The Beach
USA/UK 2000
Reviewed by Xan Brooks
Synopsis
Our synopses give away the plot in full, including surprise twists.
Richard, an American backpacker in Thailand, alights at a fleapit Bangkok hotel where he meets Daffy, a drug-addled Scotsman. Daffy gives Richard a map to an Edenic island and then kills himself. Richard and a French couple, Françoise and Etienne, set off to find the island. En route, Richard leaves a copy of the map with two fellow-Americans, Zeph and Sammy. Richard, Françoise and Etienne swim to the island, navigate an illegal marijuana plantation policed by armed guards and discover an idyllic stretch of beach inhabited by a commune of western travellers.
The three visitors are inducted into the commune. Later, Françoise dumps Etienne for Richard. On a supply-buying trip with the commune's leader Sal, Richard learns Zeph and Sammy are coming to the island. Sal blackmails Richard into having sex with her. Back on the island, one backpacker is killed by a shark, and another, Christo, fatally injured in the attack. Richard is posted to the jungle to watch out for the arrival of Zeph and Sammy. Rejected by Françoise and ostracised from the group, he spies on the plantation guards and is visited by the ghost of Daffy. Zeph and Sammy arrive with two German girls in tow; all four are shot dead by the guards. The guards raid the commune; Sal must either kill Richard or everyone must leave. The gun they give her turns out to have no bullets. Everyone but Sal leaves the island.
Review
"My name is Richard. So what else do you need to know?" runs The Beach's opening voiceover. It's like Moby Dick's opening "Call me Ismael" gambit farmed through Trainspotting's blasted "Choose life" mantra, and effectively sets the film's tone from the start. In adapting Alex Garland's best-selling novel, the film-making troika of director Danny Boyle, producer Andrew Macdonald and writer John Hodge look to be going back to basics. Stung by the poor critical and commercial response to their magic-realist folly A Life Less Ordinary, the team appear to be beating a retreat to the misanthropic, twentysomething kicks peddled by the likes of Shallow Grave and Trainspotting. Strange to report, then, that The Beach winds up an oddly wayward and uncertain effort, its tailor-made ingredients only fitfully hanging together.
On the face of it, Garland's source novel is ideally suited to the cinema. First published in 1994, The Beach boasted a roster of young, western characters, a glamorous foreign backdrop, a zeitgeisty flavour (tapping into the 90s rise in eco-tourism) and a high-concept narrative. Its young author has admitted to feeling more affinity with comic books than traditional literature (his father is Daily Telegraph cartoonist Nicholas Garland). Accordingly, Garland writes the sort of zesty, dialogue-driven prose that converts easily into a screenplay format.
But in the event, the film version of The Beach has been plagued by problems. First, its original star choice Ewan McGregor was dropped in favour of the more bankable Leonardo DiCaprio. Later, the production itself was disrupted by protests that the film-makers had damaged their location. Moreover, the makers have tweaked the original storyline, shoe-horning in two romantic encounters for the previously celibate Richard (reportedly on the direct orders of DiCaprio) and downplaying the book's communal spirit in favour of a loving focus on its hero. So rising French actress Virginie Ledoyen makes do with a pallid support slot as Richard's love interest, while a steely, tranquil Tilda Swinton struggles to make an impact as the demagogic Sal. Most disconcerting of all is the sight of Robert Carlyle reduced to bug-eyed histrionics in a shamefully underwritten role as the spectral Daffy. In this way, DiCaprio spreads his towel all over The Beach. It's a classic example of Hollywood muscle run riot.
It says a lot for the inherent momentum of Garland's story that The Beach maintains its trajectory well into the second half. The set-up is efficiently handled, the trip to the island tightly plotted and the multi-cultural commune sketched out with a minimum of fuss. However, when The Beach should be gearing up for a grand finale, instead it nosedives into weary hallucinogenics. With Richard exiled to the jungle and cracking up fast, Boyle substitutes empty pyrotechnics for stringent psychological examination. His direction cannibalises Apocalypse Now's mix of hard light with deep shadow, while a flashy arcade-game interlude (in which a digitised DiCaprio zaps tigers as he runs through the jungle) is a show-off flourish which hints, perhaps, at an underlying desperation.
These moments reveal The Beach's true colours. Compare it to Trainspotting and the difference is striking. Trainspotting was a low-budget, organic product - properly cinematic yet generally faithful to the spirit of its source novel. It was, significantly, a film that broke out from its indie niche to find a mainstream audience. By contrast, The Beach seems to have sold its soul too early. In pitching for the mass market, Boyle's film has allowed itself to be rebranded as a Hollywood star vehicle, a cynical assemblage that is never more than the sum of its market-researched parts. The Beach is set on a tropical beach. It has killer sharks in it. It stars Leonardo DiCaprio. So what else do you need to know?
Credits
- Director
- Danny Boyle
- Producer
- Andrew Macdonald
- Screenplay
- John Hodge
- Based on the book by
- Alex Garland
- Director of Photography
- Darius Khondji
- Editor
- Masahiro Hirakubo
- Production Designer
- Andrew McAlpine
- Music
- Angelo Badalamenti
- ©Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation
- Production Companies
- Twentieth Century Fox presents a Figment film
- Co-producer
- Callum McDougall
- Production Supervisor
- Santa Pestonji
- Production Co-ordinator
- Judy Britten
- Production Services in Thailand
- Santa International Film Production Co Ltd
- Production Manager
- Piya Pestonji
- Unit Production Manager
- Jo Burn
- Location Managers
- Phillip Roope
- Somchai Santitarangkul
- Michael Srimomsap
- Post-production Supervisor
- Clare St. john
- Assistant Directors
- Nick Heckstall-Smith
- Richard Styles
- George Walker
- Andrea Slater
- Tippawan 'Paew' Mamanee
- Usarawadee 'Moo Dang' Eamsakul
- Thailand:
- Charlie Sungkawess
- 2nd Unit:
- George Walker
- Script Supervisors
- Anna Worley
- 2nd Unit:
- Zoë Morgan
- Casting
- Gail Stevens
- Paris:
- Kate Dowd
- Thailand:
- Raweeporn 'Non' Srimonju
- ADR Voice:
- Louis Elman
- 2nd Unit Cameraman/Operator
- Giles Nuttgens
- Underwater Unit Director of Photography
- Mike Valentine
- Close Range Aerial Photography
- Flying-Cam Inc
- Camera Operators
- Graham Hall
- Aerial:
- Adam Dale
- Flying-Cam:
- Louis Prezelin
- Steadicam Operator
- Peter Robertson
- Wescam Technician
- Aerial Units:
- Steven Winslow
- Digital Effects Supervisor
- Robert Duncan
- Digital Effects Producer
- Drew Jones
- Digital Visual Effects
- Computer Film Company
- Digital Effects Co-ordinator:
- Ruth Greenberg
- Digital Effects Designers:
- Adrian De Wet
- Dan Glass
- Kat Szuminska
- Mark Nettleton
- John Thum
- Head of 3D:
- Dominic Parker
- 3D Designers:
- Stephen Murphy
- Justin Martin
- Sally Goldberg
- Richard Clarke
- Chris Monks
- Dayne Cowan
- Digital Paint Artists:
- Siobhan Lo
- Alex Payman
- Ian Fellows
- Digital Effects Editorial:
- Roz Lowrie
- Tabitha Dean
- Digital Scanning/Recording:
- Jan Hogevold
- Steve Tizzard
- Adam Glasman
- Darrel Griffin
- Additional Digital Effects
- FrameStore
- 3D Designs:
- Mike Milne
- David Marsh
- Daren Horley
- Richard Ducker
- Carlos Rosas
- Video Compositing:
- Tim Osborne
- Special Effects
- Supervisor:
- Clive Beard
- Senior Technician:
- Steve Cullane
- Technicians:
- Kevin Rogan
- John Fontana
- Ian Thompson
- Wiroj 'Roj' Nu
- Chalermpol 'Pol' Pan
- Po Ketkorn
- Prajuab Yasuk
- Shark Design
- Pennicott Payne Ltd
- Senior Technician:
- David Payne
- Technician:
- Anton Prickett
- Model Maker
- Louis Glickman
- Cartographer
- Alex Garland
- Computer Graphics
- Bionic Digital
- Supervising Art Director
- Rod McLean
- Art Directors
- Kuladee Suchatanun
- Ben Scott
- Ricky Eyres
- Set Decorator
- Anna Pinnock
- Scenic Artist
- Oscar Wilson
- Storyboard Artist
- Jim Stanes
- Costume Designer
- Rachael Fleming
- Costume Supervisors
- Steven Noble
- Mutita 'Air' Na Songkla
- Costume Mistress
- Natalie Ward
- Chief Make-up/
Hairdresser - Sallie Jaye
- Make-up Artist
- Polly Earnshaw
- Prosthetics
- Designer:
- Mark Coulier
- Supervisor:
- Paul Spateri
- Technicians:
- Duncan Jarman
- Matthew Smith
- Foam Technician:
- Andrew Lee
- Hairdressers
- Tapio Salmi
- Barbara Taylor
- Titles
- Tomato
- Opticals
- Cine Image
- Peerless
- Studio 51
- Additional Score/Remixing
- Barry Adamson
- Children's Choir
- The Sylvia Young Theatre School
- Choral Co-ordinator
- Jenny O'Grady
- Musicians
- Guitars:
- Clem Clempson
- Percussion:
- Frank Ricotti
- Keyboards:
- David Arch
- Score Conductor
- Phil Marshall
- Orchestrations
- Angelo Badalamenti
- Patrick Russ
- Music Editor
- Gerard McCann
- Score Electronics
- Phil Marshall
- Score Recordist/Mixer
- Geoff Foster
- Score Recordists
- Jake Jackson
- Ben Georgiades
- Soundtrack
- "Snake Blood" by Neil Barnes, Paul Daley, performed by Leftfield; "Woozy" by Maxi Jazz, Rollo, Sister Bliss, performed by Faithless; "Brutal" by/performed by New Order; "8 Ball" by Rick Smith, Karl Hyde, performed by Underworld (Darren Emerson, Rick Smith, Karl Hyde); "Beached" by Angelo Badalamenti, remix by Orbital; "Porcelain" by/performed by Moby; "Spinning Away" by Brian Eno, John Cale, performed by Sugar Ray; "Pure Shores" by William Orbit, Shaznay Lewis, Suzanne Melvoin, performed by All Saints; "Return of Django" by Lee Perry, performed by Asian Dub Foundation; "Synasthesia" by Tom Holkenborg, performed by Junkie XL; "Out of Control" by Thomas Rowlands, Edmund Simons, Bernard Sumner, performed by The Chemical Brothers; "Fiesta Conga" by Patrick Prins, Ardy Beezemer, performed by Movin' Melodies, contains a sample of "SomebodyElse's Guy (Me Did Love You)" by Jocelyn Brown & Annette Brown; "Voices" by Stephen Spencer, Paul Geoffrey Spencer, Scott Rosser, performed by Dario G featuring Vanessa Quinones; "Redemption Song" by Bob Marley; "On Your Own (Crouch End Broadway mix and Walter Wall Mix)" by Damon Albarn, Graham Coxon, Steven Alexander James, Dave Rowntree, performed by Pulp; "Bloody Boy" by Angelo Badalamenti and tom&andy; "Neon Reprise" by Simon Schackleton, Howard Saunders; "There's Something about Mary" performed by Lunatic Calm; "Richard, It's Business as Usual" by/performed by Barry Adamson; "Smoke Two Joints" by Chris Kay, Michael Kay; "Yeke Yeke (Hardfloor Mix)" by/performed by Mory Kanté; "Lonely Soul" by Richard Ashcroft, Wil Malone, J. Davis, performed by Unkle
- Sound Design
- Glenn Freemantle
- Sound Recordist
- Peter Lindsay
- Re-recording Mixers
- Ray Merrin
- Graham Daniel
- Supervising Sound Editor
- Glenn Freemantle
- Supervising Dialogue Editor
- Max Hoskins
- Dialogue Editor
- Nigel Mills
- Sound Effects Editor
- Peter Baldock
- ADR
- Mixers:
- Robert Farr
- Andy Thompson
- Foley
- Artists:
- Paula Borham
- Stan Fiferman
- Jean Sheffield
- Mixer:
- Kevin Tayler
- Editor:
- Christopher Ackland
- Marine Co-ordinator
- Lance Julian
- Stunt Co-ordinators
- Marc Boyle
- Thai:
- Kawee 'Seng' Sirikanerat
- Armourer
- John Nixon
- Action Vehicle/Animal Co-ordinator
- Thanadech 'Ben' Thananorrakarn
- Aerial Co-ordinator/Pilot
- Aerial Units:
- Mark Wolfe
- Flying-Cam Pilot
- David Storey
- Film Extract
- Apocalypse Now (1979)
- Cast
- Leonardo DiCaprio
- Richard
- Tilda Swinton
- Sal
- Virginie Ledoyen
- Françoise
- Guillaume Canet
- Etienne
- Robert Carlyle
- Daffy
- Paterson Joseph
- Keaty
- Lars Arentz Hansen
- Bugs
- Daniel York
- hustler
- Patcharawan Patarakijjanon
- hotel receptionist
- Somboon Phutaroth
- cleaning woman
- Weeratham 'Norman' Wichairaksakul
- detective
- Jak Boon
- travel agent
- Peter Youngblood Hills
- Zeph
- Jerry Swindall
- Sammy
- Krongthong Thampradith
- woman with key
- Abhijati 'Meuk' Jusakul
- senior farmer
- Sanya 'Gai' Cheunjit
- Kaneung 'Nueng' Kenla
- Somchai Santitarangkul
- Kawee 'Seng' Sirikanerat
- Somkuan 'Kuan' Siroon
- farmers
- Zelda Tinska
- Sonja
- Victoria Smurfit
- Weathergirl
- Daniel Caltagirone
- Unhygenix
- Peter Gevisser
- Gregorio
- Lidija Zovkic
- Mirjana
- Samuel Gough
- Guitarman
- Staffan Kihlbom
- Christo
- Jukka Hiltunen
- Karl
- Magnus Lindgren
- Sten
- Myriam Acharki
- Andrew Carmichael
- Josh Cole
- Hélène de Fougerolles
- Bindu de Stoppani
- Stacy Hart
- Nina Jacques
- Sheriden Jones
- Gunilla Karlson
- Sian Martin
- Isabella Seibert
- Elizabeth Thomas
- Michael Thorpe
- Timothy Webster
- Ramon Woolfe
- beach community members
- Saskia Mulder
- Hilda
- Simone Huber
- Eva
- Raweeporn 'Non' Srimonju
- Sumet
- Certificate
- 15
- Distributor
- 20th Century Fox (UK)
- tbc feet
- 118 minutes 58 seconds
- Dolby
- Colour/Prints by Technicolor Ltd.
- Super 35 [2.35:1]