Farewell, Uncle Monty

29/03/2013 at 12:52 (Personal, Reviews) (Richard Griffiths, Withnail and I)

http://m.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21973505

As the irascible thespian Uncle Monty in “Withnail and I”, Richard Griffiths first found his way into my heart. It was a role he’d come to be remembered for, a focal point for any misunderstood man caught between stage and sky, where only the stars may gain access. In the hopeless pursuit of Withnail’s companion Marwood, Monty was forced, as any man of his generation (and those to come) would be, to fade back into the shadows, broken heart in one hand and wilting flower (!) in the other. For the soil-rumble voice, its trembling poetry, I’ll remember Griffiths best.

This is my farewell, to a man and national favourite, gone to be with those stars.