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Toward the end of Withnail & I, which is set in 1969, Danny the Dealer says:
We are at the end of an age. The greatest decade in the history of mankind is nearly over. They’re selling hippy wigs in Woolworths, man. It is 91 days to the end of the decade and as Presuming Ed here has so consistently pointed out, we have failed to paint it black.
Well, depending on whether you count inclusively or not, either today or tomorrow marks 91 days until the end of the decade. So by the power vested in me by nothing in particular I am hereby declaring this “International Withnail Day.”
If by any chance you’ve never seen Withnail & I, well, quite frankly, I envy you. You should take steps to rectify that situation as soon as possible, though be forewarned that a first viewing is likely to be somewhat disappointing, not least because the characters’ uber-British accents and idioms are often impenetrable. Subtitles may be of some help, but ideally plan on watching more than once, preferably in multiple states of mind.
And if you have seen it before — even many, many times, like some of us — well, it’s never a bad time for another viewing, is it? Not only is it quite possibly the best movie ever made, it was produced by George Harrison’s Handmade Films, and without George’s support it would never have been made. George also gave his permission for “While My Guitar Gently Weeps” to be used on the soundtrack, to wit:
shall we plan a viewing?
Simultaneous remote or live in person?
I applaud International Withnail Day. October 1 it is! I may just have to have a viewing tonight … in this land of weather forecasts and breakfasts that set in. Shat on by Tories and shoveled up by labor and here we are. We three, perhaps the last island of beauty in the the world.