Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		4.5
Video		3.0
Audio		3.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		3.5

Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Dr. Svet Atanasov September 11, 2009

British cult comedy "Withnail & I" (1987) arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay-UK. Amongst the supplemental features on the disc are an interview with director Bruce Robinson, Behind the Scenes Stills by Ralph Steadman, Swear-A-Thon, an elaborate documentary, two featurettes and more. Not subtitled in English. Region-Free.

Soon to go on holiday by mistake

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 (slightly cropped from its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1), encoded with MPEG-4 AVC and granted a 1080p transfer, Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay-UK.

I am fairly certain the British distributors used an old HD master for this release. As a result, the Blu-ray transfer has a somewhat inconsistent look, especially as far as the nighttime scenes are concerned. Generally speaking, contrast and clarity range from acceptable to good, though there are certain areas from Withnail & I that look softer than they should. Detail also varies, but I have to assume that a lot of it has to do with how the film was shot (Withnail & I is a low budget production). Edge-enhancement is not a serious issue of concern, but I did notice a bit of mild macroblocking popping up here and there. I also spotted a bit of digital noise. Large debris, flecks, or stains, are nowhere to be seen. To sum it all up, I do believe that if the original film elements are rescanned and a new master is created, a future Blu-ray release will likely look better. However, given how the film was shot – and specifically how light is treated throughout the film – I am fairly convinced that most if not all of the softness will be retained. With other words, if you have been as frustrated with the old Criterion release of Withnail & I as I have been, there is absolutely no reason why you should not consider obtaining this disc. (Note: This is a Region-Free disc. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your PS3 or SA regardless of your geographical location).

Withnail and I Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

There are two audio tracks on this Blu-ray disc: English LPCM 2.0 Stereo and English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1. I opted for the English LPCM 2.0 track and later on did a few random comparisons with the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track for the purpose of this review.

There are no serious issues to report with the English LPCM 2.0 track – the dialog is crisp, clear and mostly easy to follow. The famous tunes by Jimi Hendrix, Bob Dylan, King Curtis, and The Beatles all sound quite good. There are no balance issues to report either. My only complaint here has to do with the fact that Anchor Bay have not provided optional English subtitles for the main feature. This is rather disappointing given how challenging the dialog could be at times.

I didn't find the English DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 track to be a serious upgrade over the English LPCM 2.0 track. The dialog on both tracks sounds identical. As far as the music score is concerned, I thought that there were no sizable improvements in terms of dynamics.

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

Note: All of the supplemental features on this disc are in PAL. Therefore, if you reside in North America or another region where PAL is not supported, you must have a Region-Free player converting PAL to NTSC, or a TV set capable of receiving native PAL data, in order to view them.

Postcards from Penrith Featurette - a standard featurette focusing on the history of the film. The creators of the film revisit some of the locations where the film was shot. (21 min).

The Drinking Game - actor Peter McNamara talks about the man who inspired director Robinson to shoot the film, how its script came to exist, etc. Then, he proceeds to talk about drinking in general. (15 min).

Bruce Robinson Interview - the creator of Withnail & I explains how his film came to exist, and discusses its message and controversial characters.(15 min).

Behind the Scenes Stills by Ralph Steadman - a collage of terrific B&W stills from Withnail & I.

Swear-A-Thon - a selection of colorful expressions used throughout the film. (2 min).

Withnail & Us, a 1999 documentary on the film - a terrific documentary that takes a look at everything that made Withnail & I a British classic. (25 min).

Original Theatrical Trailer -

Commentary - an audio commentary with actors Paul McGann and Ralph Brown.

Commentary - an audio commentary by director Bruce Robinson.

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

As far as I am concerned, this Blu-ray release of Bruce Robinson's Withnail & I is very easy to recommend - it is attractively priced, porting all supplemental features from previous releases of the film, and notably better looking than the two SDVDs I have owned. I also very much doubt it we would see a Stateside release of Withnail & I any time soon. Recommended.