Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		2.5
Audio		3.5
Extras		0.5
Overall		2.5

Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov December 14, 2011

Winner of Evening Standard British Film Award for Best Screenplay, Bruce Robinson's "Withnail & I" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal. The only extra on the disc is an original trailer for the film. In English, with optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature. Region-B "locked".

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Ever since I first saw Withnail & I back in the late 80s, I have been trying to decide whether Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann were only acting in front of Bruce Robinson’s camera. Part of me has always believed that they were incredibly talented individuals who managed to become the characters they were asked to play -- completely. There is another part of me, however, that has remained incredibly suspicious of their acting style. Those of you who have already seen Withnail & I probably have a pretty good idea what I am talking about; those of you who have not, well... you are just going to have to see the film to figure out why I took the time to tell you about my dilemma.

Camden, the '60s. Withnail (Grant, Penelope) and Marwood (McGann, Gypo) are two unemployed actors. They have an agent -- somewhere -- but he does not seem to care much about them. Perpetually frustrated, the two friends spend their days drinking as much as they can. Occasionally, if not too cash-strapped, they also light up a blunt.

To support their drinking habits, Withnail and Marwood rely on Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths, The History Boys), an elderly man who happens to like young men. Luckily, Uncle Monty does not mind giving them money, and occasionally even a bottle of expensive French wine.

Things get rather complicated when Withnail and Marwood move into Uncle Monty’s countryside cottage to escape the hustle and bustle of city life. First they discover that provincial folks aren’t as friendly and hospitable as most books and films suggest they are, and later on Uncle Monty appears and confesses his feelings to Marwood: "I mean to have you, even if by burglary".

Withnail & I is loosely based on director Robinson’s own experience as a struggling actor during the late '60s. Many of the key characters in it are inspired by real people, and in some cases even entire exchanges of specific lines were recreated as they occurred years ago. (Uncle Monty's dialog apparently incorporates quite a few lines which the great director Franco Zeffirelli used while Robinson worked with him on Romeo and Juliet).

There is a general consensus amongst critics and viewers that Withnail & I is an incredibly hilarious film. I agree, it is. I would also add that Withnail & I is a distinctively British film. Many of the expressions heard throughout it, for example, ooze that typical British cockiness that makes them irresistibly funny and at the same time borderline offensive.

Withnail & I is also a time capsule of sorts, filled with melancholy. The film effectively captures the dying spirit of the '60s and the beginning of a new, less humane era (the final sequence where Withnail and Marwood part ways is indicative of it).

For a low-budget production, Withnail & I looks shockingly good. In an interview supplied on the Anchor Bay Blu-ray release, director Robinson admits that he was incredibly nervous while shooting the film, but I don’t believe it ever shows. On the contrary, there isn't a single sequence in the film that looks or feels amateurish.

Grant and McGaan are spectacular. But as mentioned in the opening paragraph of this review, I’ve often wondered whether they were only acting in front of the camera. There are various sequences throughout the film where it certainly looks like they might have had a few extra drinks.

Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Presented in an aspect ratio of 1.78:1, encoded with VC-1 and granted a 1080p transfer, Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Studio Canal.

Studio Canal's high-definition transfer is not identical to the one Anchor Bay used for their Blu-ray release of Withnail & I in 2009 -- it is encoded with VC-1 and rife with compression artifacts that further destabilize the already very weak image. At least on the Anchor Bay release contrast and clarity were somewhat decent, and when comparing that release to the R1 Criterion DVD release one could see some minor improvements. The softness, filtering, and now the additional artifacts really make it impossible not to speculate that this Blu-ray rerelease was completely unnecessary. Clearly, the master Anchor Bay and now Studio Canal worked with is very old and simply not good enough to produce a competent Blu-ray release of Withnail & I. (Note: This is a Region-B "locked" Blu-ray disc. Therefore, you must have a native Region-B or Region-Free PS3 or SA in order to access its content).

Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There is only one audio track on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0. For the record, Studio Canal have provided optional English SDH subtitles for the main feature.

The English LPCM 2.0 track opens up the film enough not to be disappointed with it - the dialog is clear, stable, and mostly easy to follow, while the soundtrack occasionally gets a small boost. The range of nuanced dynamics, however, is very limited. For the record, there are no sync issues or distortions to report in this review. Also, unlike Anchor Bay, Studio Canal have provided optional English SDH subtitles, which I found to be enormously helpful.

Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

• Trailer - original trailer for Withnail & I. In English, not subtitled. (4 min, PAL).

Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Studio Canal's Blu-ray release of Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I is disappointing. Not only it does not represent an upgrade in quality over the old Anchor Bay Blu-ray release, but it does not port the various supplemental features from that release either. The only 'bonus' here is the addition of optional SDH subtitles. I am left with no other option but to recommend that you SKIP IT.