The Criterion Collection: Withnail and I

Synopsis

• Exclusive uncut widescreen version, supervised by director of photography Peter Hannan
• Withnail & Us, a 1999 documentary on the film
• Rare pre-production photos by Ralph Steadman
• Original theatrical trailer
• Limited-edition collectible poster of the original film art by Ralph Steadman

• Bruce Robinson's semi-autobiographical account of his early years as an actor has become a cult hit of massive proportions, inspiring countless numbers of young men and women to quote stars Paul McGann and Richard E. Grant and their booze-soaked dialogue. The story follows these two unemployed actors in 1969 London, as they take a holiday in the country. Trapped inside a dank, empty cabin with each other, an endless downpour of heavy rain battering their roof, the two men form a complicated bond fueled by booze, disaster, and nihilism. Though not much happens in terms of plot, WITHNAIL AND I is one of the most subtly hilarious films to come out of 1980's Britain.
• "...A small, wise, breezy footnote [to the 1960's]....Genuinely funny..."
• "...The humor is both brutal and clever, and the acting uniformly excellent..."
• "...WITHNAIL AND I is as good to look at as it is to listen to.....A knockout directorial debut..."
• "...Never before had the antics of two boozers been portrayed as charmingly and unapologetically as in Bruce Robinson's semiautobiographical story..."
• 5 stars out of 5 -- "Robinson's classic film about two drink-sodden out of work actors going on holiday by mistake has lost none of its poignant hilarity."
• "[I]t crackles with stoner wit and despairing self-indulgence, and confirms Richard E. Grant's caddish and cowardly sot Withnail as one of English film's great grotesques."

Reviews:

• "...A small, wise, breezy footnote [to the 1960's]....Genuinely funny..."
• "...The humor is both brutal and clever, and the acting uniformly excellent..."
• "...WITHNAIL AND I is as good to look at as it is to listen to.....A knockout directorial debut..."
• "...Never before had the antics of two boozers been portrayed as charmingly and unapologetically as in Bruce Robinson's semiautobiographical story..."
• 5 stars out of 5 -- "Robinson's classic film about two drink-sodden out of work actors going on holiday by mistake has lost none of its poignant hilarity."
• "[I]t crackles with stoner wit and despairing self-indulgence, and confirms Richard E. Grant's caddish and cowardly sot Withnail as one of English film's great grotesques."

Release Audio

• Digital Sound
• Mono
• Noise Reduction

Contributors:

• Bruce Robinson (Director)
• Paul McGann (Star)
• Richard E. Grant (Star)
• Richard Griffiths (Star)
• Ralph Brown (Star)

Additional Info

• Release Languages: English
• Length: 6480 mins
• Certificate: NR
• Encoding: NTSC
• No. of Discs: 1
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85
• Format: DVD - Plastic
• Interactive Menus: Yes
• Scene Selection: Yes
• Theatrical Trailer: Yes