The movie Danny Boyle calls “one of the most beautiful films I’ve ever seen”
Danny Boyle has left a distinctive mark on British cinema since he emerged in the 1990s as one of the country’s most promising young filmmakers. Having secured his start as a theatre and television director, Boyle made his feature debut in 1994 with Shallow Grave.
The dark comedy features Ewan McGregor, whom he would come to collaborate with again for Trainspotting, and follows a group of university students who find themselves wrapped up in crime after their new flatmate mysteriously dies.
While Shallow Grave was successful, it was Trainspotting that really put Boyle on the map. Released in 1996, the film was highly lauded for its depiction of working-class characters struggling with heroin abuse, utilising a mixture of harrowing moments with highly comedic scenes. Boyle’s first few feature films demonstrated his ability to expertly inject humour into dire and hopeless situations, and as a result, his work has gained a dedicated cult following.
From 28 Days Later to Slumdog Millionaire and 127 Hours, Boyle has found significant success as one of Britain’s leading filmmakers, even directing the 2012 London Olympics opening ceremony.
Discussing the visionaries to have inspired him over the years, Boyle has cited Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocolypse Now as the reason he first fell in love with cinema, selecting it as his all-time favourite movie. However, also making his top five is The Bicycle Thieves by Vittorio De Sica, a key work of Italian neorealism.
Boyle called it “the most beautiful film about a father and a son that I’ve ever seen,” adding, “Do not be put off by the fact it’s black and white or in Italian. It’s the most beautiful film.”
De Sica’s film was released in 1948 and follows a man who tries to find work to provide for his poverty-stricken family. After landing a job that requires using his bicycle, he is left in a tricky situation after his mode of transport gets stolen. De Sica’s potent portrayal of economic hardship, determination and family is simply beautiful, depicting the man and his son’s quest to retrieve the stolen bicycle.
The movie was adapted from the book of the same name by Luigi Bartolini and was instantly lauded. The Italian neorealist movement prioritised stories highlighting those living on the margins, such as working-class characters like those in Bicycle Thieves, subsequently becoming a massive source of inspiration for future filmmakers who set out to tell honest stories about underrepresented groups.
Social realist movies bear the influence of Italian Neorealism, and while Boyle’s movies are not classified as social realist, they often contain many elements of the genre, as best evidenced by the themes of Trainspotting. Boyle’s love for naturalistic stories like Bicycle Thieves definitely makes its way into his own work, forming part of his huge collection of cinematic influences.
