product, to the point of abstraction Subversive challenging the conventions of previous media anti- conformist in nature Hybridity the blurred boundary between high culture and popular culture genres blend, sources of influence vary media forms are juxtaposed Causality many stories no longer follow a structured cause-and-effect pattern but mess with linearity and consequence some stories decide to subvert the notion of meaning . Meta-narratives disjointed narrative structures that play with casuality and linearity usually associated itself with avant-garde movements. JEAN BAUDRILLARD What is post-modernism? Hall-of-mirrors/ paradoxical from Escher s drawn architectural illusions, to story-in-a-story-in-a-story narratives to oxymoronic notions such as loving hate ambiguity and illusion reigns in the post-modern world Hierarchies of taste - - Blurring of high and low culture to create new meaning Self-conscious one could argue that post-modern thinking is very narcissistic looking in on oneself, taking one out of an experience and into the theoretical conceptual art for conceptual art s sake (the Emperor s New Clothes effect) The zenith of cultural production culture eats itself everything has been made therefore, culture must remake itself in abstract and cyclical forms of self-reference - Many artistic products are are influenced by its predecessors to the point of parody, homage and intertextuality - anything can be art - Reflection of an alienated society personas and characters are reinvented (ie. Madonna, Michael Jackson, David Bowie) as the pursuit for identity subverts conventions Truth is merely a concept there is no right or wrong, merely interpretations propaganda or taste are the deciding factors regarding which truth prevails at any given time - Sense of reality dominated by media images - Cultural forms can no longer hold up a mirror to reality because reality itself is saturated by advertising, films, TV, video games and print media - Truth claims via images are more problematic thanks to Photoshop technology reality is distorted to either beautify or implicate, sometimes unrealistically - Mediation media reality is the new reality society must mediate between cultural forms in order to decide on the prevailing truth Bricolage - fusing two cultures can change its meaning punk socialists (particularly bands like The Clash) would have a very different ethos to swastika sporting neo- Nazi punks - Iconography can be adapted when combined with icons from another cultural expression, and therefore create a very new meaning
