Withnail and I' | The New York Times
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 20 ส.ค. 2024
- A. O. Scott examines the aesthetics of failure in Bruce Robinson's film about two young actors in 1969 London.
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'Withnail and I'
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![[TH] 2024 PMSL SEA W1D5 | Fall | เก็บแต้มของจริง คือวันนี้](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/EciIAlCXg5k/mqdefault.jpg)
Withnail left alone in the pouring rain, quoting Shakespeare to the wolves is one of the saddest moments ever put to film.
With Uncle Monty's 'Never play the Dane' speech ringing ever the more true.
If ever a movie was heartbreaking 'and' hilarious, this is it.
Agreed!
I love that you feel that way!
@Paddy le Blanc omg that's so sad! 😥
Amen
It truly is the most haunting ending.
like a lot of people who have been unemployed , broke and drunk and in the company of creative friends , I saw a fleeting part of my life in this film , It captures the feeling so well and even makes you feel a sort of warmth toward that old unsustainable lifestyle .
One of the films I feel the most affection towards.
"As a youth I used to weep in Butchers' shops" - one of the funniest lines ever written.
But true. Poor animals
Garlic, rosemary and salt. Works every time.
I can never touch meat until it is cooked.
@@davidian7787 raw meat = ecoli and salmonella
But .. "there's a certain je ne s'ais qua about a FIRM YOUNG CARROT " ......
We want the finest wines available to humanity, we want them here, and we want them now!
Balls!
Miss Blennerhassett, telephone the police.
I'm going to do the washing up.
Just bring out the cake.
Are you the farmer?
I met Richard E. Grant in WH Smith in Richmond a week after reading his biography where he mentions WH Smith in Richmond (I worked in Richmond at the time - I wasn’t stalking!) He gave me an autograph which I cherish to this day. Simply says “Chin Chin - Richard E. Grant”. Beautiful.
I encountered him twice in the mid-2000s. Both times in Richmond. Once just outside the White Swan Pub in Richmond and once crossing the Richmond bridge into Twickenham. He is a genuinely lovely, lovely guy.
@@PS987654321PS saw him in Kingston once at a bus stop-think he saw I’d recognised him; he ran away before anyone could ask for a picture!
All the references to Richmond and Richard make me think you may have some sort of Richard Richmond obsession. Richard)))
What an incredible film! Somehow every single line is quotable, memorable, hilarious, witty and tragic! 10/10
that is the exact words i use to describe this film to someone who has never seen it
''or'' tragic Mr. Neil Armstrong))
I know every word with all the accents by heart.
I often use them to amuse myself in my in my daily life. Heaps of fun.
Let’s not nitpick about the details and interpretation. As a film it’s just superb from start to finish; story, script, performances and locations. I first saw as a 20 something student almost 30 years ago. It was brilliant the first time gets even better with passage of time. The wasted talent theme is even more poignant as you get older and see it in everyday life. Definitely the best British film ever in my opinion.
All those who dipped their toes into booze and drugs knew a Withnail. We loved them, but knew there was no saving them.
I'm 51, this has always been my favourite movie
“I sometimes wonder where Norman is now. Probably wintering with his mother in Guildford. A cat, rain, Vim under the sink, and both bars on. But old now. There can be no true beauty without decay.”
Uncle Monty; Withnail and I.
Watched it for the first time during the first lockdown in 2020. One of the BEST films I’ve ever seen in my life!
Seen it 50+ times and gets better every time
One of my absolute favourite films. "We've gone on holiday by mistake!!!"
The only film I can watch over and over and never get bored of it.
Only saw it once about ten years ago but never forgotten it🤘
Same! If I pour a whiskey I put it on and end up drinking half a bottle.
I went to Crowcrag (Sleddale Hall) a few years ago before it was sold at public auction. Its extremely atmospheric - the ghosts of the characters Withnail, Marwood and Monty are definitely there but it was in a dreadful state. Its tiny inside you can cover the dining room in 3 strides. The grafitti covered EVERY single line in the script. Personally I think it should have been bought for the nation and transformed into a youth hostel
I was in it just last week! My wife and I walked up to Sleddale Hall and to our amazement, the owner came out and invited us in to have a look. We couldn't believe it. He's a super nice guy and we were so grateful. He's restoring it in a manner we thought Uncle Monty would approve of. It seems to be in very safe hands.
both awesome
For me this movie is a play more than anything else, that's why you can go back to it so many times and pick up something new from the superb lines and dialogue.
I hate the Oscars, I hate awards. But RICHARD E. Grant should've won one for this
This is the greatest film to have ever graced the screens of television
Literally, the most quotable film ever written, almost every single line is genius.
"They're throwing themselves into the road! Throwing themselves into the road to escape all this hideousness!"
"throw yourself into the road darling, you haven't got a chance!"
"...gladly..." Must be there.
That was his interpretation after the school girls showed him the middle fingers.
Only the English could make this film. It’s a masterpiece
I talk to a lot of people about this movie and so many haven’t heard of it , but the ones that have it’s up there among their favourites.
Masterpiece.
Monty does not "think they are lovers and wants a piece of the action", it's only Marwood making him believe they are lovers that stops him getting a buggering.
Yeah, Scott totally got that bit wrong. Critics, eh?
15 people didn't shut the gate
15 people want working on.
This in my opinion is one of the best films made !
Johnny Depp agrees
There is, you'll agree, a certain 'je ne sais quoi' - oh so very special - about a firm, young carrot.
Here, hare, here
Ah! Here hare here!
This film is astonishingly quotable; pretty much every line is a comic gem of unique style.
The character known as "I" is actually called Marwood, although we never hear him called by that name in the film.
I think Peter is his first name but I forget where I picked that up.
@@alanmcardle7234 I just read the published script and I only recall the name Marwood being used for I, never Peter. But I could have missed it :)
@@alanmcardle7234 Marwood I am familiar with, I have never heard reference to a Peter.
Bruce Robinson
One of THE greatest British films of all time.
Its a masterpiece! One of the greatest performances by Richard E. Grant in movie history.
Monty doesn't want in on what Withnail and I have going. He aggressively comes on to "I" and when he tells him (falsely) that he and Withnail are a couple Money backs off. Monty then leaves and leaves behind a letter of apology.
haloarh
“I” = Marwood
It wasn’t the 60s it was the end of the 60s... They’re selling hippy wigs in Woolworths man.
The greatest decade in the history of mankind is over.
@@purplewyrd4779 It was mostly mythology though. The 1920s were more decadent and risque.
@@wodenravens The difference is that only the wealthier had fun in the 20s. In the 60s working class people could have fun too.
@@heliotropezzz333 what happened in the 60s that was so great guys.
@@Gabriel-se9el Great music, music festivals, fashion, jobs were easy to get and easy to change. Wages were not confined to the minimum level. Foreign travel and foreign holidays were more affordable. Students could get grants to study, rates of social mobility were better. Promotion was easier. England won the world cup. The quality of TV was excellent.
I find it strange how social media/modern technology has brought us all closer together so that we can all share in each other’s joys. In the UK this film has been a treasure for about 30 years, but very little known outside of this country (certainly not in America).
The same with music. There is very little excuse now for a UK band or a singer who can’t ‘make it in the USA’ because with a couple of clicks 🧑💻 it’s there for the whole world. I give you Mr E. Sheeran - an artist who in 1995 would have stood absolutely no chance of success in America (in fact, the UK too...) but today he is one of the most successful singers in the world. Back then he’d still be in his garage cursing his luck and wondering whether he was good enough.
I'm not sure if Ed Sheeran's success is a good advertisement for the internet
And a million other musicians can’t get any play. You’re blinkered if you think the internet has made it any easier for artists. It’s worse for the overwhelming majority.
"Excuse me....could we have an eel"?
Here in lockdown and haven't considered watching a film in years(all flat and diabolically bad) but this i'm looking forward to watching again - Just a bottle of red and me and Withnai land i.
I have never seen a comment like yours before; pretentious, yet grammatically awful.
Well done!.
@@ethanp5215
Look a grammar nazi..how novel.
Pretentious ? - Get a life.
Sherry?
@@andrewoliver8930
Finest cooking sherry!
@alans73 sherry
Such a classic film. Great one liners.! 'Get in the back of the van!!'
I haven't seen this in about 10 years & can still quote vast swathes of it.
I've had whitnail and I on my laptop for many many years....a favourite long before I even knew it was so popular ....the part where they arrive into that cottage freezing with no wood to burn,,and start buring the furniture is classic...what else can you do...
One of my all time favourites!
Great film for a group of mates to watch together, and play the drinking game!
You buy all the different alcohol they drink in the film, then drink what they do, when they do! You get absolutely twatted!! It’s awesom!
Two large gins, two pints of cider, lighter fluid, sherry, brandy for the journey, two quadruple whiskies and two pints of cider (ice in the cider) and several bottles of '56 Margaux. Am I leaving anything out?
@@seang3019 no, but the fill experience is only while taking really all the drugs they do haha
@@seang3019 lighter fluid? Not even the wankers on the site would drink that.
seen it maybe 50 times...the greatest film of all time
"SCRUBBERS"!
Up yours, Grandad!
Four floors up on the Charing Cross road. And never a job at the top of em.
'I''s Full name is Peter Marwood.
Matt C, His name being Marwood is a given it was his name in the screenplay and even the director refereed to him as Marwood. But his first name being Peter is really just speculation, the only evidence for it is a severely blurred screenshot from the film.
Let him get his drugs out...
NY times 2011- this film is perfectly written and splendidly acted. NY Times 2021- This movie promotes a post colonialist white supremacist narrative with overarching tones of rampant homophobia
😂😂 its still a great film though
How woke 😩
You can tell how honest, intelligent, sincere the NY Times is from the way they change their story to suit their personal political narrative du jour. So revoltingly manipulative.
Adrian Edmonton and Rik Mayal wrote 18 episodes of a comedy based on bits of this film! It is an utter masterpiece!
In my top ten. Great film.
Same here.
I agree - top ten.
In my top one.
Jason L can you recommend any others
Once Were Warriors
This is the greatest movie ever made.
30 people should be released from the legume and their talents transferred to the meat
I's name is Marwood and the book he packs when he is leaving, I'm sure not by accident, is Huysman's 'Against Nature'.
great review!
I love love love this film
'It is important to remember that hair is the antennae that we pick up vibes from the Cosmos with. This is why bald men are uptight. All barbers are in the pay of the government.'
My favourite film absalutely hilarious wonderful from beginning to end laughing 😂 all through this timeless film two brilliant actors ❤️
Not sure I agree with the conclusion. I don't think Withnail represents an artistic life. He represents the opposite of creativity. He's someone who talks about how good he is, but otherwise is slowly drinking himself to death. "Man delights not me; no, nor Woman neither" (he repeats the last time). There's something a-sexual about Withnail. Like he can't bring himself to have a real relationship. His relationship with I (Marwood) is like a proxy relationship (there's this hint they are a couple throughout). In contrast to Withnail, Marwood actually gets somewhere by the end of the film and gets out of the neglect and depravity. I think Bruce Robinson has said Marwood represented him at that time.
The two halves of the creative life. Talent -- which Withnail has in abundance -- but also discipline, hard work and showing up.
@@YorkshireTheatreNewsletter
There's that one phone call in the middle of the film that illustrates this perfectly.
"I don't want to understudy Constantine! Why can't I play the part?
... Look, I would pay you 10% to do that... Well, lick 10% of the arses for me then!"
"Jeff Wode is feeling better and is now prepared to step back into society and start tossing his orb about. Look at him. Look at Jeff Wode. His head must weigh fifty pounds on its own."
One of the best films ever made.
I live in Camden Town and am drunk and high whilst watching this.
Jack Incorporated omg we get it you’re rich
Sober yet?
Ian Burns
I had some sobering thoughts, but they started me drinking again.
I was high smoked a blunt... chose this random movie on hbo m a x ....and all i gotta say is what a beautiful film.... my boy withnal🌹
'I have a heart condition; if you hit me, it's murder!'
My all time favourite film. Btw the ‘I’ is Marwood
Mine too....
‘Why have you drugged their onions?!!’
"How do we make it die?"
I’ve watched this on daily motion for free every day for 6 months
Poetry in motion. Truly a thing of rare beauty!
:0)
Yep, whereas a good film has 3 or 4 great lines you'll remember, this one is great lines from start to finish.
It's the saddest and most hilarious film I have ever seen. I have watched it too many times. As an actor, also as a graduate from the school the main characters went to, and also having grown up in Camden... it kind of sums up so much that I have seen. This review is great but it's very academic. To get the humour you really have to have lived it.
there's plenty of people who haven't lived it and they find it hilarious.
I was thinking a similar thing, it's a very British film. I'm not sure quite if Americans/Australians would "get it" the way we do. An Australian friend didn't rate it and I can't understand how but it's cultural. We have such familiarity with these characters and places.
I'm Australian and I think it's the best film ever made
I’m also Australian and all of my mates and I absolutely adore this film. I should buy your business and have you immediately fired for such a comment.
Bruce Robinson directed this film, and it's loosely autobiographical about his time as an unemployed actor. Bruce Robinson played Benvolio in Zeffirelli's 1960s film 'Romeo and Juliet' and during the filming he was subjected to 'unwanted sexual advances' by Zeffirelli. He said he based the character of lecherous Uncle Monty, in Withnail and I, on Zeffirelli.
You didn't say they are both out of work actors. The film is about out of work actors in the 60s among other things.
I’m in a park and I’m practically dead!
I cannot think of a single moment in this film that is poorly written and/or acted. The whole thing is quotable.
An artistic life -
I think you mean - "beautiful to contemplate, and awful to behold"! not the other way round.
A poets life is misery, yet there are millions who glorify it.
One of the all time greatest films. why don't they makes films like this anymore?
executive producers...
ah the montage missed the ‘scrubbers’ bit they shout out of the window of the car! fantastic stuff.
Yes, the one thing Americans fear more than anything else, and grieve over more than anything else is failure. For everyone else, failure is an opportunity to learn something.
The Americans think they are "temporarily embarrassed millionaires." The British know that if they're not failures, a stroke of luck and/or cunning has come their way. Even if it has, they may still end up as failures. Look at Prince Andrew.
What bosh! Anybody who's striving for something is doing it because they dearly want it. If they fail they don't cheerfully shrug and say "oh well I guess I learned something!" Failure hurts!
Anybody who's striving for something is doing it because they dearly want it. If they fail they don't cheerfully shrug and say "oh well I guess I learned something!" Failure hurts and is bitterly regretted. Many people may not know this because they've never planned & worked for anything they deeply wanted on personal level.
Edit: that "embarrassed millionaires" line was pretty good 😏 Historically we've been a very hopeful bunch.
@@hensonlaura Yes it does hurt, but it's inevitable, and Americans are particularly bad at it and also judgemental towards people they see as failures. Just my impression anyway.
@@hensonlaura I'm now going to start saying 'Bosh' at every opportunity.
Excellent review of an excellent film.
I am so glad some mates introduced me to this classic.
Tactical necessity. The end of the film brings me to tears. Its so sad they are going their own ways and withnail faces loneliness.
It also shows that he actually is a great actor. It isn't delusion at all.
uncle monty steals the movie
They couldn't have chosen two better actors.
The best film of all time...why?... Because the lines are memorable..incredibly and enduringly funny and powerfully related to everyday life. Gems like"are you a carrot or a sponge"?...just cracks me up...brilliant..
The carrot has mystery
"A stone or a sponge"!
@@seang3019 I voted Conservative
Actually it's a sponge or a stone..
proceeds to butcher the quote
It reminds me of Waiting for Godot. Minimal, ridiculous, hilarious, and nothing really happening. An amazing piece of work.
at least they have tea in Penrith and lots of booze. Vladimir and Estragon get nowt!
26 people should have thrown themselves onto an "accident blackspot".
We want cake and the finest wines known to humanity...lol .
Failing at everything they do? They do everything epically and splendidly what movie were you watching?
I wanted to see this in the movie theater but couldn’t somehow. It was a boutique film only shown in art House film theaters and then I saw it on cable in the very early 1990s. Loved it. But I felt so sorry for them, I was hoping things would turn upward for them in the story. It is a cult classic, makes me want to go to England again.
One of the most human movies ever made. It's a cult classic.
Well, you must agree, It would have been impossible to film with two bears playing the main roles
Hmm! I sense a remake coming on.
Perfume ponce!
*Perfumed ponce
This is so beautifully deconstructed.
The masterpiece !
The greatest British film ever made! and there's a long list. Chin chin
Easily one of the most re watchable films ever made, it hasn't dated and also shows up most films to be the little lost soles their directors are....Yet so few have even heard about much less seen and even less still get this film.. It stands next to 'Spinal Tap' in originality and era..It reminds me why I am in the minority and why Im happy to be there because if you don't like this film then your one of the plebs whitnail despises :)
If at all possible, to find within me a fleeting sense of national pride (a concept quite repellent), this movie is that one and only sinew.
surely more than just this great film 😄
Apart from a raw potato, that's the only solid to have passed my lips in the last 60 hours.
So you know Quint from "Jaws" is called Peter Quint and we never hear that but you don't know "I" is called Marwood?
I though Peter Quint was from The Turn Of The Screw?
One of my favourite films
As a child I use to weep in butchers shops.
A near perfect movie. I loved it
One of the best films ever made!
I saw this movie 1987 in a small movie-theater and actually, it was of course funny, but too close to my own reality in Berlin end of the 70is. Actually, I agree with many of the comments here, were the tragic in this story is mentioned . It was hilarious, but painful to watch for me the same time. (sorry I am not nativ english-speaking) I knew people, who were exactly like those in the film, even the housing was simular, the dialogs, the alcohol, the drugs. This movie could have been taken place in Berlin.
die Geschichte könnte sich immer noch in Berlin 2021 stattfinden..