Revival House to screen ‘Trainspotting’ April 18

As part of the Revival House’s salute to the best of British comedy, “Trainspotting” will return to the Milton Theatre at 7 p.m., Thursday, April 18.

“Trainspotting” launched the career of Oscar-winning director  Danny Boyle, known for “Slumdog Millionaire” and “28 Days Later.” The cast includes Ewan McGregor, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle and Kelly Macdonald, and the film was on the front line of the new generation of independent filmmaking.

Based on the novel from cult writer Irvine Welsh, the film focuses on a ragtag group of youths in an economically depressed area in Edinburgh who are trying to break away from the urban poverty, rampant drug abuse and general squalor of their lives.

McGregor leads the cast as Renton, a Scottish youth seeking to escape his heroin addiction and the dangers of life with his friends also caught up in the lifestyle. They include Spud (played by Ewen Bremner), Sick Boy (played by Miller), Begbie (played by Carlyle), Tommy (played by McKidd) and Diane (played by Macdonald). The frenetic film is filled with gut-busting humor, wrenching drama and flashes of nightmarish visions, never losing its pulsating, hypnotic beat.

Originally released in 1996, the film was misinterpreted by some in the U.S., who claimed it glorified drug use. However, it earned screenwriter John Hodge an Academy Award nomination and had an immediate impact on pop culture.

Its two soundtracks also went on to become two of the best-selling albums of all time. Its score blended pop music from the ‘70s, such as Iggy Pop and Velvet Underground, with current British bands such as Blur and Pulp, and techno music of the time from Bedrock and Ice MC.

Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for students and seniors. The film is rated R, so those younger than 17 must be accompanied by an adult. For more information or to purchase tickets in advance, go to www.revivialhousetheater.com or www.miltontheatre.com.