Withnail and I (Blu-ray Review)
- Review Date: Jun 18, 2025
- Format: Blu-ray Disc
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Director
Bruce RobinsonRelease Date(s)
1987 (May 20, 2025)Studio(s)
HandMade Films (The Criterion Collection – Spine #119)- Film/Program Grade: A-
- Video Grade: A
- Audio Grade: A
- Extras Grade: A-
Review
[Editor’s Note: After this disc was tested using Panasonic DP-UB820 and OPPO UDP-203 players, it became apparent that the Stills Gallery locks up on the Panasonic player, but plays fine on the OPPO.]
Withnail and I takes place in London in 1969, the tail end of the Swinging Sixties. Centered on the unusual friendship between a bright, bitter, brash ne’er-do-well and his roommate, who also serves as narrator, it’s a semi-autobiographical tale about two struggling show-biz aspirants, an actor and a writer, trying to navigate the obstacles of daily living.
Withnail (Richard E. Grant) and Marwood (Paul McGann), the “I” of the title, share a squalid, freezing apartment in a seedy part of London. They pass the time waiting for their big break by boozing and doing drugs, mostly out of boredom. While the rest of London is enjoying a youthful renaissance, they remain mired in a depressing reality. Empty liquor bottles and piles of unwashed dishes litter their grimy kitchen, a visual metaphor for their grungy lives.
With no food, no drink, no heat, and little cash left, they decide that getting away from the city will be good for their souls and make off to the country cottage of Withnail’s eccentric Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths). Once there, however, their illusions of peace and quiet, abundance, and warmth are dashed. The gracious cottage turns out to be a dilapidated dump, even worse than the flat they’ve escaped. They have to cope with hostile locals, mud, endless rain, an empty fireplace and an empty larder. A surly farmer grudgingly provides a dismaying bit of food. An angry bull terrorizes them, and eventually gay Uncle Monty shows up, bent on seducing Marwood.
Slow going at first, Withnail and I picks up considerably when the title characters get to the country. Until then, the film rambles as the two impoverished, frustrated roommates complain about not getting an audition and vilify casting agents and even their own agent for not coming up with job possibilities. Cynical but not yet without hope, they do their best to persevere in a highly competitive field.
Withnail’s condescending manner and quick temper constantly get in his way. He believes he’s too good to be an understudy and he’s terribly self-centered. His charisma nonetheless attracts the younger Marwood, who’s excited by Withnail’s flamboyant nose-thumbing at society. Withnail repeatedly betrays Marwood, seeming to use him as a foil for his mind games. Marwood is more an observer of Withnail’s excesses than a real friend. It’s as if he’s being given a tutorial in how to cope in life by the worst possible teacher.
Grant is excellent as the loopy Withnail, with his elaborate flourishes, grandiose pronouncements, and self-righteous attitudes serving as cover for his failings as an actor. He seems to have a superiority complex with little to back it up and, ultimately, he’s a sad failure mired in complaining that life hasn’t treated him as he deserves. Grant’s facial expressions ooze arrogance, entitlement, and disdain, and his extravagant body language is that of a popular celebrity, though the reality is far from that.
McGann’s “I,” by contrast, is clearly caught up in Withnail’s spell. An aspiring writer, he’s so consumed by Withnail’s larger-than-life personality that he never seems to exercise his craft. It ultimately becomes clear that Marwood would have a better shot if he distanced himself from Withnail. McGann lets us see this realization dawning slowly, and there are plenty of comic interludes along the way. McGann has a look of innocence, and in one scene, when he defends his virtue from a salacious Uncle Monty, his terror is hilarious as he’s cornered by the older man with a naughty twinkle in his eye.
Director Bruce Robinson is better at portraying a state of mind than recreating the era in which Withnail and I is set. The film is a kind of road trip in which Marwood comes to terms with his life, his relationship with Withnail, and his own future. Robinson never takes the viewer beyond Withnail’s and Marwood’s world, so the period is seldom clear. His dialogue is witty and many of the best lines are tossed off, making them all the funnier.
The film’s pace is slow by American comedy standards. Much of the humor is derived from character, which is fine, but there are few big laughs, and the film lacks the punch of other British comedies, such as The Ladykillers or The Lavender Hill Mob. The screenplay’s wit is sophisticated, perhaps overly so. Some streamlining and more funny moments would have improved the film.
Withnail and I was shot by director of photography Peter Hannan on 35mm film with spherical lenses, finished photochemically, and presented in the aspect ratio of 1.85:1. The Criterion Collection’s Blu-ray release features a 4K restoration of the film, which was approved by Hannan. Clarity is very good, with details well delineated. The mess in the kitchen looks appropriately disgusting and filthy. Production design and the endless rain that Withnail and Harwood endure in the country contribute to a depressing feel, indicating that conditions are even worse than what they’ve left in the city. Light provided by a kerosene lamp isn’t augmented, resulting in an elegant look in Uncle Monty’s cottage.
Audio is included in English mono LPCM with optional subtitles in English SDH. Dialogue is clear and natural. Background music includes A Whiter Shade of Pale (King Curtis), Piano Sonata in B-Flat Major (Franz Schubert), All Along the Watchtower (Jimi Hendrix), and While My Guitar Gently Weeps (The Beatles). The score, credited to David Dundas and Rick Wentworth, enlivens many scenes, highlighting some of the hijinks that Withnail and “I” get into.
The Criterion Collection presents Withnail and I on Region A 1080p Blu-ray, a dual-layered BD-50 disc, in a clear Amaray case alongside an insert with artwork by Ralph Steadman and an accordion-style booklet containing cast and crew information, the essay What a Piece of Work by David Cairns, sepia photos from the film, an expanded illustration of Ralph Steadman’s cover art, restoration information, and production credits. The following extras are included on the disc:
- Audio Commentary with Bruce Robinson
- Audio Commentary with Ralph Brown and Paul McGann
- Bruce Robinson and Richard E. Grant (HD – 15:44)
- Withnail and Us (SD – 25:15)
- British Institute Q&A (HD – 27:22)
- Stills Gallery (HD – 20 in all)
- Trailer (SD – 1:28)
Audio Commentary #1 – In this commentary, recorded in 2020 for an Esquire UK live stream “watch-along” featuring director Bruce Robinson, he discusses Withnail and I and answers questions from viewers.
Audio Commentary #2 – Recorded in 2001 for Criterion’s original DVD release, actors Ralph Brown and Paul McGann give a shout-out to the production designer for giving the apartment shared by the two central characters such a squalid look. They note that, for the characters, “reality is not a place you want to spend 24 hours a day.” They expound on the characters they play and how the dialogue perfectly conveys personality. They talk about how Bruce Robinson got actors into the mood of a scene. Lighting was mostly natural and avoided extravagant or glamourous touches. They single out scenes that presented difficulties and talk about how the problems were solved. McGann was cast because he had been in a notable TV show the year before, and was told he had the part without auditioning. The death of Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison were metaphors that signaled the end of the Swinging Sixties. The conclusion of the film has a bittersweet, melancholy feel when Withnail and Marwood part. Marwood is entering a new path in life.
Bruce Robinson and Richard E. Grant – In this short 2025 film, Bruce Robinson and actor Richard E. Grant discuss acting, directing, and their cinematic interests. Robinson’s films are “quintessentially British.” Robinson feels the best type of comedy is on display in The Gold Rush because Chaplin makes the moments real. The nature of comedy involves complex dialogue delivered naturally.
Withnail and Us – This 1999 documentary, directed by Yvonne Gordon for the UK’s Channel 4, features Bruce Robinson and a number of his collaborators, including producer Paul Heller, casting director Mary Selway, and actors Ralph Brown, Richard E. Grant, and Paul McGann. They speak of a “misshapen holiday in the country.” The film takes place over two or three weeks but getting it made took two to three years. Robinson’s early years are discussed, and excerpts from black and white home movies are shown. Withnail is described by Grant as “lying, mendacious, cowardly, prancing, posing, and an utterly charming old darling.” Robinson speaks about the real person who forms the basis of the Withnail character.
British Institute Q&A – In 2017, Richard E. Grant and Bruce Robinson participated in a Q&A at the British Film Institute moderated by the BFI’s programmer of cinema and events, Justin Johnson, for the 13th anniversary of Withnail and I.
Stills Gallery – Twenty black-and-white photos taken by Ralph Steadman during rehearsals for the film are shown in slideshow format. (See Editor’s Note above.)
There are also a number of missing extras from previous DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K Ultra HD releases of the film. The Anchor Bay 20th Anniversary Edition Region 2 DVD release features an audio commentary with Bruce Robinson, moderated by Carl Daft; the Postcards from Penrith featurette; HandMade Films and I, an interview with Bruce Robinson; The Drinking Game and Swear-a-Thon featurettes, and a CD soundtrack (all of which carried over to various Blu-ray releases, aside from the soundtrack). The Koch Media Region B Blu-ray release features The HandMade Story documentary; the teaser trailer; and the German theatrical trailer. Lastly, the Arrow Video Region-Free Blu-ray and 4K UHD releases feature an audio commentary with BFI Modern Classic author Kevin Jackson; The Peculiar Memories of Bruce Robinson, I Demand to Have Some Booze!, and Withnail on the Pier documentaries; An Appreciation by Sam Bain; and an interview with production designer Michael Pickwoad.
Once it hits its stride, Withnail and I is an entertaining look at a couple of dissipated guys trying to rejuvenate themselves with some time in the country. Grant and McGann have good screen chemistry and work well together. There’s greater subtlety and the pace is more deliberate than in most American films, with a different kind of comic sensibility. Out of circulation in the US for many years, Withnail and I finally returns to home video with a pair of excellent Blu-ray and 4K Ultra HD releases.
- Dennis Seuling