Withnail - flawless. ?

egg

Dumpy's Rusty Nut
After falling asleep to Withnail for the nth time last night, I am tempted to speculate that it's so comforting because it has no flaw. There's nothing to grate on the mind. Script, performances, cinematography, music - all perfect in my mind. It is the best use of the medium I know (although the opening 30 minutes of Moulin Rouge still takes my breath away). So, any flaws, anywhere, anybody?
 

rewch

Well-known member
well, not really a flaw, but i found that after having watched it many many times- maybe 25 or so - (though i've never fallen asleep during it) i just couldn't see any humour in it at all...it just made me miserable...but i think it was just a bad patch because i've come through the other side & it makes me laugh again...what's your favourite bit?
 

egg

Dumpy's Rusty Nut
can you have a consistent favourite bit? I love some of the non-verbal stuff - like the look on withnail's face on noticing the ponce-basher (after 'what fucker said that?'). The Hamlet soliloquy at the end is - well I say it again - flawless. Incredible. Also 'they'll chew through the glaze, we'll never be able to use the dinner service again.'

'We're gonna make one what shits itself.'

etc, etc
 

jenks

thread death
expecting to get flamed for this but...

i just don't get it - having seen it three or four times i find it mildly irritating and mannered beyond belief - am i retrospectively projecting my deep loathing for later REG work on this film? - it seems so small and quite miserable. it also seems to suffer from 'dead parrot' syndrome - its adherents constantly quoting, badly, from it - all that camberwell carrot stuff. good use of hendrix in the film though
 

rewch

Well-known member
damn good use of hendrix...

no flaming from here...entitled to opinion &c. but i will stand up & say it is brilliant...superb series of vignettes, superb acting, excellent dialogue (which my gf who's american can't undertsand)...wonderfully archetypal characters...& so on & so forth

my favourite scene is withnail charging down the stream, overcoat tied round his waist, trying to shoot trout with a shotgun...

...but like any cult thing there will be believers & heathens
 

rewch

Well-known member
egg said:
'they'll chew through the glaze, we'll never be able to use the dinner service again.'

always thought it was 'the poop'll pour through the glaze...'

but that's another good thing...eminent quotability
 

egg

Dumpy's Rusty Nut
I'll try and find the script (which is worth reading in itself - the stage directions - no hang on they can't be stage directions can they - non-verbal bits of the screenplay, then - are as funny as the lines), check it... man like Bruce Robinson. Where do you go from there? Bit like George Michael after Older - hard not to fall.
 

puretokyo

Mercury Blues
Come on, Withnail fucking kills, no questions, magic film, incredible portrayal of the friend-as-selfish-cunt syndrome.
 
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