Withnail And I (UK)

Openly admit i had heard many things about this film but had never actually seen it until Anchor Bay released this fine DVD, shame on me, as it is one of the funniest films I have ever seen.

The film focuses on two out of work actors during the 60s, Withnail and the character only credited as "I" and their holiday in the countryside inside Withnail`s homosexual uncle's cottage.
I could go on and on so I'll stop myself now, and tell you about the DVD itself.

Video: -
The transfer is an excellent one, being presented in a Letterbox 1:78:1 just a shame it isn't Anamorphic.
With most of the film being set in a cottage, it's incredibly dark but that's the way it's meant to be.
There is a bit of grain and dirt in some of the darker scenes but nothing to cause a fuss about.
The film is stated as Uncut but for not actually seeing anything other than this version i cannot say what has been restored.

Audio: -
This is where it starts to get ugly, the disk has a 5.1 mix is a joke as the it hasn't been mixed at all, mainly it's a mono track forced out of all 6 speakers, but fear not there is also a 2.0 which i find more suitable for this kind of dialogue driven film.
The dialogue is clear with the 2.0 and the excellent music they've chosen is very satisfying.

Extras: -
Here we are presented with a few good extras, the first being a documentary taken from the Criterion R1 version titled "Withnail And Us" which is very funny and informing at the same time, with a quite amusing story about Richard.E.Grant.

A newly recorded audio commentary with actors Paul MbGann (I) and Ralph Brown (Danny).
Some production photos, and an A3 Poster and a 6-page booklet.
Overall the film itself would've been sufficient enough for the DVD, but Anchor Bay have done well for the R2 people with a disk better than the mighty Criterion's disk, but still not what it deserves.

Recognised by the BFI as one of the funniest British movies ever made, Withnail & I shows how a great script can overcome all technical problems. Th film has a huge fanbase around the world, with fans such as Steven Speilberg, Johnny Depp (who basically imitated Richard E. Grant in Sleepy Hollow) and Edward Norton.

The video has taken a hammering for being non-anamorphic, but remember this was a low budget British film, where the director didn`t even know what he was supposed to do.

The film is really a matter of taste being a highly literate mixture of comedy and farce but is firmly one of my favourite films of all time. The film gets a good transfer onto disc and is all clean, sparkly and good. You also are given a choice between stereo and a 5.1 mix of the soundtrack (I recommend the earlier - the 5.1 mix is much quieter which jars as it is a dialogue-based film).
The film is extended and there is a commentary by McGann and Steadman who offer an intriguing look at the making of the film and some of the annecdotes they recount are quite amusing. Aside from this there is a bog-standard photogallery and an interesting featurette on why Withnail & I is a cult success. Oh - and the menus are lovely too!
Heartily recommended.