Ewan McGregor

Scottish actor Ewan McGregor (1971) first received worldwide acclaim with his role as heroin addict Mark Renton in Trainspotting (1996). Later, he played the young Obi-Wan in the Star Wars prequel trilogy and poet Christian in the musical Moulin Rouge! (2001).


British postcard by Editions Limited, no. PRT-019.


French promotion card by Cardcom. Photo: Liam Longman for Polygram Film Distribution. Promotion for Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996).


British double card by Danilo, London, no. SW032. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-138. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Energetic, powerful and photogenic

Ewan Gordan McGregor was born in 1971 in Crieff, Scotland, just a few miles north of Edinburgh. His parents were the schoolteachers James Charles Stuart McGregor and Carole Diane Lawson. His uncle is actor Denis Lawson. He also has a brother Colin, who became an RAF pilot. As a child, Ewan did little acting, but enjoyed singing, and became a soloist for his school's orchestra and choir. At age 16, he left Morrison Academy in Crieff to join the Perth Repertory Theatre. His parents encouraged him to leave school and pursue his acting goals rather than be unhappy. Ewan worked as a stagehand and had small roles in the productions of the Perth Repertory Theatre. Then, he studied for three years at the Guildhall School of Music and Drama in London.

Six months prior to his graduation from Guildhall, he landed a major role as Private Mick Hopper in the excellent TV series Lipstick on Your Collar (Renny Rye, 1993), written by Dennis Potter. McGregor then starred in the miniseries The Scarlet & The Black (Ben Bolt, 1993), an adaptation of Henri Beyle Stendhal's 1830 novel. In that same year, McGregor made his film debut with a bit part in the American drama Being Human (Bill Forsyth, 1993), which starred Robin Williams. The film undeservedly flopped and closed almost as soon as it opened, which limited McGregor's exposure. He continued to make television appearances in the United States and Britain, including Family Style (Justin Chadwick, 1993), Doggin' Around (Desmond Davis, 1994) and an episode of the crime series Kavanagh QC (Colin Gregg, 1995).

He got his first major film role in the Noir Shallow Grave (Danny Boyle, 1994), which was received well by critics. Samuli Launonen at IMDb: “A great modern thriller containing all the necessary ingredients of a decent suspense story: constantly growing tension, sly humour, and genuinely surprising plot twists. (…) The three leads are all great, but there's no question about who the movie belongs to: Ewan McGregor is energetic, powerful and photogenic in his portrayal of a young journalist.” In 1995, McGregor married, French production designer Eve Mavrakis. He continued to work in British films as the surfing parable Blue Juice (Carl Prechezer, 1995) with Catherine Zeta-Jones, and Peter Greenaway's The Pillow Book (1996).

Then he had his big break with Trainspotting (1996), his second film with director Danny Boyle. McGregor shaved his head and lost 30 lbs to play the main character and heroin addict Mark Renton. The film, an adaptation of Irvine Welsh's novel, and McGregor's role received worldwide critical acclaim. Following this success, he took a completely different role as Frank Churchill in the Jane Austen adaptation Emma (Douglas McGrath, 1996), starring Gwyneth Paltrow. His next films included Brassed Off (Mark Herman, 1996), The Serpent's Kiss (Philippe Rousselot, 1997), A Life Less Ordinary (Danny Boyle, 1997), and Nightwatch (Ole Bornedal, 1998). He also acted opposite Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Christian Bale in Velvet Goldmine (Todd Haynes, 1999), as a 1970s-era glam rocker in the mode of Iggy Pop.

Ewan McGregor landed the largest role of his career when he signed on in 1998 as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the Star Wars prequel trilogy. McGregor already had a connection with the iconic movie series as his uncle, Denis Lawson, appeared as Wedge Antilles in the original three films. He studied Alec Guinness' films in preparation for his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi to ensure accuracy in everything from his accent to the pacing of his words. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999) was a box-office blockbuster, which launched the then 28-year-old actor into mega-stardom. The next two instalments of the trilogy would follow years later.


British postcard by Heroes Publishing Ltd., London, no. SFC 3096.


British postcard by Pyramid, Leicester, no. PC 2111.


British postcard by Anabas, Essex, no. AP 749, 1999.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-035. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Another challenging role

In the early 21st century, Ewan McGregor started his own production company called Natural Nylon. He founded it with fellow actors Jude Law, Sadie Frost, Jonny Lee Miller and Sean Pertwee. The group's first film was the biopic Nora (Pat Murphy, 2000), which dramatised the real-life relationship between Irish author James Joyce and Nora Barnacle. McGregor starred as Joyce opposite Susan Lynch as Barnacle. McGregor took on another challenging role in the musical Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2000), set in Paris in 1899. McGregor starred as the young poet Christian, who falls in love with the terminally-ill courtesan Satine, played by Nicole Kidman.

Perry Seibert at AllMovie: “A bold artistic statement, Moulin Rouge is Baz Luhrmann's first masterpiece. Frantically edited, paced, and photographed, the film is not an easy undertaking; it forces the viewer to accept it on its terms. The sets, costumes, and sound are stylish in the extreme. The greatest risk the film takes is having the characters speak predominantly in song lyrics. The young writer Christian (Ewan McGregor) and the doomed performer Satine (Nicole Kidman) argue about whether they will fall in love while telling each other, 'Love lifts us up where we belong' and 'I will always love you.' When they aren't speaking in song lyrics, they sing to each other, with McGregor doing a better than credible job with Elton John's 'Your Song'.”

McGregor was nominated for a Golden Globe Award for Best Actor for his part and a Screen Actors Guild Award for Outstanding Performance by a Cast. Later that same year, the war film Black Hawk Down (Ridley Scott, 2001) was released with McGregor among an ensemble cast. He continued his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the second film of the trilogy, Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clone (George Lucas, 2002), which was another commercial success.

McGregor was able to parlay his popularity into many more films. When Tim Burton was looking for someone in McGregor's age range to play Albert Finney as a young man in the fantasy film Big Fish (2003), he was given the part. The film was a critical and commercial success as well. McGregor also starred in the drama Young Adam (David Mackenzie, 2003). He played Joe Taylor, one of two barge workers who pull up the corpse of a young woman from a river. Also that year, McGregor and Renée Zellweger starred in Down With Love (Peyton Reed, 2003), a homage to 1960s romantic comedies.

In 2004, McGregor and his best friend Charley Boorman created a documentary about riding their motorcycles from London to New York. The pair travelled east through Europe and Asia and then flew to Alaska to finish the journey to New York. The entire journey, entitled Long Way Round, covered over 19,000 miles and 12 countries. The project was conceived partly to raise awareness of the worldwide efforts of UNICEF. McGregor reprised his role as Obi-Wan Kenobi for the final time in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005). He also lent his voice to the animated family film Robots (Chris Wedge, Carlos Saldanha, 2005), starred with Scarlett Johansson in the big-budget Sci-Fi actioner The Island (Michael Bay, 2005), and filmed the psychological thriller Stay (Marc Forster, 2005).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-015. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan-Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-003. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks and Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-020. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-027. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Amazingly good

After multiple commercial and critical successes, Ewan McGregor tried his hand at two arthouse films in 2006. His first was Scenes of a Sexual Nature, Ed Blum's directorial debut about a day in the life of seven British couples. The second was Miss Potter (Chris Noonan, 2007), a biopic on the life of popular author Beatrix Potter (Renée Zellweger). McGregor portrays Norman, her editor and paramour. He also tried his hand at stage acting. From 2005 to 2007 he played Sky Masterson in the revival of Guys & Dolls at London's Piccadilly Theatre, and for this part, he was nominated for a Laurence Olivier Award for Best Actor in a Musical in 2007. He also appeared on stage as Iago in Othello (2007–2008).

In between, McGregor and Boorman created a follow-up documentary to their 2004 trip. For Long Way Down (2007), they rode their motorcycles from John o' Groats in northern Scotland to Cape Town, South Africa. Next, he appeared in the films Cassandra's Dream (Woody Allen, 2007) with Colin Farrell, Incendiary (Sharon Maguire, 2008) and Deception (Marcel Langenegger, 2008) with Hugh Jackman. McGregor starred with Jim Carrey as a gay couple in I Love You Phillip Morris (Glenn Ficarra, John Requa, 2009), and appeared in the blockbuster Angels & Demons (Ron Howard, 2009), the sequel to the popular Dan Brown novel and film, The DaVinci Code. For the title role in Roman Polanski's The Ghost Writer (2010), he won the Best Actor award at the 23rd European Film Awards.

Bruce Eder at AllMovie: “McGregor is amazingly good in a role that gives him relatively little to work with - he is a character that not only has no name, but no past to speak of and no family entanglements, so his experience shouldn't resonate much with the audience. But what should become a cipher that few can penetrate instead becomes a kind of big-screen everyman for audience members to relate to - up to a point. This is a very cold movie at its centre, very distant, despite McGregor's success at fleshing out a character that is hardly more than a skeleton, in terms of what he brings to us. He's just vulnerable enough, and surprised and sceptical enough - about what he's been asked to do, and the world of politics to which he's been asked to enter - to give us something to grab on to.”

His later films include Beginners (Mike Mills, 2010), Perfect Sense (David Mackenzie, 2011) opposite Eva Green, the British romantic comedy-drama Salmon Fishing in the Yemen (Lasse Hallström, 2011), Lo imposible (J.A. Bayona, 2012), and August: Osage County (John Wells, 2013). He was awarded the OBE (Officer of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2013 Queen's New Years Honours List for his services to drama and charity. Ewan McGregor and his wife have three daughters: Clara Mathilde (1996), Esther Rose (2001), and 4-year-old Jamiyan adopted from Mongolia in 2006. He became an American citizen in 2016. 

His more recent films include the Miles Davis biopic Miles Ahead (Don Cheadle, 2015) and the British thriller Our Kind of Traitor (Susanna White, 2016). He returned as Mark Renton in T2: Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 2017). On TV he starred in the third season of the hit series Fargo (2017). In 2019, McGregor starred as the older Danny Torrance in Doctor Sleep (Mike Flanagan, 2019), the film adaptation of Stephen King's novel of the same name. In 2021, McGregor created a charismatic portrait of the American fashion designer Halston in the Netflix miniseries Halston (Daniel Minahan, 2021), based on the biography 'Simply Halston' by journalist Steven Gaines. McGregor was also billed as executive producer, jointly with Ryan Murphy.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-002. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


British postcard by Go Card. Photo: 20th Century Fox. Publicity still for Moulin Rouge! (Baz Luhrmann, 2001)


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-117. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


Trailer Trainspotting (1996). Source: Movieclips Trailer Vault (YouTube).


Trailer Moulin Rouge! (2001). Source: Athena Stamos (YouTube).


Trailer The Ghost Writer (2010). Source: Movieclips Trailer Vault (YouTube).

Sources: Samuli Launonen (IMDb), Perry Seibert (AllMovie), Bruce Eder (AllMovie), Biography.com, AllMovie, Wikipedia and IMDb.

Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (2005)

The American film Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005) is the third part of the Star Wars saga. George Lucas who directed the film from his own screenplay comes full circle with the sixth - and allegedly but not necessarily the last - of the Star Wars films. It is a return to the classic space opera style that launched the series. In Episode III we learn how and why the brave and handsome Anakin was transformed into a dark, cloaked figure with a fearsome black metal face.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-136. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker and Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-115. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-117. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Going the way of the dark side

The universe has changed after three years of devastating Clone Wars. Anakin Skywalker (Hayden Christensen) and Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) have become legendary heroes in their fight against the Separatists' Battle Droid. When the Separatists kidnap Chancellor Palpatine (Ian McDiarmid), Obi-Wan and Anakin go to free him in the spaceship Invisible Hand, which also involves a fierce space battle in space.

After Count Dooku (Christopher Lee) tosses Obi-Wan aside unconscious, he plays with Anakin, who chops off Dooku's hands and then grabs his light sabre. Chancellor Palpatine tells him to kill Dooku. When Anakin says that's not the Jedi way, Palpatine tells him to do it. Skywalker beheads the Sith Lord, taking another step towards the Dark Side.

Anakin and Obi-Wan rescue the Chancellor. However, the spaceship Invisible Hand crashes on the planet Coruscant. Anakin and Padmé Amidala, secretly married, have been separated by the war for months. When Anakin goes to the Jedi Temple, he is reunited with his wife Padmé (Natalie Portman). She is pregnant with Anakin. From then on, he is plagued by nightmares about Padmé's death during the birth of their child. He is determined to prevent this, as he has already lost his mother too.

Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin that he will allow him to sit on the Jedi Council and become a Jedi Master. Anakin is allowed by the Jedi Council to belong to them but is not allowed to become a Jedi Master. Still, Anakin does get nightmares about Padmé every time and decides to visit the Chancellor again in the Galactic Opera House. Chancellor Palpatine tells Anakin that only the Dark Force can save his wife Padmé, and mentions the example of Darth Plagueis, a Sith master who could create life using the so-called midi-chlorians.

Palpatine also tells Anakin that General Grievous is on the planet Utapau. This, in turn, Anakin later tells Obi-Wan. Palpatine reveals to Anakin that he is the Sith Lord the Jedi were looking for, namely Darth Sidious. Only through the Dark Side can life be created, therefore Anakin must then become his apprentice and go the way of the Dark Side...


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-118. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-128. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-129. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ian McDiarmid as Darth Sidious in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-130. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005). Caption: Padmé Amidala in senate.

The Force is in a jollier mood this time

In 2003 and 2004, George Lucas began turning his original story, which he had already written in 1973, into a screenplay. Playwright Tom Stoppard also helped with the screenplay as a ghostwriter for Lucas. The title of the film was the subject of many rumours at the beginning such as 'Rise of the Empire', 'The Creeping Fear' and 'Birth of the Empire'.

Actors Hayden Christensen and Ewan McGregor practised together for months before their lightsaber duel. As in the previous film, the two actors did all their fighting themselves. Because of their training, the speed at which they are seen fighting in the film is actually the speed at which the scene was shot, and the action has not been sped up later. In fact, the final scene of the film had already been shot during the filming of Star Wars: Episode II - Attack of the Clones in 2000.

The film itself was shot almost entirely at Fox Studios Australia in Sydney. Revenge of the Sith is the first Star Wars film to feature both Darth Vader in his full costume, and his alter-ego Anakin Skywalker both, and also both played by the same actor. Initially, the plan was to just have a random actor wear the Darth Vader costume, but according to his own account, Christensen begged Lucas to play the role himself. The film score was again composed by John Williams. He also conducted the London Symphony Orchestra and London Voices when they performed the soundtrack.

Reactions to the film, especially compared to the previous two films, were relatively positive. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film three-and-a-half out of four stars, writing "If [Lucas] got bogged down in solemnity and theory in Episode II: Attack of the Clones, the Force is in a jollier mood this time, and Revenge of the Sith is a great entertainment". Some critics called the film the best of the prequels, and others called it the best Star Wars film since Star Wars: Episode V- The Empire Strikes Back.

One point that still drew criticism was the dialogue, especially in the romantic scenes with Anakin and Padmé. Roger Ebert: "The characters talk in what sounds like Basic English, without color, wit or verbal delight, as if they were channeling Berlitz." Star Wars: Episode 3 - Revenge of the Sith grossed $850 million worldwide, making it the second-best-grossing film of 2005. Ebert concludes in his review: "George Lucas has achieved what few artists do; he has created and populated a world of his own. His "Star Wars" movies are among the most influential, both technically and commercially, ever made. And they are fun."


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-132. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-134. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ian McDiarmid as Chancellor Palpatine in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-138. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).


French postcard by Sonis, no. C 1611. Photo: Lucasfilm. Hayden Christensen in Star Wars: Episode III - Revenge of the Sith (George Lucas, 2005).

Sources: Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert.com), Wikipedia (Dutch and English) and IMDb.

Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (1999)

George Lucas's epic space opera Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace (1999) is the fourth film in the Star Wars film series and set 32 years before the original trilogy, during the era of the Galactic Republic. It is the first film of the prequel trilogy and the first chronological chapter of the "Skywalker Saga". The film stars Liam Neeson, Ewan McGregor, Natalie Portman and the young Jake Lloyd.


British double card by Danilo, London, no. SW032. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


British double card by Danilo, London, no. SW039. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-048. Photo: Lucasfilm / 20th Century Fox. Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-015. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan-Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-016. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

A young boy, known as Anakin Skywalker

The evil Trade Federation, led by Nute Gunray, creates turmoil in the Galactic Republic by blockading the planet Naboo in protest of recent legislation taxing major galactic trade routes.

Jedi Knights Qui-Gon Jinn (Liam Neeson) and his apprentice Obi-Wan Kenobi (Ewan McGregor) are sent to confront the leaders. Darth Sidious (Ian McDiarmid), a Sith Lord and the Trade Federation's secret benefactor, orders the Viceroy to kill the Jedi and begin an invasion with an army of battle droids, but the Jedi escape and flee to Naboo.

Along with their new Gungan friend, Jar Jar Binks (Ahmed Best), they head to Naboo to warn Queen Padmé Amidala of Naboo (Natalie Portman), but droids have already started to capture Naboo and the Queen is not safe there. Eventually, they land on Tatooine, where they become friends with a young boy known as Anakin Skywalker (Jake Lloyd).

Qui-Gon is curious about the boy and sees a bright future for him. The group must now find a way of getting to Coruscant and finally solve this trade dispute, but there is someone else hiding in the shadows.

Are the Sith really extinct? Is the Queen really who she says she is? And what's so special about this young boy? May he bring balance to the Force?


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-001. Photo: Lucasfilm. Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-002. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-003. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi, Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks and Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-005. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks, Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Natalie Portman as Padmé in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

The action is constantly exhilarating

Following the release of Episode 6 of the Star Wars saga, Return of the Jedi (Christian Marquand, 1980), talks of a follow-up were proposed, but George Lucas was unmotivated to return to the franchise. During the hiatus, the backstories he created for the characters, particularly Anakin's own backstory, sparked interest in him to develop a prequel trilogy during the 1990s.

After he determined that computer-generated imagery (CGI) had advanced to the level he wanted for the prequel trilogy's visual effects, Lucas began writing The Phantom Menace in 1993, and production began in 1994.

Filming started in 1997 — at locations including Leavesden Film Studios and the Tunisian desert. The film marked Lucas' first directorial effort after a 22-year hiatus following the original Star Wars (1977). The film's premiere in 1999 was extensively covered by the media and was widely anticipated because of the large cultural following the Star Wars saga had cultivated.

Upon its release, the film received mixed reviews. Star Wars: Episode 1- The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999) is worth a watch, but it is one of the weaker episodes of the Star Wars saga. On a visual and technical level, it looks terrific, with splendid special effects, stunning cinematography and fine scenery and costumes. The script is fairly decent, but lacks the sophistication of Star Wars - A New Hope (1977) or Return of the Jedi (1980), but does have some memorable lines.

The action is constantly exhilarating, and Darth Maul, well-played by Ray Park is a very good villain. Most of the performances are very good, especially Natalie Portman as Queen Padmé who looked stunning and Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker who shone with his confident charm. And the music score by John Williams was outstanding, definitely one of his best works.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-014. Photo: Lucasfilm. Samuel Jackson as Mace Windu in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-020. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn and Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 490-027. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi and Ahmed Best as Jar Jar Binks in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


Spanish postcard by Postalfree. Photo: Lucasfilm. Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Their energy, their sense of fun, their colourful inventions and their state-of-the-art special effects

Bethany Cox at IMDb: "However, there were things about this film that did disappoint. One is despite the awesome visuals, strong music score and good characters, the story never quite distinguished itself. It did take a while to get going, and when it did try to get going and you could tell it wanted to, it was further disadvantaged by the uneven pacing."

Roger Ebert: "If it were the first "Star Wars" movie, "The Phantom Menace" would be hailed as a visionary breakthrough. But this is the fourth movie of the famous series, and we think we know the territory; many of the early reviews have been blase, paying lip service to the visuals and wondering why the characters aren't better developed. How quickly do we grow accustomed to wonders.

(...) the stories of the "Star Wars" movies have always been space operas, and that the importance of the movies comes from their energy, their sense of fun, their colorful inventions and their state-of-the-art special effects. I do not attend with the hope of gaining insights into human behavior. Unlike many movies, these are made to be looked at more than listened to, and George Lucas and his collaborators have filled "The Phantom Menace" with wonderful visuals."

Despite the mixed reception, The Phantom Menace was a box-office success and broke numerous box-office records during its debut. It grossed more than $924.3 million worldwide during its initial theatrical run, becoming the highest-grossing film of 1999, the second-highest-grossing film worldwide and in North America (behind Titanic), and the highest-grossing Star Wars film at the time (inflation notwithstanding).

A 3D reissue, which earned an additional $102.7 million and brought the film's overall worldwide takings to over $1 billion, was released in 2012.


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-002. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-004. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Queen Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-017. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-039. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-029. Photo: Lucasfilm. Jake Lloyd as Anakin Skywalker in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-032. Photo: Lucasfilm. Natalie Portman as Queen Padmé Amidala in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-035. Photo: Lucasfilm. Ewan McGregor as Obi-Wan Kenobi in Star Wars: Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).


American postcard by Classico San Francisco, no. 106-039. Photo: Lucasfilm. Liam Neeson as Qui-Gon Jinn in Star Wars - Episode I - The Phantom Menace (George Lucas, 1999).

Sources: Bethany Cox (IMDb), Roger Ebert (Roger Ebert.com), Wikipedia and IMDb.

Trainspotting (1996)

Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996) is a British black comedy film starring Ewan McGregor, Ewen Bremner, Jonny Lee Miller, Kevin McKidd, Robert Carlyle, and Kelly Macdonald in her acting debut. It was one of the most popular and controversial British films of the 1990s. John Hodge received an Academy Award nomination for his screenplay based on the novel of the same name by Irvine Welsh.


French promotion card by Cardcom. Photo: Liam Longman for PolyGram Film Distribution. Promotion for Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996).


French promotion card by Cardcom. Photo: Liam Longman for PolyGram Film Distribution. Promotion for Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996).

A twisting, riff-filled, almost plot-free story

Trainspotting (1996) follows a group of heroin addicts in an economically depressed area of Edinburgh and their passage through life.

The film focuses on Mark Renton (Ewan McGregor) and his attempt to give up his heroin habit. Renton's two best friends are also junkies: Sick Boy (Jonny Lee Miller), a snappy dresser obsessed with James Bond, and Spud (Ewan Bremner), a guileless nerd who suggests Pee Wee Herman's debauched cousin.

Renton and his pals also hang out with Begbie (Robert Carlyle), a borderline psychotic who loathes junkies even though he drinks like a fish. After one too many brushes with the law, Renton kicks heroin and moves to London, where he finds a job, a flat, and something close to peace of mind.

However, Sick Boy, Begbie, and Spud all arrive at his doorstep on the trail of a big score, leading Renton back into drugs and crime.

Rebecca Flint Marx at AllMovie: "A twisting, riff-filled, almost plot-free story, Irvine Welsh's novel was almost unfilmable in its original form. The screen adaptation successfully streamlined Welsh's ungainly material into a slick social commentary that smoothed the book's rough edges without losing its vitriol and insight. Trainspotting is not merely about drug addiction, but about the relationship between wasted youth and the spiritually bankrupt society that has alienated them."


French promotion card by Cardcom. Photo: Liam Longman for PolyGram Film Distribution. Promotion for Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996).


French promotion card by Cardcom. Photo: Liam Longman for PolyGram Film Distribution. Promotion for Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996).

A must-have on every student's bedroom wall

Producer Andrew MacDonald worked with Miramax Films to sell Trainspotting as a British Pulp Fiction.

They flooded the market with postcards, posters, books, soundtrack albums and a revamped music video for Lust for Life by Iggy Pop directed by Boyle. The poster became a must-have on every student's bedroom wall.

PolyGram Filmed Entertainment, the company responsible for the distribution of the film launched a publicity campaign of half as much as the film's production costs (£850,000) in the UK alone, making the film stand out more as a Hollywood blockbuster rather than a smaller European production.

Trainspotting was able to portray itself as British and as an 'exotic' element to the international market while also staying relevant to the American public, making it an international success in its marketing.

Trainspotting was screened at the 1996 Cannes Film Festival but was shown out of competition, according to the filmmakers, due to its subject. It went on to become the festival's one unqualified critical and popular hit.

The film was nominated for two British Academy Film Awards in 1996, Best British Film and John Hodge for Best Adapted Screenplay. Hodge won in his category. Hodge was also nominated for an Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay but lost to Billy Bob Thornton's Sling Blade.

Trainspotting has been ranked 10th by the British Film Institute (BFI) in its list of Top 100 British films of the 20th century. In 2004 the film was voted the best Scottish film of all time in a general public poll. In 2017 a poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for Time Out magazine ranked it the 10th best British film ever.

A sequel, T2 Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 2017), was released in January 2017. After 20 years abroad, Mark Renton returns to Scotland and reunites with his old friends Sick Boy, Spud, and Begbie...


Ewan McGregor. French promotion card by Cardcom. Photo: Liam Longman for Polygram Film Distribution. Promotion for Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996).


French promotion card by PRO MC Freecards France, 1997. Photos: Liam Longman for Polygram Vidéo S.A., Paris. Promotion for Trainspotting (Danny Boyle, 1996).

Sources: Rebecca Flint Marx (AllMovie), AllMovie, Wikipedia and IMDb.