View source for Withnail and I

{{Short description|1987 British film by Bruce Robinson}}
{{Use British English|date=June 2012}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=October 2020}}
{{Infobox film
| name           = Withnail and I
| image          = Withnail and i poster.jpg
| alt            = 
| caption        = Original UK release poster<br />Art by [[Ralph Steadman]]
| director       = [[Bruce Robinson]]
| producer       = [[Paul Heller]]
| writer         = Bruce Robinson
| starring       = {{ubl|[[Paul McGann]]|[[Richard E. Grant]]|[[Richard Griffiths]]}}
| music          = {{ubl|[[Lord David Dundas|David Dundas]]|[[Rick Wentworth]]}}
| cinematography = [[Peter Hannan (cinematographer)|Peter Hannan]]
| editing        = Alan Strachan
| distributor    = [[HandMade Films]]
| released       = {{Film date|df=y|1987|1|1|United Kingdom|ref1=<ref name="budget" />}}
| runtime        = 107 minutes<!-- Theatrical runtime: 107:12 --><ref>{{cite web|title=''Withnail and I'' (15) |url=https://www.bbfc.co.uk/release/withnail-i-q29sbgvjdglvbjpwwc0yodk0mti |work=[[British Board of Film Classification]]|date=27 March 1987|access-date=15 January 2012}}</ref>
| country        = United Kingdom
| language       = English
| budget         = £1.1 million<ref name="budget">{{cite web |title=EMPIRE ESSAY: Withnail & I Review |website=Empire Online |first=Adam |last=Smith |date=1 January 2012 |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/reviews/empire-essay-withnail-review/}}</ref>{{efn |name=values}}
| gross          = $2 million<ref name=mojo>{{cite web|url=https://www.boxofficemojo.com/title/tt0094336/ |title=Withnail & I |website=[[Box Office Mojo]] |access-date=27 November 2024}}</ref>
}}

'''''Withnail and I''''' is a 1987 British [[black comedy]] film written and directed by [[Bruce Robinson]]. Loosely based on Robinson's life in London in the late 1960s, the plot follows two unemployed actors, Withnail and "I" (portrayed by [[Richard E. Grant]] and [[Paul McGann]], respectively), who share a flat in [[Camden Town]] in 1969. Needing a holiday, they obtain the key to a country cottage in the [[Lake District]] belonging to Withnail's wealthy eccentric uncle Monty and drive there. The weekend holiday proves less recuperative than they expected.

''Withnail and I'' was Grant's film debut and established his profile. Featuring performances by [[Richard Griffiths]] as Withnail's Uncle Monty and [[Ralph Brown]] as Danny the drug dealer, the film has tragic and comic elements and is notable for its period music and many quotable lines. It has been described as "one of Britain's biggest [[cult film]]s".<ref>{{cite news |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/films/2001/11/05/withnail_and_i_1987_article.shtml |title=How "Withnail & I" Became a Cult |first= Jamie |last=Russell |date=October 2003 |access-date=28 December 2010 |work=[[BBC]] }}</ref>

The character "I" is named "Marwood" in the published screenplay but goes unnamed in the film credits.<ref>{{cite web| title= Withnail and I  |website= [[Handmade Films]] |url= https://www.handmadefilms.film/library/withnail-and-i/ |access-date=17 January 2020}}</ref>{{TOC limit|3}}

==Plot==
In September 1969, two unemployed young actors, flamboyant alcoholic Withnail and contemplative, neurotic Marwood, live in a squalid flat in [[Camden Town]], London. Their only regular visitor is their drug dealer, Danny. One morning, the pair squabble about housekeeping and then leave for a stroll. In [[Regent's Park]], they discuss the poor state of their acting careers and the desire for a holiday; Marwood proposes a trip to a rural cottage near [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]] owned by Withnail's wealthy uncle Monty. They visit Monty that evening at his luxurious [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]] house. Monty is a melodramatic [[Aestheticism|aesthete]], who Marwood infers is homosexual. The three briefly drink together as Withnail casually lies to Monty about his acting career. He further deceives Monty by implying that Marwood attended [[Eton College]] ("[[Another place#Rivalries between educational establishments|the other place]]"), whilst a lithograph of [[Harrow School]] seen earlier in the flat suggests that both Monty and Withnail were educated there. Withnail persuades his uncle to lend them the cottage key and they leave.

Withnail and Marwood drive to the cottage the next day but find the weather cold and wet, the cottage without provisions and the locals unwelcoming—in particular a poacher, Jake, whom Withnail offends in the pub. Marwood becomes anxious when he later sees Jake prowling around the cottage and suggests they leave for London the next day. Withnail in turn demands that they share a bed in the interest of safety but Marwood refuses. During the night, Withnail fears that the poacher wants to harm them and climbs under the covers with Marwood, who angrily leaves for a different bed. Hearing the sounds of an intruder breaking into the cottage, Withnail again joins Marwood in bed. The intruder turns out to be Monty, with supplies.

The next day, Marwood realises Monty's visit has ulterior motives when he makes suggestive sexual advances upon him; Withnail seems oblivious to this. Monty drives them into town and gives them money to buy [[Wellington boot]]s but they go to a pub instead, and then to a small cafe where they cause a disturbance. Monty is hurt, though he forgets the offence as the three drink and play poker. Marwood is terrified by the thought of Monty's further sexual overtures and wants to leave immediately, but Withnail insists on staying. Late in the night, Marwood tries to avoid Monty's company but is eventually cornered in the guest bedroom as Monty demands sex. Monty also reveals that Withnail, during the visit in London, lied that Marwood was a closet homosexual. Marwood lies that Withnail is the closeted one and that the two of them are in a committed relationship, which Withnail wishes to keep secret from his family and that this is the first night in six years that they have not slept together. Monty, a romantic, believes this explanation and leaves after apologising for coming between them. In private, Marwood furiously confronts Withnail.

The next morning, they find Monty has left for London, leaving a note wishing them happiness together. They continue to argue. A telegram arrives from Marwood's agent with a possible offer of work and he insists they return. As Marwood sleeps in the car, Withnail drunkenly speeds most of the way back until pulled over by the police who arrest him for driving under the influence. The pair return to the flat to find Danny and a friend named Presuming Ed [[squatting]]. Marwood calls his agent and discovers he is wanted for the lead part in a play but will need to move to [[Manchester]] to take it. The four share a huge cannabis joint but the celebration ends when Marwood learns they have received an eviction notice for unpaid rent, while Withnail is too high to care. Marwood—with new haircut—packs a bag to leave for the railway station. He turns down Withnail's offer of a goodbye drink, so Withnail walks with him to the station. In Regent's Park, Marwood reciprocates Withnail saying that he will miss him, and then leaves. Alone with bottle of wine in hand, Withnail performs "[[What a piece of work is a man]]!" from ''Hamlet'' to the wolves in a [[London Zoo]] enclosure, and then turns to walk home in the rain.

==Cast==
* [[Richard E. Grant]] as Withnail
* [[Paul McGann]] as "...& I" (Marwood)
* [[Richard Griffiths]] as Monty (Montague H. Withnail)
* [[Ralph Brown]] as Danny
* [[Michael Elphick]] as Jake
* [[Daragh O'Malley]] as Irishman (aggressive pub visitor)
* Michael Wardle as Isaac Parkin (farmer)
* Una Brandon-Jones as Mrs Parkin
* [[Noel Johnson]] as General (bar owner)
* [[Irene Sutcliffe]] as Miss Blennerhassit, Tea Shop Waitress
* [[Llewellyn Rees]] as Tea Shop Proprietor
* Robert Oates as Policeman 1
* Anthony Wise as Policeman 2
* [[Eddie Tagoe]] as Presuming Ed

==Production==
===Development===
====Writing====
The film is an adaptation of an unpublished novel written by Robinson in 1969–1970 (an early draft of which sold at auction for £8,125 in 2015).<ref name="Hoggard">{{cite news |last1=Hoggard |first1=Liz |title=Cult classic: Withnail and us |url=https://www.independent.co.uk/arts-entertainment/films/features/cult-classic-withnail-and-us-416327.html |access-date=28 May 2023 |work=[[The Independent]] |date=17 September 2006}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.sothebys.com/en/auctions/ecatalogue/2014/english-literature-history-childrens-books-illustrations-l15408/lot.64.html |title=Withnail and I, extensively revised early draft of the original unpublished novel ink on paper |website=sothebys.com |publisher=[[Sotheby's]] |access-date=2020-04-26}}</ref> Actor friend Don Hawkins passed a copy of the manuscript to his friend Mordecai (Mody) Schreiber in 1980.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} Schreiber paid Robinson £20,000 to adapt it into a screenplay,{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} which Robinson did in the early 1980s.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} When meeting Schreiber in Los Angeles, Robinson expressed concern that he might not be able to continue because the writing broke basic screenplay rules and was hard to make work as a film.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} It used colloquial English to which few Americans would connect ("Give me a [[Sixpence (British coin)|tanner]] and I'll give him a [[telephone call|bell]]."); characters in dismal circumstances and a plot prodded by uncinematic voice-overs. Schreiber told him that that was precisely what he wanted.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} On completing the script, producer [[Paul Heller]] urged Robinson to direct it and found funding for half the film.{{citation needed|date=June 2019}} The script was then passed to [[HandMade Films]] and [[George Harrison]] agreed to fund the remainder of the film.<ref>{{Cite web |date=12 December 2015 |title=Earliest version of cult classic Withnail and I will go under the hammer at Sotheby's |url=https://www.breakingnews.ie/showbiz/earliest-version-of-cult-classic-withnail-and-i-will-go-under-the-hammer-at-sothebys-711071.html |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20151214013414/https://www.breakingnews.ie/showbiz/earliest-version-of-cult-classic-withnail-and-i-will-go-under-the-hammer-at-sothebys-711071.html |archive-date=December 14, 2015 |website=breakingnews.ie}}</ref>
Robinson's script is largely autobiographical. "Marwood" is Robinson; "Withnail" is based on [[Vivian MacKerrell]], a friend with whom he shared a Camden house and "Uncle Monty" is loosely based on [[Franco Zeffirelli]], from whom Robinson received unwanted amorous attentions when he was a young actor.<ref>{{cite web|last=Murphy|first=Peter|title=Interview with Bruce Robinson |url=http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/brucerobinson.html |access-date=7 August 2007 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070707184620/http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/brucerobinson.html |archive-date=7 July 2007 |website=laurahird.com}}</ref> He lived in the impoverished conditions seen in the film and wore plastic bags as [[Wellington boot]]s.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}} For the script, Robinson condensed two or three years of his life into two or three weeks.<ref>{{cite AV media | people = Robinson, Bruce | year = 1999 | title = Withnail and Us | url = https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/withnail-us | time = 1:31 | publisher = [[Channel 4]] | quote = "The movie takes place over, um... you know, two or three weeks and the reality of the story was over two or three years."}}</ref> Robinson stated he named the character of Withnail after a childhood acquaintance named Jonathan With''nall'', who was "the coolest guy I had ever met in my life".<ref>{{cite AV media  | people = Robinson, Bruce | year = 1999 | title = Withnail and Us | url = https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/withnail-us | time = 3:43 | publisher = [[Channel 4]] | quote = "The reason he's called Withnail is because when I was a little boy, um, I knew this bloke named Jonathan Withnall N-A-double-L and I 'cause I can't spell I called him 'Nail'. And he backed his Aston Martin into a police car coming out of a pub car park. And he was like the coolest guy I had ever met in my life so, consequently, that name stayed in my... my head."}}</ref>

Early in the film, Withnail reads a newspaper headline "Boy lands plum role for top Italian director" and suggests that the director is sexually abusing the boy. This is a reference to the sexual harassment that Robinson alleges he suffered at the hands of Zeffirelli when, at age 21, he won the role of [[Benvolio]] in ''[[Romeo and Juliet (1968 film)|Romeo and Juliet]]''.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.film4.com/reviews/1968/romeo-and-juliet |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120406060433/http://www.film4.com/reviews/1968/romeo-and-juliet |archive-date=6 April 2012 |title=Romeo And Juliet (1968) |website=[[Film4]] |access-date=30 May 2011}}</ref> Robinson attributed Uncle Monty's question to Marwood ("Are you a sponge or a stone?") as a direct quotation of Zeffirelli.{{sfnp|Owen|2000}}<ref>{{cite AV media |title=Withnail & I 30 years on: star Richard E Grant and director Bruce Robinson discuss the film |publisher = [[British Film Institute]] |people = Robinson, Bruce |time = 16:16 |quote = "And he leans over to me and says 'Are you a sponge or a stone?'" |url = https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WxcGoEz0IOk |date=22 September 2017}}</ref> The headline "Nude au pair's secret life" was an actual headline from ''[[News of the World]]'' on 16 November 1969.<ref>{{cite news |work=[[News of the World]] |date=16 November 1969 |title=Nude Au Pair's Secret Life |url=https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYtFNtPWAAE9WJ9?format=jpg |via=Twitter |access-date=7 October 2021 |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20211007193749/https://pbs.twimg.com/media/EYtFNtPWAAE9WJ9?format=jpg |archive-date=7 October 2021 |url-status=live}}</ref>

The end of the novel saw Withnail committing suicide by pouring a bottle of wine into the barrel of Monty's shotgun and then pulling the trigger as he drank from it. Robinson changed the ending, as he believed it was "too dark".{{sfnp|Owen|2000|page=128}}

====Name of "I"====
[[File:Marwood-telegram.jpg|250px|thumb|right|"Marwood"? A telegram arrives at Crow Crag (named High Cragg on the envelope).]]
While the name of "I" is never spoken in the film, in the screenplay it is "Marwood". The name "Marwood" is used by Robinson in interviews and in writing as well as by Grant and McGann in the 1999 [[Channel 4]] documentary short ''Withnail and Us''.{{sfnp|Owen|2000}}<ref>{{cite web|title= 'Withnail and I' (essay)|last= Robinson |first= Bruce |date= 2001-07-09 |url= https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/122-withnail-and-i |publisher= The Criterion Collection|access-date=2020-04-26}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media |people = Grant, Richard E. | date = 1999 | title = Withnail and Us | url = https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/withnail-us | time = 5:34 | publisher = [[Channel 4]] | quote = "Paul McGann's character is Marwood, uh, but he's only referred to as 'I' in the story."}}</ref><ref>{{cite AV media | people = McGann, Paul | year = 1999 | title = Withnail and Us | url = https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/withnail-us | time = 6:02  | publisher = [[Channel 4]] | quote = "Marwood was always like that little grain of sand..."}}</ref> The name "Marwood" was known to film critic [[Vincent Canby]] of the ''[[New York Times]]'' in a 27 March 1987 review coinciding with the film's New York premiere at the New Directors/New Films series at the [[Museum of Modern Art]].<ref name="Canby-NYTimes">{{cite web |title = 'Withnail and I', a Comedy |last= Canby |first= Vincent |newspaper= [[The New York Times]]|access-date= 2020-04-26 |url= https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/27/movies/withnail-and-i-a-comedy.html |date=1987-03-27 |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20190329094016/https://www.nytimes.com/1987/03/27/movies/withnail-and-i-a-comedy.html |archive-date= 2019-03-29 |url-status=live }}</ref> In the end credits and most media relating to the film, McGann's character is referred to solely as {{nowrap|"...& I"}}. In the supplemental material packaged with the Special Edition DVD in the UK, McGann's character is referred to as Peter Marwood in the cast credits.{{citation needed|date=April 2020}}

It has been suggested that it is possible that 'Marwood' can be heard near the beginning of the film: As the characters escape from the Irishman in the [[Mother Black Cap]], Withnail shouts "Out of my way <indistinct word>!". Some hear this line as "Out of the way, Marwood!", although the script reads simply "Get out of my way!".

Although the first name of "I" is not stated anywhere in the film, it is widely believed{{by whom|date=April 2020}} that it is "Peter". This myth arose as a result of a line of misheard dialogue.<ref>Hewitt-McManus, Thomas: "Twenty things you might want to know about Withnail & I", DVD insert. Anchor Bay, 2006.</ref> In the scene where Monty meets the two actors, Withnail asks him if he would like a drink. In his reply, Monty both accepts his offer and says "...you must tell me all the news, I haven't seen you since you finished your last film". While pouring another drink, and downing his own, Withnail replies that he has been "Rather busy uncle. TV and stuff". Then pointing at Marwood he says "He's just had an audition for rep". Some hear this line as "''Peter'''s had an audition for rep", although the original shooting script and all commercially published versions of the script read "he's".

Towards the end of the film, a telegram arrives at Crow Crag on which the name "Marwood" is partially visible.

===Pre-production===
[[Peter Frampton (make-up artist)|Peter Frampton]] worked as make-up artist, Sue Love as hair stylist and [[Andrea Galer]] as costume designer.<ref name="BFI"/>

====Casting====
[[Mary Selway]] worked as casting director.<ref name="BFI">{{cite web |title=Withnail & I (1988) |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78ba9397 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20160328092214/http://www.bfi.org.uk/films-tv-people/4ce2b78ba9397 |url-status=dead |archive-date=28 March 2016 |website=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=2020-05-03}}</ref>

McGann was Robinson's first choice for "I" but he was fired during rehearsals because Robinson decided McGann's [[Scouse]] (Liverpool) accent was wrong for the character. Several other actors read for the role but McGann eventually persuaded Robinson to re-audition him, promising to affect a [[Home Counties]] accent and quickly won back the part.{{sfnp|Owen|2000|page=109}}

Actors Robinson considered for "Withnail" included [[Daniel Day-Lewis]],<ref name="camden">{{cite news |url=http://www.camdenguide.co.uk/news/withnail.htm |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20060220003853/http://camdenguide.co.uk/news/withnail.htm |first=Rachel |last=Ong |url-status=dead |archive-date=20 February 2006 |title=Withnail and I in Camden |work=Time Out |access-date=10 May 2008}}</ref><ref name="Withnail Links Grant">{{cite web|url=https://www.withnail-links.com/grant.htm |title=Withnail & I - Richard E Grant |website=Withnail-links.com |access-date=20 April 2011}}</ref> [[Bill Nighy]],<ref name="camden"/><ref name="Withnail Links Grant"/> [[Kenneth Branagh]]<ref name="camden"/> and [[Edward Tudor-Pole]].<ref name="Withnail Links Grant"/> Robinson claims that Grant was too fat to play Withnail and told him that "half of you has got to go".<ref name="camden"/> Grant has denied this.<ref>{{cite AV media | people = Grant, Richard E.| date = 1999 | title = Withnail and Us | url = https://www.criterionchannel.com/videos/withnail-us | time = 12:35 | publisher = [[Channel 4]] | quote = "I've got pictures to prove it. I've never been fat. [...] I think that's part of the 'auteur' self-worship that directors indulge themselves in. [...] Bollocks to that!"}}</ref>

Though he plays a raging alcoholic, Grant is a teetotaller with an allergy to alcohol. He had never been drunk prior to making the film. Robinson decided that it would be impossible for Grant to play the character without having ever experienced inebriation and a hangover, so he "forced" the actor on a drinking binge. Grant has stated that he was "violently sick" after each drink and found the experience deeply unpleasant.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.richard-e-grant.com/archives/the-world-according-to-grant/|title=The World According To Grant|date=17 January 2003 |website=richard-e-grant.com}}</ref>

===Filming===
[[File:Sleddale Hall in 2007.jpg|thumb|right|[[Sleddale Hall]], the location used as Monty's cottage. This photo dates from 2007. The hall was restored in 2011–2012.]]
According to Grant's book, ''With Nails'', filming commenced on 2 August 1986 in the Lake District and shooting took seven weeks. A rough cut was screened to the actors in a Wardour Street screening room on 8 December 1986.{{sfnp|Grant|1996|pp=10-43}} [[Denis O'Brien (producer)|Denis O'Brien]], who oversaw the filming on behalf of HandMade Films, nearly shut the film down on the first day of production. He thought that the film had no "discernible jokes" and was badly lit.<ref name="camden"/> During the filming of the scene in which Withnail drinks a can of lighter fluid, Robinson changed the contents of the can between takes from water to vinegar to get a better reaction from Grant.<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.withnail-links.com/facts.htm |title=Withnail and I – Facts & Trivia |website=Withnail-links.com}}</ref> The film cost £1.1 million to make.<ref name="budget" />{{efn|name=values}} Robinson received £80,000 to direct, £30,000 of which he reinvested into the film to shoot additional scenes such as the journeys to and from [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]], which HandMade Films would not fund. The money was never reimbursed after the film's success.{{sfnp|Owen|2000|pages=108–109}} [[Ringo Starr]] is credited as a "Special Production Consultant" under his legal name, Richard Starkey [[Order of the British Empire|MBE]].<ref name="BFI"/>

====Cumbria====
The film was shot almost entirely on location. There was no filming in the real [[Penrith, Cumbria|Penrith]]; the locations used were in and around nearby [[Shap]] and [[Bampton, Cumbria|Bampton]], [[Cumbria]]. Monty's cottage, Crow Crag, is [[Sleddale Hall]], near the [[Wet Sleddale Reservoir]] just outside Shap, although the lake that Crow Crag apparently overlooks is [[Haweswater Reservoir]]. The bridge where Withnail and Marwood go fishing with a shotgun is over the [[River Lowther]]. The telephone box in which Withnail calls his agent is beside Wideworth Farm Road in Bampton.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Scovell |first1=Adam |title=In search of the Withnail & I locations 30 years on |url=https://www.bfi.org.uk/features/withnail-i-richard-grant-paul-mcgann-locations |website=[[British Film Institute]] |access-date=2020-05-03 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190711212323/https://www.bfi.org.uk/news-opinion/news-bfi/features/withnail-i-richard-grant-paul-mcgann-locations |archive-date=2019-07-11 |date=2017-04-11 |url-status=live}}</ref>

Sleddale Hall was offered for sale in January 2009 with a starting price of £145,000.<ref>{{cite news |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/cumbria/7837894.stm |title=Farmhouse from cult film for sale |date=19 January 2009 |work=[[BBC News]] |access-date=31 January 2009 }}</ref> Sebastian Hindley, who owns the Mardale Inn in Bampton, won the auction at a price of £265,000 but he failed to secure financing and the property was resold for an undisclosed sum to Tim Ellis, an architect from [[Kent]], whose original bid failed at the auction.<ref>{{cite news|url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/2009/aug/25/withnail-and-i-farmouse-resold|title=Some extremely distressing news: Withnail and I shrine falls through |work=The Guardian |access-date=25 August 2009 |location=London |first=Martin |last=Wainwright |date=25 August 2009}}</ref>

====Hertfordshire====
Exterior and ground floor interior shots of Crow Crag were shot at Sleddale Hall in Cumbria and Stockers Farm in [[Rickmansworth]], [[Hertfordshire]], and the bedroom and stair scenes of Crow Crag were also filmed in Hertfordshire. Stockers Farm was also the location for the Crow and Crown pub.{{sfnp|Plowman|2021}}

====Buckinghamshire====
[[file:Market Place - geograph.org.uk - 569863.jpg|thumb|"The King Henry" played by the Crown Inn. The great elm tree outside the pub and shown in the film subsequently died of [[Dutch Elm Disease]] and has been replaced.|alt=The Crown Inn ]]
The King Henry pub and the Penrith Tea Rooms scenes were filmed in the Market Square in [[Stony Stratford]], [[Milton Keynes]], [[Buckinghamshire]], at what is now The Crown Inn Stony Stratford and Cox & Robinson pharmacy, respectively.<ref name="movie-locations">{{cite web |url=http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/w/Withnail-&-I.php |title=Withnail & I Filming Locations |website=movie-locations.com |publisher= The Worldwide Guide to Movie Locations |access-date= 2020-04-26}}</ref>

====London====
Withnail and Marwood's flat was located at 57 Chepstow Place in [[Bayswater]], [[W postcode area|W2]]. The shot of them leaving for Penrith as they turn left from the building being demolished was shot on Freston Road, W11.{{sfnp|Plowman|2021}} The Mother Black Cap pub was played by the Frog and Firkin pub at 41 Tavistock Crescent, [[Westbourne Green]], [[Notting Hill]]. For some time after the film, the pub was renamed the Mother Black Cap, though it was sold and renamed several times before being demolished in 2010–2011.<ref name="movie-locations"/><ref>{{cite news |title='We've run out of wine': Pub from Withnail and I demolished |date=2011-02-23 |url=https://www.standard.co.uk/news/weve-run-out-of-wine-pub-from-withnail-and-i-demolished-6570162.html  |access-date=2020-05-02 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20170404221430/https://www.standard.co.uk/news/weve-run-out-of-wine-pub-from-withnail-and-i-demolished-6570162.html |url-status=live |archive-date=2017-04-04 |newspaper=[[Evening Standard]] }}</ref> The cafe where Marwood has breakfast at the beginning of the film is located at the corner of 136 Lancaster Road, W11 near the corner with [[Ladbroke Grove]].{{sfnp|Plowman|2021}} The scene where the police order Withnail and Marwood to "get in the back of the van" was filmed on the flyover near John Aird Court, [[Paddington]].{{sfnp|Plowman|2021}} Uncle Monty's house is actually the [[West House (Chelsea)|West House]], [[Glebe Place]], [[Chelsea, London|Chelsea]], SW3, owned by [[Bernard Nevill]].<ref name="Bellmans">{{cite web|title=Property from the Late Professor Bernard Nevill & Withnail and I|url=https://www.bellmans.co.uk/story/bellmans-to-auction-the-late-professor-nevills-estate-including-furniture-paintings-and-works-of-art-from-the-film-set-withnail-and-i|work=Bellmans|publisher=Bellmanss|date=14 January 2022|accessdate=25 February 2022}}</ref>{{sfnp|Plowman|2021}}<ref name="movie-locations"/>

====Shepperton====
The police station interior was shot at [[Shepperton Studios]].<ref>{{cite web |title=Productions at Shepperton Studios |url=http://www.thestudiotour.com/wp/studios/shepperton-studios/productions-at-shepperton-studios/ |website=thestudiotour.com |access-date=28 May 2023}}</ref>

==Music==
The [[film score]] was composed by [[David Dundas (musician)|David Dundas]] and [[Rick Wentworth]].<ref name="BFI"/> The film features a rare appearance of a recording by [[the Beatles]], whose 1968 song "[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]" plays as the titular duo return to London and find Presuming Ed in the bath. The song, written and sung by George Harrison, was able to be included in the soundtrack due to Harrison's involvement as a producer.<ref name="Pirnia/MentalFloss">{{cite web |last=Pirnia |first=Garin |date=19 March 2016 |title=13 Loaded Facts About ''Withnail and I'' |url=https://mentalfloss.com/article/77419/13-loaded-facts-about-withnail-and-i |access-date=7 December 2017 |work=[[Mental Floss]]}}</ref>

# "[[A Whiter Shade of Pale]]" (live){{snd}}[[King Curtis]]{{snd}}5:25
# "The Wolf"{{snd}}David Dundas and Rick Wentworth{{snd}}1:33
# "[[All Along the Watchtower]]" (reduced tempo){{snd}}[[The Jimi Hendrix Experience]]{{snd}}4:10
# "To the Crow"{{snd}}David Dundas and Rick Wentworth{{snd}}2:22
# "[[Voodoo Child (Slight Return)]]" (live){{snd}}The Jimi Hendrix Experience{{snd}}4:28
# "[[While My Guitar Gently Weeps]]"{{snd}}[[The Beatles]]{{snd}}4:44
# "Marwood Walks"{{snd}}David Dundas and Rick Wentworth{{snd}}2:14
# "Monty Remembers"{{snd}}David Dundas and Rick Wentworth{{snd}}2:02
# "La Fite"{{snd}}David Dundas and Rick Wentworth{{snd}}1:10
# "[[Hang Out the Stars in Indiana]]"{{snd}}[[Al Bowlly]] and New Mayfair Dance Orchestra{{snd}}1:35
# "Crow Crag"{{snd}}David Dundas and Rick Wentworth{{snd}}0:56
# "Cheval Blanc"{{snd}}David Dundas and Rick Wentworth{{snd}}1:15
# "My Friend"{{snd}}[[Charlie Kunz]]{{snd}}1:28
# "Withnail's Theme"{{snd}}David Dundas and Rick Wentworth{{snd}}2:40

==Reception==
On [[review aggregator]] [[Rotten Tomatoes]], the film has an approval rating of 84% based on 85 reviews, with an average rating of 7.80/10. The website's critical consensus reads, "Richard E. Grant and Paul McGann prove irresistibly hilarious as two misanthropic slackers in ''Withnail and I'', a biting examination of artists living on the fringes of prosperity and good taste."<ref>{{rotten tomatoes|withnail_and_i}}</ref>

Film critic [[Roger Ebert]] added the film to his Great Movies list, describing Grant's performance as a "tour de force" and Withnail as "one of the iconic figures in modern films".<ref>{{cite web |last=Ebert |first=Roger |date=2009-03-25 |title=A side-effect of alcoholism: My thumbs have gone weird! |url=https://www.rogerebert.com/reviews/withnail-and-i-1987 |access-date=2020-04-26 |work=[[RogerEbert.com]]}}</ref>

Robinson won the Best Screenplay award at the 1988 [[Evening Standard British Film Awards#1988 Winners|''Evening Standard'' British Film Awards]].

==Legacy==
The film is routinely regarded as being among the finest British films ever made, and its influence has been cited by several filmmakers as directly inspiring their work, among them [[Shane Black]]'s ''[[The Nice Guys]]'', [[James Ponsoldt]]'s ''[[The End of the Tour]]'', [[Todd Sklar]]'s ''[[Awful Nice]]'', [[Jay Duplass|Jay]] and [[Mark Duplass]]'s ''[[Jeff, Who Lives at Home]]'', John Bryant's ''[[The Overbrook Brothers]]'', [[David Gordon Green]]'s ''[[Pineapple Express (film)|Pineapple Express]]'', [[Alexander Payne]]'s ''[[Sideways]]'', and [[Tom DiCillo]]'s ''[[Box of Moonlight]]''.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Keady |first1=Martin |date=2 June 2017 |title=The Story Behind the Screenplay: Part 2 |url=https://thescriptlab.com/features/main/7009-story-behind-screenplay-part-2-withnail/ |website=The Script Lab}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Shane Black on Story: 212 Raising Stakes, Reversals, and Payoffs |url=https://www.pbs.org/video/-story-raising-stakes-reversals-and-payoffs/ |date=23 August 2012 |website=[[PBS]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Here are the Films That Inspired This Year's Sundance Filmmakers |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2015/01/here-are-the-films-that-inspired-this-years-sundance-filmmakers-from-amadeus-and-fargo-to-booty-call-248318/ |website=[[IndieWire]] |first=Jena |last=Keahon |date=31 January 2015 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=The making of Tom DiCillo's 'Box of Moonlight' |first=Coury |last=Turczyn |url=https://www.popcultmag.com/posts/the-making-of-tom-dicillos-90s-indie-gem-box-of-moonlight/ |website=PopCultureMag|date=2 May 2018 }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=EP 155: Todd Sklar & Alex Rennie, David Gordon Green |url=https://www.rooftopfilms.com/blog/2013/08/filmwaxradio_episode155/ |website=Film Wax|date=8 August 2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |last=Gross |first=Terry |date=17 November 2011 |title=In Payne's 'Descendants,' Trouble In The Tropics |url=https://www.npr.org/templates/transcript/transcript.php?storyId=142309905 |work=[[NPR]]}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=SXSW Interview: "The Overbrook Brothers" Director John Bryant |url=https://www.indiewire.com/2009/03/sxsw-interview-the-overbrook-brothers-director-john-bryant-247303/ |website=IndieWire |date=9 March 2009 }}</ref><ref name="VF">{{cite magazine |last1=McDonald |first1=Duff |title=The Cult of Richard E. Grant's ''Withnail and I'' Is Finally Having Its Moment |url=https://www.vanityfair.com/hollywood/2019/02/richard-e-grant-withnail-and-i-can-you-ever-forgive-me |magazine=[[Vanity Fair (magazine)|Vanity Fair]] |access-date=28 May 2023 |date=February 1, 2019}}</ref>

In 1999, the [[British Film Institute]] voted ''Withnail and I'' the [[BFI Top 100 British films|29th greatest British film of all time]].<ref name="BBC1999">{{cite news |title=Best 100 British films - full list |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/entertainment/455170.stm |access-date=28 May 2023 |date=September 23, 1999}}</ref> In 2001, ''Withnail and I'' was ranked 38th in [[Channel 4]]'s 100 Greatest Films poll.<ref>{{cite news |date=2001-11-26 |title=Top 100 films poll |website=BBC News |publisher=[[BBC]] |url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1676468.stm |url-status=live |access-date=2020-04-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190619193847/http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/entertainment/1676468.stm |archive-date=2019-06-19}}</ref> In 2008, the film was ranked number 118 in [[Empire (film magazine)|''Empire'']]{{'}}s 500 Greatest Films of All Time list.<ref>{{Cite magazine|title=The 500 Greatest Movies Of All Time |url=http://www.empireonline.com/500/77.asp |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20121015212510/http://www.empireonline.com/500/77.asp |archive-date=2012-10-15 |access-date=2023-05-28 |magazine=Empire}}</ref> A 2009 poll by ''[[The Guardian]]'' among film critics and filmmakers voted it the second best British film of the last 25 years.<ref>{{Cite news |last1=Loach |first1=Ken |date=29 August 2009 |title=Gallery: From Trainspotting to Sexy Beast - the best British films 1984-2009 |newspaper=The Guardian |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/gallery/2009/aug/30/best-british-films-25-years}}</ref> In 2011, ''Time Out London'' named it the seventh-greatest comedy film of all time.<ref>{{cite news |last=Calhoun |first=Dave |display-authors=etal |date=12 December 2018 |title=100 Best Comedy Movies |work=Time Out London |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/100-best-comedy-movies |access-date=17 September 2011}}</ref> In a 2014 poll, readers of [[Empire (film magazine)|''Empire'']] voted ''Withnail and I'' the 92nd greatest film.<ref>{{cite web |last=Green |first=Willow |date=2014-06-02 |title=The 301 Greatest Movies of All Time |url=https://www.empireonline.com/movies/features/301-greatest-movies/ |access-date=2020-05-02 |magazine=[[Empire (magazine)|Empire]]}}</ref>

In 2016, ''[[GamesRadar+|Games Radar]]'' voted ''Withnail and I'' the 16th greatest comedy film of all time.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Seddon |first1=Gem |date=November 1, 2016 |title=The 25 best comedy movies to see before you die (of laughter) |url=https://www.gamesradar.com/best-comedy-movies/ |magazine=Games Radar}}</ref> In a 2017 poll of 150 actors, directors, writers, producers and critics for ''[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]]'' magazine, the film was ranked the 15th best British film ever.<ref>{{cite magazine |last1=Calhoun |first1=Dave |last2=Huddleston |first2=Tom |last3=Jenkins |first3=David |last4=Adams |first4=Derek |last5=Andrew |first5=Geoff |last6=Davies |first6=Adam Lee |last7=Fairclough |first7=Paul |last8=Hammond |first8=Wally |last9=Kheraj |first9=Alim |date=10 September 2018 |title=The 100 best British films |url=https://www.timeout.com/london/film/100-best-british-films |magazine=[[Time Out (magazine)|Time Out]] |access-date=10 May 2019 |first10=Phil |last10=de Semlyen}}</ref> The line "We want the finest wines available to humanity, we want them here and we want them now", delivered by Richard E. Grant as Withnail, was voted the third favourite film one-liner in a 2003 poll of 1,000 film fans.<ref>{{cite news |last=Paterson |first=Michael |date=10 March 2003 |title=Caine takes top billing for the greatest one-liner on screen |work=[[The Daily Telegraph]] |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1424181/Caine-takes-top-billing-for-the-greatest-one-liner-on-screen.html |url-status=live |url-access=subscription |access-date=25 October 2017 |archive-url=https://ghostarchive.org/archive/20220112/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/uknews/1424181/Caine-takes-top-billing-for-the-greatest-one-liner-on-screen.html |archive-date=12 January 2022}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

There is a drinking game associated with the film.<ref>{{cite web |last=Turner |first=Luke |title=Withnail and I comes of age |url=https://thequietus.com/articles/00160-withnail-i-comes-of-age-this-year-if-only-its-fans-would-too |work=[[The Quietus]] |date=15 July 2008 |access-date=19 March 2017 }}</ref> The game consists of keeping up, drink for drink, with each alcoholic substance consumed by Withnail over the course of the film.<ref>{{cite web |last=Jonze |first=Tim |title=My favourite film: Withnail and I |url=https://www.theguardian.com/film/filmblog/2011/nov/14/favourite-film-withnail-and-i |newspaper=[[The Guardian]] |date=14 November 2011 |access-date=15 November 2011 |quote=I have to confess, I first heard about Withnail and I in terms of a drinking game – could you watch the film while matching the two lead characters shot for shot, pint for pint, Camberwell carrot for Camberwell carrot? }}</ref><ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.withnail-links.com/drinking.htm |title=The Withnail and I Drinking Game |website=Withnail-links.com |access-date=9 May 2009}}</ref> All told, Withnail is shown drinking roughly {{frac|9|1|2}} glasses of red wine, {{convert|1/2|imppt|ml|spell=in}} of cider, one shot of lighter fluid (vinegar or overproof rum are common substitutes), {{frac|2|1|2}} measures of gin, six glasses of sherry, thirteen drams of Scotch whisky and {{1/2}} pint of ale.<ref>{{cite AV media |date=2006 |title=The ''Withnail and I'' Drinking Game, DVD Featurette |publisher=[[Anchor Bay Entertainment]] }}</ref>{{better source needed|date=December 2022}}

In 1992, filmmaker [[David Fincher]] attempted to create an unofficial reunion of sorts, when he attempted casting all three of the film's main characters in ''[[Alien 3]]''. McGann and Brown appeared; however, Grant turned down his role, which eventually went to [[Charles Dance]], who played the character of Clemens in the "spirit of Withnail".<ref>{{cite book |last=Hewitt-McManus |first=Thomas |title=Withnail & I: Everything You Ever Wanted to Know But Were Too Drunk to Ask |year=2006 |publisher=[[Lulu (company)|Lulu Press Incorporated]] |location=[[Raleigh, North Carolina]] |isbn=978-1411658219 |page=20}}</ref>{{self-published inline|date=May 2020}}

In 1996, the ''[[Los Angeles Times]]'' reported the film (and the associated drinking game) had achieved cult status prior to its [[home video]] re-release in the United States.<ref>{{cite news |title ='Withnail' and You: A Cult Fave Resurfaces |last=Liebenson |first=Donald |newspaper=[[Los Angeles Times]] |date=1996-11-10 |url=https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-10-ca-63114-story.html |access-date=2020-05-03 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20200503234510/https://www.latimes.com/archives/la-xpm-1996-11-10-ca-63114-story.html |archive-date=2020-05-03}}</ref>

In 2007, a digitally remastered version of the film was released by the [[UK Film Council]]. It was shown at over 50 cinemas around the UK on 11 September, as part of the final week of the [[BBC]]'s Summer of British Film season.<ref>{{cite news |title=BBC – The Summer of British Film – What's On |work=[[BBC]] |url=https://www.bbc.co.uk/britishfilm/summer/whats_on/index.shtml |url-status=dead |access-date=20 April 2011 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110422025900/http://www.bbc.co.uk/britishfilm/summer/whats_on/index.shtml |archive-date=22 April 2011}}</ref>

In 2010, McGann said that he sometimes meets viewers who believe the film was actually shot in the 1960s, saying "It comes from the mid-1980s, but it sticks out like a [[The Smiths|Smiths]] record. Its provenance is from a different era. None of the production values, none of the iconography, none of the style remotely has it down as an 80s picture."<ref>{{cite news |last=Dixon |first=Greg |title=Paul McGann coming in from the cult |url=https://www.nzherald.co.nz/entertainment/news/article.cfm?c_id=1501119&objectid=10681910 |newspaper=[[The New Zealand Herald]] |date=21 October 2010 |access-date=18 October 2014}}</ref>

== Stage adaptation ==
{{main|Withnail and I (play)}}
On 12 October 2023, it was announced that a [[Withnail and I (play)|stage adaptation]] would premiere at the [[Birmingham Repertory Theatre]] from 3 to 25 May 2024, adapted by Robinson and directed by [[Sean Foley (director)|Sean Foley]].<ref>{{Cite news |last=Wiegand |first=Chris |date=2023-10-11 |title=Withnail and I creator Bruce Robinson adapts film for the stage |url=https://www.theguardian.com/stage/2023/oct/12/withnail-and-i-creator-bruce-robinson-adapts-film-for-the-stage |access-date=2023-10-12 |work=The Guardian |issn=0261-3077}}</ref>

==See also==
* [[BFI Top 100 British films]]
* [[London in film]]
* [[List of cult films]]
* [[Independent cinema in the United Kingdom]]

==Notes==
{{Notelist |refs=
{{efn |name=values |About $1.6 million at average USD/GBP for 1987.<ref>{{cite web |title=U.S. Dollar / British Pound Historical Reference Rates from Bank of England for 1987 |url=https://www.poundsterlinglive.com/bank-of-england-spot/historical-spot-exchange-rates/usd/USD-to-GBP-1987 |website=Poundsterlinglive.com}}</ref>  About £{{inflation|UK|1.1|1987|2020}} million at 2020 prices}}
}}

==References==
{{Reflist}}

===Sources cited ===
{{refbegin}}
* {{cite book |first=Richard E. |last=Grant |title=With Nails: The Film Diaries of Richard E. Grant |publisher=Picador |year=1996 |isbn=0879519355}}
* {{cite web |url= http://www.british-film-locations.com/Withnail-And-I-1987 |url-status=dead|title= Withnail & I Filming Locations |first=Paul |last=Plowman |website=british-film-locations.com |date=2021 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20211108232103/http://www.british-film-locations.com/Withnail-And-I-1987 |archive-date=8 November 2021}}
* {{cite book|editor-first1=Alistair |editor-last1=Owen |title=Smoking in Bed: Conversations with Bruce Robinson |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=2000 |isbn=0747552592}}
{{refend}}

==Further reading==
* {{cite journal|first=Simon |last=Barnes |title=Withnail and Him |journal=The Anthony Powell Newsletter |volume=88 |issue=Autumn 2022 |pages=8–11}}
* {{cite book|first1=Ali |last1=Catterall |first2=Simon |last2=Wells |title=Your Face Here: British Cult Movies Since The Sixties |publisher=Fourth Estate |year=2001 |isbn=0007145543}}
* {{cite book|first=Kevin |last=Jackson |title=Withnail & I |publisher=BFI |year=2004 |isbn=1844570355}}
* {{cite book|first=Bruce |last=Robinson |title=Withnail & I: The Original Screenplay |publisher=Bloomsbury |year=1995 |isbn=0747524939}}
* {{cite book|first=Maisie |last=Robson |title=Withnail and the Romantic Imagination: A Eulogy |publisher=King's England Press |year=2010 |isbn=978-1872438641}}
* {{Cite book |last=Benjamin |first=Toby |title=Withnail and I: From Cult to Classic |publisher=Titan |year=2023 |isbn=9781803362397}}

==External links==
{{wikiquote}}
* {{IMDb title|0094336}}
* {{TCMDb title|id=96049}}
* {{mojo title|withnailandi}}
* {{rotten-tomatoes|withnail_and_i}}
* {{Screenonline title|481230}}
* [https://www.criterion.com/current/posts/122-withnail-and-i ''Withnail and I''] an essay by Bruce Robinson at the [[Criterion Collection]], from the introduction of the 10th anniversary publication of the screenplay
* [https://www.bbc.co.uk/cumbria/content/image_galleries/crow_crag_gallery.shtml?3 Image gallery on BBC Cumbria]
* [http://www.movie-locations.com/movies/w/Withnail-&-I.php Filming Locations for ''Withnail & I'']
* [http://www.theglobaldispatches.com/articles/withnail-i-%E2%80%93-25-years-on Withnail & I – 25 Years On]
* {{Discogs master|master=86239|name=Withnail and I (Original Soundtrack)|type=album}}
* {{MusicBrainz release group|mbid=59a99758-f5ce-31d4-8042-1dabdc657acc|name=Withnail and I}}
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{{Bruce Robinson}}
{{HandMade Films}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Withnail and I}}
[[Category:1980s buddy films|Comedy-drama]]
[[Category:1987 films]]
[[Category:1987 black comedy films]]
[[Category:1987 comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:1987 directorial debut films]]
[[Category:1987 independent films]]
[[Category:1987 LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:British comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:British LGBTQ-related films]]
[[Category:Films directed by Bruce Robinson]]
[[Category:Films with screenplays by Bruce Robinson]]
[[Category:British black comedy films]]
[[Category:British buddy comedy-drama films]]
[[Category:Films about actors]]
[[Category:Films about alcoholism]]
[[Category:Films set in the Lake District]]
[[Category:Films set in London]]
[[Category:Films set in 1969]]
[[Category:Films shot in England]]
[[Category:Films shot in London]]
[[Category:British independent films]]
[[Category:HandMade Films films]]
[[Category:Films set in country houses]]
[[Category:1980s English-language films]]
[[Category:1980s British films]]
[[Category:English-language black comedy films]]
[[Category:English-language independent films]]