Withnail and I Limited Edition 4K UHD Review

5 stars

The beautiful black beating heart of British comedy

Withnail and I is a 1987 British cult comedy classic, written and directed by Bruce Robinson (How to Get Ahead in Advertising) and loosely based on his own experiences.

It is now firmly embedded in the consciousness of the nation, with the appallingly creepy Uncle Monty and the legendary (but almost certainly lethal) drinking game associated with it.

It has enjoyed a 4K restoration from the original negative and is available to own on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 24th June 2024, courtesy of Arrow Video.

“We’ve gone on holiday by mistake. We’re in this cottage here. Are you the farmer?”

It’s the end of the sixties and in a seedy run down flat in Camden Town lives the drug addled and booze soaked pair of out of work actors, Withnail (Richard E. Grant – Can You Ever Forgive Me?, Saltburn) & I (a.k.a. Marwood) (Paul McGann – Brakes, Doctor Who). They live a life which revolves around where their next drink is coming from, even resorting to drinking lighter fluid and anything else they can get their hands on. Their only other real human contact is their spaced out drug dealer Danny (Ralph Brown – Genie, Gemini Man).

After an argument and the ensuing debate about the general state of their existence, the two decide that they need to get away from London for a while. As luck would have it, Withnail’s wealthy Uncle Monty (Richard Griffiths – The History Boys, Gormenghast) has a cottage in the countryside which he is persuaded to let them use and off they go.

As it turns out, they are utterly ill equipped to deal with what the countryside has to offer, and soon fall foul of the local farmer Jake (Michael Elphick – Boon, The Element of Crime). It’s wet and muddy and their food is still alive and to make matters worse, Uncle Monty makes an appearance and seems to have less than wholesome intentions toward Marwood. Can the pair survive this dreadful trip to the country?

“I mean to have you, even if it must be burglary!”

Withnail and I is a brilliant film, worthy of it’s cult status and just as relevant today as it was the day it was made. It pushes the boundaries of good taste and social acceptability, while at the same time being immensely relatable to an awful lot of people. The acting is brilliant and acted as a springboard for some of the actors who subsequently went on to much greater things.

Does this film really benefit fully from a 4K restoration? That’s debatable (although it certainly does look good). But why wouldn’t you want to own this absolute classic looking the very best it can? It can’t be underestimated how good it is to hear all our favourite quotes again too. Lots of new special features, plus new artwork and a limited edition perfect bound book make this one a must own for fans of the film.

Well worth adding to your collection,but whatever you do, don’t attempt the drinking game!

“I could hardly p*ss straight with fear. Here was a man with 3/4 of an inch of brain who’d taken a dislike to me. What had I done to offend him? I don’t consciously offend big men like this. And this one has a definite imbalance of hormone in him. Get any more masculine than him and you’d have to live up a tree.”

Withnail and I is on Limited Edition 4K UHD from 24th June 2024.

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS

• Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films, supervised and approved by director of photography Peter Hannan
• 4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
• Original lossless mono soundtrack
• Optional lossless 5.1 soundtrack
• Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard-of-hearing
• Audio commentary by writer-director Bruce Robinson • Audio commentary by critic and writer Kevin Jackson, author of the BFI Modern Classic on Withnail & I
• All four original Withnail Weekend documentaries, first screened on Channel 4 in 1999, including The Peculiar Memories of Bruce Robinson, which looks at the director’s career, Withnail & Us, which focuses on the film’s making, and two shorter documentaries, I Demand to Have Some Booze and Withnail on the Pier
• Interview with production designer Michael Pickwoad
• An appreciation of Withnail & I by Sam Bain, co-creator of Peep Show and Fresh Meat
• Archival interview with Bruce Robinson
• Theatrical trailer
• Limited edition packaging with reversible sleeve featuring two choices of original artwork
• Limited edition perfect bound book featuring writing on the film by Vic Pratt, Anthony Nield, Martin Jones, Neil Mitchell and Mike Sutton