Withnail and I [Blu-ray]

Haven’t seen this since the mid 90’s and it’s just as good (if not better) as I remembered. Arrow definitely did the film justice with this Blu-Ray edition and new 2K scan. Criterion released a standard DVD of the film in the states a number of years back but that’s long out of print and will cost you just as much, if not more, new or second hand as this Arrow Blu-Ray upgrade. US buyers be aware, you’ll need an All-Region player for this disc as it’s Zone B and encoded for the European market only. Besides that, another score for Arrrow!

Unlike so many comedies that are merely a collection stock characters and increasingly outlandish incidents - like the recent buddy flick "The Hangover" - this is a movie with a brilliantly funny script and a compelling story. Like the aforementioned flick, though, this movie does involve significant alcohol consumption and a wild, lost weekend.I love how the movie starts. The two lads of the title ("I" is not named in the film) are two out-of-work actors in a serious rut. One morning "I" leaves the squalid apartment he shares with Withnail to seek sustenance (he's suffering the effects of booze and pills) at a nearby dive, but he's appalled by the disgusting food, the downtrodden patrons and the lurid tabloid headlines he glimpses from a neighbor's newspaper. He bolts from the place and heads back home, eager to discuss his insights into the miserable human condition with Withnail. But his pal's only concern is the lack of booze in the apartment. Meanwhile, the deteriorating state of this humble abode can no longer be ignored -- rats seem to have taken up residence amid the dirty dishes and rotting food in the kitchen, and basic necessities like heat are lacking. After a futile attempt to clean the kitchen, the two venture outside for some fresh air. Oh, but it is not the most pleasant of seasons in London. The clammy, drizzly weather further deflates their spirits. The local pub provides a brief respite until a thug threatens to beat them up, sending them scurrying out the door.But there is hope! Withnail's eccentric Uncle Monty loans them the key to his country house. A brief vacation in the country will surely get them out of the doldrums and help them forget that they haven't landed jobs in quite some time. Of course the holiday isn't as peaceful as planned. It's actually a nightmare, and the locals they meet up with are a tad eccentric.The script of this film (originally released in 1986) by writer-director Bruce Robinson keeps the funny lines coming one after another. Indeed, as other reviewers have noted, this is one of the most quotable movies ever, and I've managed to avoid mentioning a single one of them! You really must see this movie if you're a fan of acerbic British wit.Richard Grant is the bitter and always overly dramatic Withnail; Paul McGann is the saner counterpart to Withnail and provides the often humorous (but not overused) narration; and who could forget Richard Griffiths' great turn as Uncle Monty. Robinson says in the commentary that the film is badly shot, but I respectfully disagree. Despite the meager budget, Robinson does a fine job capturing the time and place (late 1960s England) and setting the mood for this film in various shots(the grimy apartment, the dreary streets of London, dark pubs, brief glimpses of beauty in the countryside, etc.).As funny as this movie is, there's an undercurrent of sadness. The two lead characters are struggling to find their way, and it becomes apparent that they're headed in opposite directions. The film ends with Withnail bidding farewell to his friend (who has finally landed a lead role in a play) in a downpour and quoting Hamlet, something you know he'll never be doing on the stage. Robinson says that he considered a far darker ending, which you can find out by watching the commentary of this great movie.

There are few films that manage to deliver consistent, hearty laughs, be eternally quotable, but also be driven by an emotional core that is honest and sincere in a way that few movies can be. The film stars Paul McGann (Alien 3) and Richard E. Grant (Hudson Hawk) in the roles that would begin their film careers. Set in 1969, Withnail (Grant) and Marwood (McGann) are two struggling actors living in squalor in a London flat. Desperate to escape their dreary environment, the two set out to the English countryside for a bit of a holiday, only to immediately discover that they will fare no better in the cottage of Withnail's Uncle Monty (Harry Potter's Richard Griffiths). There is very little here in the way of an overall plot, instead Bruce Robinson's film aims more to serve as a sort of tribute to an old friend. The script (also penned by Robinson) and the character of Withnail was very much inspired by Robinson's flighty, alcoholic friend Vivian. The love and admiration Robinson holds for his (now deceased) friend is very much evident throughout, even though Withnail is mostly around to consume ghastly amounts of alcohol and otherwise act like an booze-addled twit.And therein lies the remarkable achievement of Withnail & I. It's a film that could have been quite surface-level indeed, little more than a silly romp as two drunks flounder about in the countryside out of their element. And yet thanks to the heartfelt work by Robinson and the astounding performance by Grant, we have a film that has a heart and energy that is unique unto itself. This is a film that I have grown remarkably fond of, one that only becomes richer in texture and heart every time I watch it.

I first saw this film in 1987, when a friend of mine who worked at AFI in Hollywood, took me to see it. I didn't much understand it then, before I became an Anglophile. It was a bit murky and I could barely understand the dialect. But after almost 24 years, and several trips to London, I love the film now more than ever.I had returned from a trip to London in '03, and became reacquainted with the film during a few cold rainy days of repeats on some cable channel as I was recovering from my trip, and the depression that often follows. I'm really not sure why I like the films plot other than it's a snapshot in the life of two out of work actors, and the soggy adventure they have over a weekend spent at a country cottage owned by Withnail's Uncle Monty. A couple of other interesting characters lend interest and humour at the end of the film, and serve to underscore the last year of the 1960's. It is a very nostalgic and funny look into that period when England was suffering economically, and the drugs movement was still so predominant. The dialogue is classic, and the music is perfect for the somber and yet humorous tone, especially the score. The ending is perfect, and I'm not sure what Richard Grant's character is quoting, but it does the job. However, if one isn't accustomed to British English, he or she might have to put on the closed caption and curl up sometime with a book of British slang and expressions.It's very nice on blu-ray, but one has to crank the sound for the dialogue, and tone it down for the music, and that's a complaint I have with a couple of other blu-rays.

Only after popping this film I realized I'd watched large chunks of it a long time ago. If it's brilliance however, eluded the nineteen-year old me, I was completely captivated by it today.Let me explain: the characters as well as their drives are completely humane, but you get the feel that their place in the world is completely alien, be that so in Ghana, New York or Camden Town. These men don't fit in, so they have each other and the wider resolute fringes of society. The predicament all these characters are on resonated with me and my own place in the world today, maybe not as a paranoid-depressive ocd alcoholic man, but somewhere along a kindred-spirit type of situation.All the performances are great. Even the side characters will stick with you long after the film ends. With their story so ends an age, a point made well.The blu-ray is a single disc edition, with gorgeous restored image and a few extras (such as a documentary), however there are only subtitles in English for the hard of hearing, which for me is fine but could be a drawback for some potential viewers due to some of the colloquialisms in some segments of the film.All in all, a very British masterpiece.

E' la storia di due amici che decidono di andare in campagna e rilassarsi.Tale desiderio purtroppo si rivela molto difficile e dopo innumerevoli brutti incontri e incubi, i due se ne tornano felicinella grande citta'.Non mi e' pero' sembrato un grande film...

ok++

Great movie for sure.. but here's the deal on the Studio Canal Blu-Ray version of Withnail & I:First up, it runs for 107 minutes and 12 seconds as opposed to my Anchor Bay 20th Anniversary version which only clocks in at 102 minutes and 59 seconds.There are no extras except for a trailer on the Studio Canal Blu Ray. The Bonus Features and Audio Commentaries on the Anchor Bay dvd are NOT repeated here, and for fans of the movie, they are indispensible.The pictue is, of course, a little better on Blu Ray but it was never all that sharp to begin with so I wouldn't be rushing out to replace the old 20th Anniversary 2-disc Anchor Bay version which, IMHO, is still the superior product due to the many excellent extra features.I checked out both Blu Ray and dvd on my 46" LG HD television monitor and there really isn't all that much difference in picture quality. The Blu Ray is just a tad more clear but that's about it.I'm still glad I bought the Studio Canal Blu Ray because it is a great film and I don't mind having an extra copy around. I'm kinda weird like that...Cheers

I'd been trying to find this title for a very long time, it's a tough film to find anywhere. Luckily here it was and I was over the moon. EXCELLENT SELLER....It arrived right on time and in just a few days. So happy to have this film as part of my collection...this BluRay version is excellent...great picture and sound. A must have for fans of this motion picture!!!