Here are the facts to the Trainspotting dubbing controversy:
- The opening monologue by Renton (Ewan McGregor) was re-dubbed by the actor because the Scottish brogue was thought too
thick for Americans unfamiliar with the accent.
- Two shots were voluntarily cut from the film by Danny Boyle at the request of the Motion Picture Association of America, who
would not give the film a much-desired "R" rating with those scenes intact. They were shots of a woman "having too much fun"
during sex, and a needle's-eye view of an injection.
Contrary to popular belief, no other parts of the film were dubbed by other actors except for the opening bits.
Famoush Quotsh from Trainshpotting
Renton: Relinquishing junk. Stage one, preparation. For this you will need one room which you
will not leave. Soothing music. Tomato soup, ten tins of. Mushroom soup, eight tins of, for
consumption cold. Ice cream, vanilla, one large tub of. Magnesia, milk of, one bottle.
Paracetomal, mouthwash, vitamins. Mineral water, Lucozade, pornography. One mattress. One
bucket for urine, one for feces and one for vomitus. One television and one bottle of Valium.
Which I've already procured from my mother. Who is, in her own domestic and socially
acceptable way also a drug addict. And now I'm ready. All I need is one final hit to soothe the
pain while the Valium takes effect.
Renton: Excuse me, excuse me. I don't mean to harass you, but I was very impressed with the
capable and stylish manner in which you dealt with that situation. And I was thinking to myself,
now this girl's special.
Diane: Thanks.
Renton: What's your name?
Diane: Diane.
Renton: And where are you going, Diane?
Diane: I'm going home.
Renton:Well, where's that?
Diane: It's where I live.
Renton: Great.
Diane: Why?
Renton: Well, I'll come back with you if you like, but like, I'm not promising anything, you
know
Diane: Do you find that this approach usually works? Or let me guess, you've never tried it
before. In fact, you don't normally approach girls -- am I right? The truth is that you're a quiet
sensitive type but, if I'm prepared to take a chance, I might just get to know the inner you. Taxi! A
little bit crazy, a little bit bad. But hey -- don't us girls just love that?
Renton: Eh?
Diane:Well, what's wrong boy -- cat got your tongue?
Renton: Now I've justified this to myself in all sorts of ways. It wasn't a big deal, just a minor
betrayal. Or we'd outgrown each other, you know, that sort of thing. But let's face it, I ripped
them off-- my so called mates. But Begbie, I couldn't give a shit about him. And Sick Boy, well
he'd done the same to me, if he'd only thought of it first. And Spud, well okay, I felt sorry for
Spud -- he never hurt anybody. So why did I do it? I could offer a million answers -- all false.
The truth is that I'm a bad person. But, that's gonna change -- I'm going to chage. This is the last
of that sort of thing. Now I'm cleaing up and I'm moving on, going straight and choosing life. I'm
looking forward to it already. I'm gonna be just like you.The job, the family, the fucking big
television. The washing machine, the car, the compact disc and electric tin opener, good health,
low cholesterol, dental insurance, mortgage, starter home, leisure wear, luggage, three piece suite,
DIY, game shows, junk food, children, walks in the park, nine to five, good at golf, washing the
car, choice of sweaters, family Christmas, indexed pension, tax exemption clearing gutters,
getting by, looking ahead, the day you die.
Renton: People think it's all about misery and desperation and death and all that shit which is not
to be ignored, but what they forget is the pleasure of it. Otherwise we wouldn't do it. After all,
we're not fucking stupid.
Tommy: Useless motherfucker -- THAT'S what she called me! "It's either ME or Iggy Pop!"
she says.
Spud: So what're you gonna do?
Tommy: Well I already bought the fucking tickets!
Renton: Who needs reasons when you've got heroin?
Tommy:Doesn't it make you proud to be Scottish?
Renton: I hate being Scottish. We're the lowest of the low. Most people hate the English. I don't.
They're just wankers. We're colonised by wankers. We couldn't even find a decent race to be
colonised by. It's a shite state of affairs to be in, and no amount of fresh air is ever going to
change that.
Renton: 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 DIY and wondering who the fuck you are on a Sunday morning. Choose sitting
on that couch watching mind-numbing, spirit crushing game shows, stuffing junk food into your
mouth. Choose rotting away at the end of it all, pishing your last in a miserable home, nothing
more than an embarrassment to the selfish, fucked up brats you spawned to replace yourself.
Choose a future. Choose life... But why would I want to do a thing like that?
Sick Boy:Do you shee the beasht? Have you got it in your shights?
Renton:Clear enough, Mish Moneypenny.
Rents: Sick Boy's always been lacking in moral fiber
Swanny: He knows a lot about Sean Connery
Rents: That's hardly a subsitute
Diane: "You can't sit around all day with your heroin and listening to Ziggy Pop."
Rents: "It's Iggy Pop."
Diane: "Whatever, the guy's dead anyway."
Rents: "Iggy Pop is not dead. He toured last year. Tommy went to see him."
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