The Arena Of The Unwell

In the words of Withnail with reference to the quote above, "What fucker said that!?"

A film critic perhaps?
A general film go-er?

No, it was infact said by its writer and director Bruce Robinson. How wrong could he be for he was talking about probably the best film of all time .

It is the closing curtain of the 1960`s and two out of work actors called Withnail and Marwood, (Marwood being the "& I" of the title) are beginning to feel the strain. A monotonous circle of signing on, unforgiving agents, booze, drugs and rainy Camden Town has taken its toll.

They are not at all helped by the presence of Danny, the local drug dealer/philosopher. Danny, being a burnt out hippy is also feeling the strain, the first time we see him he is hungry and has lost one of his shoes. He sums up the whole tone of the film with the line :
"They'll walk around the streets of this town saying 'Bring out your dead'"

A break from London is the only option or else "Something's going to crack!"

A weekend in the Lake District to rejuvenate is decided upon, even though Withnail points out that "I'm in a park and I'm practically dead. What good's the countryside?". Withnail's Uncle Monty is the owner of a small cottage to which Withnail "acquires"; the keys to. I say "acquires" as he only prises them out of Monty under the pretence that Marwood is Homosexual and available for his advances.

However the weekend does not go to plan. Withnail being horribly drunk and without having aspirins describes himself as feeling "like a pig shat in my head", and this is even before they reach the cottage. Once there the cottage can only be described as "desolate" with no heating or electricity. Perhaps staying in London would have been a better option? The next day things only become worse, the locals aren't as hospitable as Marwood had expected, a farmer won't sell him firewood, the farmers wife won't talk to him and a randy bull decides to try and gore him (all with very little help from Withnail who has taken a more "sit-back" approach to the weekend with the hope it will all be over as soon as possible.)

A night at the local pub is in order however even here they fall foul of the countryside and Withnail makes an instant enemy of Jake (the local poacher) by daring of all things to accuse him of poaching and asking for one of his "acquisitions". That night they hear noises from outside the cottage and then a sound of breaking glass. They fear the worse but to their joy it is simply Uncle Monty come to stay (not good for Marwood however). Later on during the "holiday" Uncle Monty forces his way into Marwood's room to try and force himself upon Marwood! Marwood only talks his way out of "having a buggery" by pretending he is secretly having an affair with Withnail and they are both deeply in love!

Uncle Monty vanishes the very same night only leaving a note apologising for his actions. Upon arriving back in London they find that Danny and his "huge spade" of a friend called Presuming Ed have made themselves at home in their flat. "Ingenuity man, come up the drainpipe. Would you like a smoke?" to which he begins to make the Camberwell carrot, a spliff which "can utilise upto 12 skins."

To Marwood's pleasure and Withnail's half hartedness Marwood takes a phone call to tell him that he has landed himself a job. At this point Marwood and Withnail part company, only leaving each other infront of the wolves in Regents Park, leaving Withnail on his own to recite Hamlet in the rain in-between gulps of wine. He walks off and the wolves look unimpressed.

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