Danny Boyle's name doesn't instantly conjure up feelings of a director who has officially "sold out," but that's because we sort of associate him with Hollywood and the glitz and glam of the Oscars as much as we do with the British film industry nowadays (mostly thanks to a little film called Slumdog Millionaire). Still, there was a time when Boyle - presumably desperate to access Hollywood - sold a piece of his soul to helm The Beach, the movie of which was based on the now infamous novel by Alex Garland. Boyle made his name directing dark, gritty, kitchen sink-esque comedy/dramas like Shallow Grave and Trainspotting, of course, and soon enough Hollywood came calling. The Beach, a massive seller upon its publication, was ripe for cinematic adaptation, and Boyle seemed like the right man for the job. But the final product tells us another story: it reeks of studio compromise, is broad and flat when compared to its vibrant source material, and is so throughly mainstream in every way - from the casting to the direction - that it actually hurts. Not to mention the fact that Boyle had promised the main role to his then friend Ewan McGregor, before screwing him over for a super miscast Leo DiCaprio. Regarding the matter, Boyle has outright stated his regret at mistreating the actor:
"You think you're moving up, it's the illusion that you think you're moving up, therefore you're going to need a bigger star to sell the movie. You learn to stick with your roots. We didn't treat him very well. We made this film called The Beach, and we gave Ewan the impression we were going to cast him in it and we didn't cast him in it."
Sam Hill is an ardent cinephile and has been writing about film professionally since 2008. He harbours a particular fondness for western and sci-fi movies.
