"I Feel Unusual" (Withnail And I (DVD))

Member Name: low_rider

Product:	Withnail And I (DVD)
Date:	18/04/09 (221 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: perfect casting and acting, superb dialgoue

Disadvantages: Not to everyone's taste, depressing in parts!

The film opens on a pan shot around a 1960s flat, whilst an improvised saxophone solo of Whiter Shade Of Pale hauntingly resounds; a solo by King Curtis taken from the album "Live From Fillmore West". Curtis was murdered later that evening in the Fillmore's car park, so this is his last live recording, lending huge poignancy to the film; reminding us of the brevity of life, and the fleeting nature of time.

We are in the arena of the unwell.

This film focuses around Marwood (the "I" of the film), and his friend and flatmate Withnail (pronounced Withn'l), who are both out of work actors living in 1960s London. The film is set right at the end of the swinging sixties; with London (as one character remarks) coming down from the heady trip of the freedom of that era. This film could be classed a comedown or hangover film, as pervading it is the deep sense of uncomfortableness as the brain catches us with the real world; there is a sense that the long-dreaded tomorrow has arrived, and we are not yet ready for it.

On the comedown from their latest bender, Withnail and Marwood decide that they need to leave London and get into the country, to recharge and refuel, and to have a holiday. Borrowing the key to a cottage in Penrith in Cumbria from Withnail's Uncle Monty, they head off only to find that far from a bucolic paradise, the countryside is just as much a part of the real world and all its problems as London.

The plot is virtually non-existent, and this is part of the reason that the film never achieved widespread success on its release; it was advertised as a fish-out-of-water style farce, with two city boys hilariously out of their depth on a weekend retreat to the country, but this is not what the film is. The strength of the film comes from the perfection of its acting and the knife sharp dialogue. Richard E Grant is perfectly cast as Withnail, an alcoholic, drug-dependent actor with vaguely aristocratic roots who is selfish, egotistical and tragic in his inability to move within the norms of society. Paul McGann plays Marwood, a kind soul who has the misfortune to be caught in the malaise generated by Withnail and is all too often dropped right in it by one of his self-serving acts. Richard Griffiths brings more comic relief (but comedy that is, at its heart, rooted in tragedy) as Uncle Monty, the ageing queen who takes a shine to Marwood, and Ralph Brown plays Danny, Withnail and Marwood's drug dealer, otherwise known as "headhunter to his friends"; a crazed, slightly psychotic man who spouts vaguely philosophical notions.

The film might be classed as a tragicomedy. There are certainly moments of sheer slapstick, such as when Withnail goes fishing with a 12 bore shotgun, or the encounter with Jake the poacher, where Withnail utters the immortal lines, "Don't you threaten me with a dead fish!"; or the Camberwell Carrot, the giant spliff that Danny invented, so called because "it looks like a carrot, and I was in Camberwell when I invented it", or the infamous scene where Withnail necks a can of lighter fluid because he can't find any booze, and then promptly throws up on Marwood's boots. (A bit of trivia: Grant was told that the can would contain water, but the film crew actually filled it with vinegar. Grant kept it down whilst saying his lines, and then really did throw up over McGann's boots!)

However, the slapstick comedy is outweighed by clever dialogue, and the timing and acting of the lead players are what really add to the comedy, as we laugh at their misfortune; their attempts at dignity, which all too often descend into profanity, mock the belief in the dignity of man. Much of the comedy of the film is found in the tragedy of the characters; Withnail's injured pride, Marwood's abject fear in being placed in terrible situations, such as facing down a randy bull or an even randier uncle Monty, Monty's closet homosexuality, and even Danny the drug dealer is a tragic character - we are first introduced to him because he has lost his shoes, and came into their flat to get out of the cold. The clownery of the slapstick comedy that is found in the film is all the more funny as it tears down our belief in a rational, logical world; we are coming down from the ultimate trip, and ultimately this is a film about endings: the end of friendship, the end of youth, the end of the sixties, the end of dreaming, the end of the belief in the possibility of a better world.

The character of Withnail is based on a real person; an actor called Vivian MacKerrell, known to the writer and director (Bruce Robinson) when he was at the Central School of Speech and Drama in the sixties. He said that Withnail And I was about 70% autobiographical, and much of the dialogue and action is based on conversations and events that happened to him. As a result, what is achieved is a somewhat "kitchen sink" effect; this is not a film about great men and great deeds, nor is it meant to be; rather, it is a window into the lives of two rather ordinary weirdos. Robinson manages to bring sparkle to even the most banal episodes, such as an argument about the washing up:

Withnail: Right you f****r, I'm gonna do the washing up!
Marwood: You can't. It's impossible. I swear to you. I've looked into it... Listen to me. Listen. There's a tea bag growing... [...] there might even be something living in there!
Withnail: What is it - a rat?
Marwood: Possibly - possibly...
Withnail: Then the f****r will rue the day!

The pure bathos of this episode is wonderful; Withnail sounds like a general declaring war, and when we see the mountain of washing up that has built up, the look of fear in their eyes in unmistakeable. After Withnail is burnt by the kettle which has been left on the hob, and screams, causing Marwood to believe he has been bitten by the fictional rat, they beat a hasty retreat:
Withnail: I think we've been in here too long. I feel unusual. I think we should go outside.

In terms of production, Robinson has gone for an authentic look. There are some anachronisms but that is inevitable in a film with such a small budget, and contrary to what some might say, do not detract anything from the film. It is set to a fantastic 60s soundtrack that includes Hendrix and the Beatles, and the score composed for the film is perfect; haunting and melancholy. The direction is excellent; Robinson worked hard to make sure every scene was perfect, ordering numerous retakes. The scenes are often filmed with the camera slightly too close to the characters' faces for comfort; adding to the sense of unease and unwellness, and the acting is perfect. Grant was teetotal before the film, and so Robinson took him out and got him drunk so that he could learn how to play a drunk person.

This film seems to be one of those people either love or hate as one of those "cult" films, and it seems those who do love it really love it - I myself have seen it almost 50 times, and that is not unusual for Withnail fans! It is a tragicomedy, and underpinning the laughter is a deep sense of melancholy and a feeling that the end is nigh. The film ends with a solo shot of Withnail, under an umbrella in a rainy Hyde Park, swigging from a bottle of excellent wine and giving one of the greatest recitations of one of Hamlet's most famous speeches:

What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like a god! the beauty of the world, the paragon of animals--and yet, to me, what is this quintessence of dust? Man delights not me-- nor woman neither, nor woman neither.

This is a true gem of British cinema, and really must be seen. It truly is perfect; I have never before or since seen a funnier or more tragic film, and the characters delight, disturb and move us because of how real they are. They are all refugees of the sixties, lost souls losing their place in the world, and the watching of this film is the most bittersweet experience you could imagine.

This DVD can currently be found on Play for £2.99. Also included are some extra features; the "Withnail And Us" documentary feature, a commentary by Paul McGann and Ralph Brown, behind the scenes stills and the original theatrical trailer. A lot of the information for this film came from the BFI monograph of the film written by Kevin Jackson.

Summary: A perfect tragicomedy