About
Oh hellooooooooo! Yes, you've stumbled upon the About page. If
you're here, you probably already know a bit about Withnail and I.
If you don't, then... I pity you, for W&I is the best movie since
antifreeze.
Ah well, let's settle in for a review of the movie, shall we?
First off, let's go over who's who. Richard E Grant plays Withnail, Paul
McGann plays "I", Richard Griffiths plays Monty, Ralph Brown plays Danny,
Michael Elphick plays the poacher (Jake), Michael Wardle plays the farmer, and
Eddie Tagoe plays Presuming Ed. (See
the full cast list)
Behind the movie:
Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, Withnail and I was produced by
Handmade Films (George Harrison's production company) in 1987. Withnail
was played by Richard E Grant, and "I" (or Marwood, as most fans know him as) by
Paul McGann. This was the first big acting job for both of them, which is
surprising, because they're so great in the movie that you'd never know that
they didn't have a huge amount of acting experience.
Bruce Robinson's screenplay is based loosely on his own experiences in
late-60s London. Withnail's character was inspired by Robinson's partner
in crime, Vivian MacKerrell, while Marwood is pretty much Robinson (Robinson,
incidentally, doubled for McGann in the long shots in the "driving to Crow Crag"
scene as McGann had only just gotten his drivers license). (More
about Robinson here)
Withnail is a drunk, plain and simple, but a brilliant one. Richard E
Grant is allergic to alcohol - so how did he play the character so expertly?
Robinson and McGann recall in the documentary Withnail and Us (on
the Criterion Collection DVD) the night they got poor Grant drunk, for
artistic reasons, surely. ;) Robinson wanted Grant to know what it felt
like to be drunk, and from his and McGann's memories, he found out what it was
like.
The film was a low-budget affair but still looks good. This film proves
that you don't need money to make a good movie - you need a brilliant script and
extremely talented actors.
The movie:
Withnail and Marwood are two out-of-work actors living in a flat in 1969
Camden Town. They essentially live in drunken, wasted squallor, but what
hilarious squalor it is! Of the two, Marwood is the most sensible
(although compared to the lovely lighter-fluid-guzzling Withnail, it's not saying
much!). They both just sort of exist - going down to the Labor Exchange
(or at least talking about going down to it); hoping for some sort of acting
job; walking in the park (and spitting); tolerating visits from Danny, the
"purveyor of rare herbs and chemicals" and his partner Presuming Ed... They
decide to go away for awhile, and escape to Crow Crag, Withnail's uncle's
(Monty's) house in the country. They arrive to find it less than
habitable, but try to make the best of it (well, Marwood does, at least).
A local farmer takes pity on them and gives them a chicken after what is quite
possibly the best conversation in movie history ("We've gone on holiday by
mistake! We're in this cottage here. Are you the farmer?!" "Stop
saying that Withnail, of course he's the f****** farmer!"), but the rest of the country folk are a bit more hostile.
After a humorous confrontation with a poacher at the Crow pub, Withnail becomes
convinced that he's going to come round Crow Crag and kill him and Marwood.
They hear movement and such outside and are absolutely terrified, but it just
turns out to be Uncle Monty. Oh, that Monty.
So that's how their "delightful weekend in the country" starts off.
Marwood becomes increasingly agitated by Monty, who keeps making passes at him,
and tells Withnail they have to go home. Well of course they don't because
if they had, then Withnail and Marwood wouldn't have gone into town and demanded
the finest wines available to humanity and we certainly wouldn't have had the
"This is me, naked, in a corner!" scene, would we?
Monty leaves in shame and our heroes go back home. When Marwood takes a
break to get some sleep, Withnail takes the wheel and promptly gets himself
arrested. Well, duh. They eventually make it back home (but not
before the fantastic "Getinthebackofthevan!" line!), only to find Danny and
Presuming Ed have taken up residence in their flat. We're introduced to
the Camberwell Carrot ("I invented it in Camberwell, and it looks like a
carrot") and learn that Marwood has been offered a leading role.
Marwood tells Withnail good-bye in the park in the pouring rain, and leaves
for the train station. Withnail recites a passage from Hamlet,
walks off into the distance, everyone weeps, the audience gives a standing
ovation, and the credits roll. Well, ok, so no one weeps and there's no
audience, but that's what probably happened when it was in theatres.
Hope you liked my synopsis. :)
What's a fanlisting?
A fanlisting is a
neat way to list fans of someone or something, in this case, the best movie
ever, Withnail and I
Site information/credits:
Owned by Scarlett (me)
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