Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1064 in DVD
• Released on: 2007-02-19
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Aspect ratio: 1.77:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: PAL, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 103 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
Set in 1969, the year in which the hippy dreams of so many young Englishmen went sour, 1986's Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I is an enduring British cult. Fellow enthusiasts cry immortal phrases from the endlessly brilliant script to one another like mating calls; "Scrubbers!", "We want the finest wines known to humanity and we want them now!" Withnail is played by the emaciated but defiantly effete Richard E Grant, "I" (i.e., Marwood) by Paul McGann. Out-of-work actors living in desperate penury in a rancid London flat, their lives are a continual struggle to keep warm, alive and in Marwood's case sane, until the pubs open. A sojourn in the country cottage of Withnail's gay Uncle Monty only redoubles their privations--they have to kill a live chicken to eat. The arrival of Monty spells further misery for Marwood as he must fend off his attentions. This borderline homophobic interlude apart, Withnail and I is a delight, enhanced by an aimless but appallingly eventful plot. Popular among students, it strikes a chord with anyone who has undergone a period of debauchery and impoverished squalor prior to finding their way onto life's straight and narrow.--David Stubbs

Synopsis
Writer and director Bruce Robinson's semi-autobiographical account of his early years as an actor has become a comedy cult hit of massive proportions, inspiring countless numbers of young men and women to quote stars Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant and their booze-soaked dialogue, the latter of whom was actually a teetotaller. The story of this melancholic comedy follows these two unemployed actors in 1969 London, as they take a holiday in the country. Trapped inside a dank, empty cabin with each other, an endless downpour of heavy rain battering their roof, the two men form a complicated bond fuelled by booze, disaster, and nihilism. Focusing on characterisation, WITHNAIL AND I is a subtly hilarious 1980s British film.

Customer Reviews

Shakespeare and I
There's not much else to add to the glowing reviews of this film which is by far the best movie I have ever seen (and I've seen quite a few) except to draw a parallel between the character of Withnail and a Shakesperian tragic hero. I know that there are students of literature out there who will baulk at the very idea but that's probably because they are too snobby to consider a film like this a work of art. But it is. I must have watched this film 50 times but I never cease to feel a cathartic chill run down my spine when Marwood says goodbye to Withnail in the end:

'I shall miss you Withnail.'
'I shall miss you too. Chin chin.'

This scene is one of the most moving I have ever seen. The drunken fool Withnail, at whom and with whom with have laughed, and who has spent the whole film not giving a toss about his friend, is suddenly and breathtakingly turned into the tragic hero he is and all the laughing gets stuck in your throat so suddenly that you feel shocked and guilty that you have laughed at all. Withnail's pathetically sad attempts to get Marwood to have one last drink are shockingly tragic. 'There's always time for a drink.' If that is not Shakespearian, I don't know what is. But it gets better (or worse depending on how you look at it) with Withnail's final solioquy, delivered in the pouring rain to a pack of miserable wolves...it is his final great act and the tragedy is no-one is there to see it except the wolves. When he walks off into the distance, you are left stunned (well I am) just like when you see Othello unexpectedly stick the dagger in his own heart.

Withnail and I is described and reviewed as a comedy, but I see it as a tragi-comedy. If Withnail and I was just a comedy, we would have long forgotten it. In many ways, it is a brilliant comedy but it is much more than that. I guess we all take out of art what we want and according to how we see the world. I can only speak for myself when I say that Withnail and I is the most beautifully crafted film I have ever seen. I happily confess that it helps to be British (esp. English) and male, but I would argue that anyone over, say, 18 who doesn't feel that carthatic chill at the final scene, is not fully human.

For those of you (and there are a couple) who say they don't like the film, all I can say is: 'Very, very, foolish words man.'

This is the most cultest of cult films!
The first time I saw this film I was expecting the finest of British comedy. I was left pretty disappointed by it. I was about 12 at the time.

A few years later (I was about 15) I watched this film again and absolutely loved it. Since then, I have considered this film to be my favourite film of all time (I'm 26 now).

This is said to be one of the most quotable films of all time - and it really is! I couldn't even start to say which my favourite one is! Whenever I recommend this film to people, I always say that it might not blow you away first time round. But once you've watched it and given it a second chance - you realise the sheer genius in this film.

Paul McGann is one of my favourite actors, and he is the perfect on screen contrast to Withnail's neurotic ramblings.

This isn't just a film, it's a series of contagious quotes held together by the best dialogue available on screen. The actors don't just act - they ARE the characters. Richard E Grant is allergic to alcohol yet his character is the most believable I have ever seen.

SPECIAL FEATURES:

This disk is worth the money alone for the score (as other reviewers have said) - there aren't many tracks, and the tracks are short. But instead of listening to a low quality version of Withnail's theme, I now have the beautiful crisp version!

This contains the same documentary and interview as the previous DVD release, and also a new interview with Bruce Robinson, a fan made featurette, and the Withnail drinking game. It also has black and white stills which are frankly beautiful. I would love to have some framed and hung on the wall.

There is a booklet in the DVD case too which gives various facts on the film.

The box is a lovely metal one, it feels great in the hand, looks great on the shelf!

All in all there are 3 disks: 1 DVD of the main film, 1 DVD of features, 1 Audio CD of the score.

****************************************

If you only have a couple of hours left to live - make sure you make time to watch this film.

DVD is essential since VHS wears out after about 200 watches
Bruce Robinson's "Withnail and I" is a modern classic, beloved by its cult following, and can be rewatched so many times that most people feel the need to have a spare copy handy just in case one wears out. Indeed, if you can hold on to your copy without lending it to someone and never getting it back, you're doing better than the rest of us!

Loosely based upon his own life, this is a story of two 'resting' actors and how they try in vain to escape the festering stink-hole that is Camden Town in 1969 by having a weekend out in country. Richard E. Grant's astonishing performance as the brilliantly sarcastic, cynical and eloquent anti-hero Withnail, is counterbalanced by the aloof Marwood (better known as 'I'), from whose perspective the film is based around. Richard Griffiths amazingly camp performance as Uncle Monty is one of his greatest roles, and when thrown into the mix with the scheming Withnail and the unsuspecting 'I', it makes for one of the most fascinating menage-a-trois ever to be caught on camera. Aside from the three main characters, there isn't really many other people in the film, but they include the late Michael Elphick as a poacher (who threatens Withnail with a dead fish), Withnail's dodgy mate Danny (who invents the legendary 'Camberwell Carrot', a joint that utilises up to 12 skins) and Presuming Ed (who doesn't say anything in the film except for 'Hare Rama').

Probably the most quoted movie in British history, nearly every single line is like a sound-bite. It has also spawned the most infamous drinking game in movie history, which involves trying to keep up with Withnail's drinking throughout the movie, which in reality is actually impossible. It is the mark of how great an actor Richard E. Grant is to point out that he doesn't drink himself, yet manages to portray drunkenness to absolute perfection, even to the point of giving one of the most convincing portrayals of a hangover in history.

The DVD contains a great documentary which has plenty of Bruce Robinson himself, and discusses how the characters came about, and how the film has earned cult status among other things. It also offers you a couple of different sound options just incase you have a fancy 5.1 system or something similar. There is also some nice stills of Grant and McGann being stupid in a bathroom, and a commentary track by McGann and Ralph Brown (who plays Danny in the film) which is worth a listen.

Don't just buy this movie... buy two or three, you're going to need them!