Withnail And I [1986] [DVD]

Set in 1969, the year in which the hippy dreams of so many young Englishmen went sour, 1986's Bruce Robinson's Withnail and I is an enduring British cult. Fellow enthusiasts cry immortal phrases from the endlessly brilliant script to one another like mating calls; Scrubbers!, We want the finest wines known to humanity and we want them now! Withnail is played by the emaciated but defiantly effete Richard E Grant, I (i.e., Marwood) by Paul McGann. Out-of-work actors living in desperate penury in a rancid London flat, their lives are a continual struggle to keep warm, alive and in Marwood's case sane, until the pubs open. A sojourn in the country cottage of Withnail's gay Uncle Monty only redoubles their privations--they have to kill a live chicken to eat. The arrival of Monty spells further misery for Marwood as he must fend off his attentions. This borderline homophobic interlude apart, Withnail and I is a delight, enhanced by an aimless but appallingly eventful plot. Popular among students, it strikes a chord with anyone who has undergone a period of debauchery and impoverished squalor prior to finding their way onto life's straight and narrow.--David Stubbs

EAN	5060020700675

Manufacturer	Anchor Bay
Binding	DVD
Actors	Richard E. Grant, Paul McGann, Richard Griffiths, Ralph Brown, Michael Elphick
Number of Discs	1
Director	Bruce Robinson
Rating	Suitable for 15 years and over