Star Study: Ewan McGregor
In developing your analysis of Ewan McGregor you could use the following websites:
http://www.eccentricity-online.com/
This is a fan website devoted to ‘all things Ewan’; studying it would indicate some of the appeals of the Ewan McGregor star persona as well as providing an example of fan behavior. Your analysis would be an example of primary research.
http://www.screenonline.org.uk/people/id/1011849/index.html
This section on the British Film Institute website provides an overview of Ewan McGregor’s career, details on key films and discussion of his persona. This source would be an example of secondary research.
Ewan McGregor Selected Filmography
Incendiary (d. Sharon Maguire 2008)
An emotional drama about the effects of a terrorist attack in London. Ewan McGregor plays a journalist who helps the main character - a woman whose husband and son were killed - find the identity of the bombers.
The director, Sharon Maguire also directed Bridget Jones’s Diary. Incendiary is a co – production with money from a range of producers including Film4 as well as the Film Council.
Cassandra's Dream (d. Woody Allen 2007)
A morality tale about two brothers (Ewan McGregor and Colin Farrell) who live in London. Desperate for money the brothers agree to carry out a contract killing for their rich uncle. The film follows their reactions to the murder; one brother is derailed by guilt while the other has a far more pragmatic response.
Woody Allen – a celebrated American auteur - has been working in the UK for the last few years and his recent films have been set in London. The film is a co production involving British, US and French companies. The cast is British.
Miss Potter (2007)
Stormbreaker (d. Geoffrey Sax 2006)
Adapted from a successful series of books often described as James Bond for teenagers; McGregor plays a cameo role as the Uncle of Alex Rider, the boy spy. A co production involving British and US companies, the estimated budget of $25m would make this a big budget British film.
Scenes Of a Sexual Nature (2006)
Stay (2005)
The Island (2005)
Big Fish (2003)
Young Adam (d. David Mackenzie, 2003)
Set in Edinburgh and Glasgow in the 1950s, McGregor plays Joe, a homeless man who finds work on a barge and becomes involved with the owners Ella and Les. The film was adapted from a famous novel by Scottish writer Alexander Trocchi and is directed by David Mackenzie who is also Scottish. The film caused some controversy on its release due to the scenes of violent sex but also because McGregor used its launch to attack the type of films which the Film Council was funding. (Young Adam did actually receive Film Council funding).
Down With Love (2003)
Black Hawk Down (2002)
Moulin Rouge (2001)
Nora (d. Pat Murphy 2000)
A British, Italian, German co – production.
One of the production companies on Nora is Natural Nylon Entertainment, a British film production company set up by Ewan McGregor, Jude Law, Sadie Frost and Sean Peartwee, which closed in 2003. Ewan McGregor is credited as a co producer on the film.
Nora is an adaptation of the biography of Nora Barnacle and the film focuses on her passionate, often difficult relationship with James Joyce, the Irish writer. The film is set in Dublin and Italy during the early part of the twentieth century and could be defined as a costume drama and literary adaptation
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Star Wars Episode 1: The Phantom Menace (1999)
Little Voice (1998)
Rogue Trader (1998)
Velvet Goldmine (1998)
A Life Less Ordinary (1997)
Brassed Off (d. Mark Herrman1996)
Released in the same year as The Full Monty, Brassed Off was seen as a more down beat, realistic representation of the changes in traditional working class communities; in this case the pit closures. Despite the nature of the subject matter the film was often marketed as a comedy romance focusing on Ewan McGregor’s character. The film was a co production between Channel Four and Miramax.
Emma (1996)
For details go to: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/tv/id/456475/
Nightwatch (1996)
Trainspotting (1995)
For details go to: http://www.screenonline.org.uk/film/id/526560/index.html
Blue Juice (1995)
Shallow Grave (1994)
Being Human (1993)