The Mesmerist f rO M
s H a L LO W
O LY M P I C s , s P e L L . H e
Da N N Y
B u t
I s
G r aV e s
D O e s
W H e N
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a N D
B OY L e a
H a s
s K aG H e a D s P u t
t H e
W O r K I N G - C L a s s
B e C O M e s
a
tO
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W O r L D L a D
N at I O N a L
a N D
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fO rG e t
H I s
W H O
t r e a s u r e ?
anny Boyle has one gear: go. Call
Then the gold started flowing: box-office, Academy
it a running theme. Junkies sprinting
Awards, Olympics.
towards the camera, zombies hurtling after
them,
slumdogs
Ask the 56-year-old about the most extravagant
scrambling
thing he's ever bought himself and he'll tell you about
through the streets. When he shot a movie about
his sofa (“I've had it for 10 years, so it was well worth
a man stuck in a hole for a week, it exploded off the
it”). But just how far has Boyle's momentum taken him
blocks like a Pepsi Max advert.
from who he is? Can you still be a man of the people
“I love the way movies move forward all the
while you're spending – and earning – a fortune? “No.
time,” says Boyle. “They just keep in motion. There's
No, you can't," he shakes his head. "I've seen that
a forward momentum in them which is completely
written, but I would never describe myself like that.
life-affirming. That was the spirit of the opening
You can't. Your circumstances change and you can't
ceremony: a progressive nation, moving forward.”
pretend to know what it is to be impoverished.” But no matter how high he flies, Boyle always seems to find the pulse of the people. Two decades ago, Trainspotting hit the main vein of British culture
Is this the life-thrust that's carried Brit film's local
to send cinema-goers rolling. Five years ago, Slumdog
hero to such astonishing successes? Prepped for the
Millionaire won Hollywood hearts and minds
priesthood before joining the church of cinema (“It's
to own the Oscars. And his epic, playful, spectacular
basically the same job – poncing around, telling
Olympic opener wowed an audience of more than
people what to think”), this son of a labourer and
a billion people.
a dinner lady grew up sharing a bedroom with his two
“If you don't allow yourself to be totally seduced
sisters in a Lancashire council house and began his
by the other world which opens to you – which
career as a truck-driver for a London theatre company.
is money and business-class air fares and
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