Withnail and I

Withnail and I is a cult British film made in 1987 by Handmade Films. Written and directed by Bruce Robinson, it was Richard E. Grant's first film role and launched him into a successful career. It also featuring outstanding performances by Richard Griffiths as Monty and Ralph Brown as Danny. The film has spawned many popular quotations.

Trivia

During the filming of the scene in which the lighter fluid is consumed, Bruce Robinson changed the contents of the can, which had been filled with water, to vinegar. While the vomiting is scripted, the facial expression is purely natural.

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Paul McGann was not first choice for the role of 'I'. Much like the casting of Harrison Ford in the role of Han Solo, McGann was employed to read in lines for other auditioning actors - it was only after a number of days the production team realised they had found 'I'.

Related Topics:
Harrison Ford - Han Solo

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Bruce Robinson has said that there are two lines in the script which had to be perfect. If the actors got them as he imagined then the film as a whole would work. One is the Policeman shouting 'Get in the back of the van'; the other is Withnail saying 'Fork it!' The first time Grant did it Robinson began to roar with approval but Grant could never match the first take so the scene in the film is the first take but the rest of the scene is cut to cover the Director's outburst.

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The original ending for the film was even more melancholy than the final piece. It had Richard E Grant returning to his flat after the moving Hamlet recital, taking out a shotgun, pouring a shot of wine into each barrel, downing them and shooting himself. Thought to be too depressing, this was axed.

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The period setting of this film in 1969 is successful apart from Marwood packing a visibly late 1980s Penguin Classic in the penultimate scene. A much closer viewing, perhaps using the pause function of a DVD player, reveals several other, less obvious, anachronisms: in the first driving scene cars from the 1980s can be seen in the background, blue motorway signs dating from well after the sixties are also visible, including a sign clearly showing "M25" (this motorway was not opened until 1986!), while barcodes can be spotted on cans in the kitchen. However, given the film's low budget, the quality and accuracy of props and sets is generally very good.

Related Topics:
DVD - Barcode

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Drinking Game

There is a drinking game associated with Withnail & I, popular amongst fans. The game consists of keeping up, drink for drink, with each and every alcoholic (and other) substance consumed by Withnail and Marwood over the course of the film.

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Most players may simply drink their beverage of choice regardless of what the characters consume, though this is viewed by the more "hardcore" Withnail & I fans as an "easy way out." All told, Withnail drinks roughly 9 1/2 glasses of red wine, 1/2 pint of cider, 1 shot of lighter fluid (vinegar or overproof rum are recommended substitutes), 2 1/2 shots of gin, 6 glasses of sherry, 13 whiskeys and 1/2 a pint of ale. Seeing as the whiskey alone would be more than enough to necessitate a trip to hospital for most people, few people, if any, keep pace for the entire film.

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Soundtrack

The soundtrack for Withnail & I, while out of print now, was available on Silva Screen Records, Silva House, 261 Royal College Street, London NW1 9LU, England.

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Danny and Del

Ralph Brown appears in Waynes World 2, playing a veteran roadie called Del Preston ? and turns in a performance that's strikingly similar to his portrayal of Danny in Withnail & I...

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