Withnail and I (Bloomsbury Film Classics)

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Editorial reviews

Amazon.co.uk Review
Withnail and I is often described as a cult classic but as one of the most sought after videos in the country that notion of cult should not be confused with a lack of popularity. Year after year another set of students gets initiated into the cult of "Withnail" and after a few viewings (because it really is one of those films that viewers keep returning to) find themselves quoting ad nauseam some of the best lines ever delivered in a British film comedy (they are, admittedly, less funny when quoted by an inebriated 20-year old!).

This original screenplay is the sourcebook for these ubiquitous quotes about Withnail and his unnamed house-mate "I" (or "Marwood", as he appears in the script), acting students in the late 60s, bombed from too many drugs and bummed out by too much poverty. They decide that some time in the country to rejuvenate (in the run-down holiday cottage of rich Uncle Monty) is the best remedy. After a drunken ride through interminable rain they get to the cottage--and then the fun really starts! Bruce Robinson has proved in his hugely enjoyable novel The Peculiar Memories of Thomas Penman what a fantastic writer he is and access to the screenplay only confirms that it was the quality of his dialogue that makes "Withnail" such a peerless classic. An essential companion to one of the funniest films ever made. -- Nicola Hollins

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Customer reviews

review by: date: 2008-05-28 rating:
I demand to have some booze!
Many fans of this film can quote lines by the dozen, and with good cause. Bruce Robinson has such excellent eccentricity in this work that I defy anyone not to enjoy it, unless their sense of humour has been surgically removed. The film contains masterful use of English and reading this is a delight. Reading some of these lines just drives home how well written this film is. Strongly, strongly recommended.


review by: date: 1999-07-05 rating:
"To a delightful weekend in the country!"
Quite simply, everybody in the world who appreciates the subtlety and sheer versatility of the English language should, if not able to just go out and buy the film, purchase this book in order to see Bruce Robinson, a master of the language, at his best. Never have swear words be imbued with such feeling, yet manage to avoid seeming merely crude or gratuitous. A marvellous chance for fans to further study the characters of the selfish Withnail, the nervy Marwood, and that libidinous old goat Uncle Monty. As a further incentive, extra sections of the script which never made it into the film are included in the book. These include the ludicrous scene where Marwood and Withnail buy 96 bottles of wine before setting off for Penrith, or the marvellous faux-Shakesperean fencing duel in the cottage between Withnail and Marwood. These restored pieces of the dialogue are wonderful and fully deserve their place in the full script. The highest praise I can give it is was that it was the only book I took away when I went travelling around the world for a year! A truly wonderful and satisfying book.

M.R. Storey: gents_club@yahoo.com

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Similar categories

Books . Subjects . Music, Stage & Screen . General AAS
Books . Refinements . Language (feature_browse-bin) . English
Books . Refinements . Format (binding_browse-bin) . Paperback
Books . Refinements . Font Size (format_browse-bin) . Regular Size

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