Danny Boyle's very good year, Slumdog's worldwide appeal

By April MacIntyre Feb 21, 2009, 18:10 GMT

Studio handout photo of Danny Boyle from the movie \'Slumdog Millionaire.\' Boyle is nominated for Best Directing. The 81st Academy Awards nominations were announced 22 January 2009 in Beverly Hills, California, USA. The Academy Awards honor cinematic excellence in 24 categories. EPA/FOX SEARCHLIGHT

It has been a very good year for director Danny Boyle, a longtime filmmaker whose films have a unique brand of sentimentality written into the subtext of the script.

Even his zombie film, "28 Days Later," had a core of hope and perseverance amidst the horrors of widespread human decimation.

Now the little film that Boyle has brought to the world, despite some protests in India, has struck a resonant chord with similar feelings of optimism;  "Slumdog Millionaire" may just walk away with the Oscar, and its director Danny Boyle, too.

After the wins from the Golden Globe Awards and BAFTA for the Indian composer A.R. Rahman, ABC news reveals that India is intently watching the outcome of the Sunday broadcast of the Academy Awards, noting the bookies in Mumbai have given favorable odds to the film to take Best Director, Best Motion Picture and Best Music.

Rahman is one of the most prolific film composers in India, and he has three Oscar nominations for “Slumdog Millionaire."

The film itself has scored ten total nominations for the Academy awards which include a Best Achievement in Cinematography nomination for Anthony Dod Mantle; a Best Achievement in Directing for Danny Boyle; a Best Achievement in Editing
for Chris Dickens; a Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Score for A.R. Rahman; aBest Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song also for A.R. Rahman, Maya Arulpragasam for the song "O Saya"; a
Best Achievement in Music Written for Motion Pictures, Original Song for A.R. Rahman (music) -Sampooran Singh Gulzar (lyrics) for the song "Jai Ho"; a Best Achievement in Sound for Ian Tapp, Richard Pryke and Resul Pookutty; a Best Achievement in Sound Editing for Tom Sayers and Glenn Freemantle; a Best Motion Picture of the Year for Christian Colson; and a Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material Previously Produced or Published for Simon Beaufoy.

There is also the idea that "Slumdog Millionaire" is both a Hollywood and a Bollywood film based on some classic Indian cinematic elements and themes that Boyle uses in telling the tale of his young protagonist who rises from the streets of Mumbai to score big in a televised reality competition.

Boyle tells Time magazine of his film: "It is a Bollywood film in the sense that virtually all the cast and crew are from Bollywood. It's directed by a Brit and adapted by a Brit, from an Indian novel. So it feels like a hybrid of good things working together."

It is the grittiness in Boyle's storytelling of the slum life of India that fueled negative reactions from some Indians, who are offended by the title name and the depictions of the extreme poverty in a country that values education and is quickly growing its middle-class and overall standard of living.

Boyle noted the controversy: "I was expecting a full-on response because it's a very passionate place. I know some people don't like the film for very complicated reasons, and some people adore it for very simple reasons. I'm very, very proud to have achieved that."

Boyle's "Slumdog" also reveals a worldwide interest in all Indian stories, their actors, music and sensibilities, especially in light of how well a movie like "Bend it Like Beckham" did internationally several years ago, as it captured the flavor and music of Indian life set in England.

Manchester native Boyle's filmography also included another small film, set in Northern England, of a young boy dealing with his mother's death, and sudden windfall of cash that he takes upon himself to distribute correctly.  "Millions" was not as big a hit as "Slumdog", but the emotional core was just as strong. The story of two brothers - each affected differently by their loss - also was told with a hopeful ending.

"Trainspotting" put Danny Boyle on the map in 1996 with a humorous, ironic and bleak vision of modern life; a large cache of ill-gotten cash found by a group of addicted, flawed friends and ultimately, the money's pointless trappings. 

He used actor Ewan MacGregor in that film again after starring in Boyle's brilliant 1995 thriller "Shallow Grave" that pit three roommates in a test of character and wills; once again, when a large amount of cash unexpectedly falls into their hands.

Now Boyle is reveling in his status as a major film director, and has spoken to Time magazine and answered many questions regarding the small film that may sweep the Oscar telecast.

Boyle reveals his reaction to his film's success:  "Astonished--not just surprised--by the way it has been received, in America especially. I think it's the core values of the film, the underdog who can come out of nowhere and with nothing, and against all the odds he can succeed. And it's a love story in the end, of course. I think all of us want to believe in that story."