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 and 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.

The drunks

Ever since I first saw Withnail and I back in the late '80s, I have been trying to determine 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, for a short period of time, traded their personalities for those of their characters. They did it brilliantly and became these characters, exactly as Robinson wanted. However, there is another part of me that has remained incredibly suspicious of their transformations. Those of you who have already seen Withnail and I probably have a pretty good idea why.

Camden, the '60s. Withnail (Grant, Penelope) and Marwood (McGann, Gypo) are best friends and unemployed actors. They have an agent, somewhere, but he does not seem to care much about them. Perpetually frustrated, the two 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 habit, Withnail and Marwood rely on Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths, The History Boys), an elderly man who happens to like younger men. Uncle Monty does not mind lending them money that they never repay, and when in a great mood, he even offers them a bottle of expensive French wine.

While trying to survive on a lousy budget and waiting for Lady Luck to permanently redirect their lives, Withnail and Marwood move into Uncle Monty’s countryside cottage. However, it is not too long before they discover that provincial folks are not as warm and hospitable as most books and films suggest, and that Uncle Monty's fondness of Marwood could prove to be problematic because he intends to have him, "even if by burglary".

Withnail and I is loosely based on 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 between them were recreated as they occurred years ago. For example, Uncle Monty's statements apparently incorporate quite a few lines that the great director Franco Zeffirelli used while Robinson worked with him on Romeo and Juliet.

Virtually all critics and cinephiles agree that Withnail and I is an incredibly hilarious film. I do not dispute that it is. However, I would add that it is a distinctly British film. Indeed, many of the expressions heard in it ooze that typical British cockiness that makes them irresistibly hilarious, but at the same time borderline offensive.

Withnail and I is also a surprisingly good, bittersweet time capsule. While it is packed with hilarious material, it effectively captures the dying spirit of the '60s and the emergence of a new, more cynical and less humane era. The final sequence where Withnail and Marwood part ways rather brilliantly visualizes this transition.

Even though it was made with a modest budget, Withnail and I is a very good-looking film. In an archival program included on this release, Robinson reveals that he was incredibly nervous while shooting it, but it never shows. Withnail and I has a wonderful flow and lovely appearance.

As noted earlier, Grant and McGaan are brilliant together. However, there are more than a few sequences where it certainly looks like they have had a few drinks and are not just acting their parts.

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 and I arrives on Blu-ray courtesy of Anchor Bay-UK.

I am fairly certain that the British distributors used a very old master for this release. As a result, the film has a somewhat inconsistent appearance, with darker areas revealing the biggest fluctuations. Delineation, clarity, and depth range from acceptable to good. However, there is plenty of softness, and some of it is not introduced by the original cinematography. Small encoding anomalies contribute to it as well. Colors are stable, but saturation and balance can be improved. All in all, this Blu-ray release offers a decent upgrade in quality over Criterion's older DVD release, so it is pretty easy to recommended. (Note: This is a Region-Free Blu-ray release. Therefore, you will be able to play it on your player 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 and 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 and 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 and 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 and I is very easy to recommend. It is attractively priced, it retains all good supplemental features, and its presentation of the film is better than those of previous DVD releases of it that I have owned. It will probably take some time to get an American Blu-ray release of Withnail and I too. RECOMMENDED.