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Danny Boyle
In His Own Words
Danny Boyle: In His Own Words. Farrar, Straus and Giroux Publishing
Danny Boyle’s journey to Oscar® night began in 1956 when he was born into a very strict Catholic working-class family in Lancashire. After a career in the theater—working for such esteemed companies as Joint Stock and the Royal Court—Boyle talked his way into a job at the BBC. There he produced Alan Clarke’s Elephant and directed the critically acclaimed miniseries Mr. Wroe’s Virgins.
In the mid-nineties, Boyle woke British film up from a post-Thatcher stupor with Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. A breathtaking visual stylist who believes British cinema can be populist and should be visceral, Boyle often creates his best work under a tight budget and near-impossible working conditions. A great believer in the filmmaking process as a collaborative experience, Boyle as director is equally defined by his relentless energy and enthusiasm—whether on the set of the heroin-soaked Trainspotting, in the backstreets of Mumbai in Slumdog Millionaire, or in the depths of outer space in Sunshine.
Boyle is unafraid to experiment with genres: the twisted rom-com A Life Less Ordinary was followed by the utopian nightmare The Beach, and the apocalyptic horror flick 28 Days Later by the gentle kids’ drama Millions. Yet no one was more surprised than Boyle by the unstoppable Slumdog Millionaire. It won eight Oscars®, four Golden Globes, and seven BAFTAs, yet almost didn’t secure an international release. As one of the leading directors of his generation, Boyle has confounded expectations again with 127 Hours, the true story of an American mountaineer forced to amputate his arm with a blunt knife.
Within his new book Boyle proves himself to be not only inspirational and passionate, but also frank and funny. He talks about dressing up as David Bowie and his love of the Clash, and reflects upon nearly becoming a priest and how making films is his life.
Danny Boyle: In His Own Words, edited by Amy Raphael, will be published as a paperback original by Faber and Faber, Inc., an affiliate of Farrar, Straus and Giroux, on November 2, 2010.