Trainspotting (film)

What are examples of allusion in the motion picture, Trainspotting?

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One example of allusion in the film can be found in its numerous references to the Beatles. A careful viewer can spot many fun instances of this. For example, in one scene, store detectives chase Renton down the street for stealing; this is very similar to a scene in the film A Hard Day's Night (1964), in which the Beatles are mercilessly pursued by fans. As the main characters watch a passing train at the beginning of the film, Boyle has them sit in the same formation as the Beatles on the back cover of their album Sgt. Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band. Similarly, when Renton and his friends cross the road and enter the hotel in London, the scene resembles the picture of the Beatles on the cover of the album Abbey Road. Finally, Renton and his friends go to an establishment called Mother Superior's to buy and shoot heroin. The name "Mother Superior" references lines in the song "Happiness is a Warm Gun," in which the Beatles sing, "Mother Superior jumped the gun," and "I need a hit 'cause I'm going down."

Source(s)

Trainspotting, BookRags