fbpx
Wikipedia

This Is Spinal Tap

January 19, 2023

This article is about the film. For the soundtrack album, see This Is Spinal Tap (soundtrack).

This Is Spinal Tap (also known as This Is Spın̈al Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi[a]) is a 1984 American mockumentary film co-written and directed by Rob Reiner (in his feature directorial debut). The film stars Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as members of the fictional British heavy metal band Spinal Tap, one of England's "loudest bands",[3][4] with Reiner as Martin "Marty" Di Bergi, a documentary filmmaker who follows them on their American tour. The film satirizes the behavior and musical pretensions of rock bands and the hagiographic tendencies of rock documentaries such as The Song Remains the Same (1976) and The Last Waltz (1978), and follows the similar All You Need Is Cash (1978) by the Rutles.[5] Most of its dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours were filmed.

This Is Spinal Tap
Theatrical release poster
Directed byRob Reiner
Written by
Produced byKaren Murphy
Starring
CinematographyPeter Smokler
Edited by
Music by
  • Christopher Guest
  • Michael McKean
  • Harry Shearer
  • Rob Reiner
Distributed byEmbassy Pictures
Release date
  • March 2, 1984 (1984-03-02)
Running time
82 minutes
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Budget$2 million[1]
Box office$4.7 million (North America)[2]

This Is Spinal Tap was released to critical acclaim, but its initial release found only modest commercial success. Its later VHS release, however, brought it greater success and a cult following. In 2002, it was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress, and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry. It has been credited with "effectively" launching the mockumentary genre.[4]

Plot

Filmmaker Martin "Marty" Di Bergi is creating a documentary that follows the English rock group Spinal Tap on their 1982 United States concert tour to promote their new album Smell the Glove. The band comprises childhood friends David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel on vocals and guitar, bassist Derek Smalls, keyboardist Viv Savage, and drummer Mick Shrimpton. They were known as the Originals until they found out another band had that name, so they changed their name to the New Originals. They had a hit as the Thamesmen with their single "Gimme Some Money", before changing their name to Spinal Tap and achieving a minor hit with the flower power anthem "Listen to the Flower People", and finally transitioning to heavy metal. Several of their previous drummers died in strange circumstances: spontaneous human combustion (Peter "James" Bond), a "bizarre gardening accident" (John "Stumpy" Pepys), and choking on (someone else's) vomit (Eric "Stumpy Joe" Childs). Segments of Marty's film show David and Nigel to be competent but dimwitted and immature musicians. At one point, Nigel shows Marty a custom-made amplifier that has volume knobs that go up to eleven, believing this would make their output louder.

 
Nigel's amplifier dials that go up to eleven; this scene is the origin of the term up to eleven.

Several of the band's tour shows are canceled because of low ticket sales, and major retailers refuse to sell Smell the Glove because of its sexist cover art. Tensions arise between the band and their manager Ian Faith. David's girlfriend Jeanine, a manipulative yoga and astrology devotee, joins the group on tour and participates in band meetings, influencing their costumes and stage presentation. The band's distributor opts to release Smell the Glove with an entirely black cover without consulting the band. Despite their manager convincing the band that it would have a similar appeal to the Beatles' White Album, the album fails to draw crowds to autograph sessions with the band.

Nigel suggests staging a lavish show, and asks Ian to order a Stonehenge megalith. However, Nigel, rushing a sketch on a napkin, mislabels its dimensions; the resulting prop is only 18 inches high rather than 18 feet, making the group a laughing stock. The group blames Ian, and when David suggests Jeanine should co-manage the group, Ian quits. The tour continues, rescheduled into smaller and smaller venues. Nigel is marginalized by Jeanine and David. At a gig at a United States Air Force base, Nigel is upset by an equipment malfunction and quits mid-performance. At their next gig, in an amphitheater at an amusement park, the band finds their repertoire is severely limited without Nigel, and improvise an experimental "Jazz Odyssey", which is poorly received.

At the last show of the tour, David and Derek consider exploring old side projects, such as a musical theatre production about Jack the Ripper. Before they go on stage, Nigel arrives (to a very cool reception from David and Jeanine) to tell them that their song "Sex Farm" has become a major hit in Japan, and that Ian wants to arrange a tour there. In the wings, as Nigel watches the band performing, David relents and invites him to join the band onstage, giving huge delight to everyone but a furious Jeanine. With Ian reinstalled as manager, Spinal Tap performs a series of sold-out shows in Japan, despite the loss of drummer Mick, who explodes onstage.

Cast

Production

Background

Michael McKean and Christopher Guest met while in college in New York City in the late 1960s, and they played music together. They worked with Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner on a TV pilot in 1978 for a sketch comedy show called The TV Show, which featured a parody rock band called Spinal Tap. During production of that sketch (while being burned with oil from on-stage effect) McKean and Guest began to improvise, inventing characters that became David St. Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel.[6][7]

Guest had previously played guitar under the name "Nigel Tufnel" on Michael McKean and David Lander's album Lenny and the Squigtones.[8]

Development

The entire film was shot in Los Angeles County, over a period of about five weeks. The visit to Elvis Presley's grave was filmed in a park in Altadena, with a mock-up of the grave site. The band sings "Heartbreak Hotel" because that was the only Elvis song for which producer Karen Murphy could obtain rights.[9]

Rob Reiner procured $60,000 from Marble Arch Productions to write a screenplay with McKean, Guest and Shearer, based on the Spinal Tap characters. They realized after a few days of writing that no script could capture the kind of movie they wanted to make, so they decided instead to shoot a short demo of the proposed film. They shopped the demo around to various studios but had no takers, until television writer-producer Norman Lear decided to back the project.[10]

Virtually all dialogue in the film is improvised. Actors were given outlines indicating where scenes would begin and end and character information necessary to avoid contradictions, but everything else came from the actors. As often as possible, the first take was used in the film, to capture natural reactions.[9] Reiner wanted to list the entire cast as writers on the film to acknowledge their contributions, but the Writers' Guild objected, and so only he, Guest, McKean, and Shearer received writing credit.[10]

Veteran documentary cameraman Peter Smokler worked as cinematographer on the film. Smokler had great instincts for camera placement on set, according to Reiner, and is responsible for the film's handheld cinéma vérité style[10]—although the cinematographer did not understand what was supposed to be funny about the movie.[9] With Smokler behind the camera, the film was shot not as a feature film, but as a documentary, without a script or traditional shooting schedule. So much footage was filmed (over 100 hours) that it eventually required three editors to complete the film.[9]

Inspirations for the film included the documentaries Don't Look Back (1967), which was made about Bob Dylan, and The Last Waltz (1978), which was about The Band.[10] The famous scene where Spinal Tap becomes lost backstage was inspired by a video of Tom Petty at a concert in Germany, walking through a series of doors trying to find the stage, but ending up on an indoor tennis court.[11] Rob Reiner also went to see the English heavy metal band Judas Priest in concert as part of his preparation for the film. He later said, "It physically hurt my chest. The reverberation in the hall was so strong that I couldn’t stay there any longer."[12] According to Harry Shearer in the Criterion edition DVD commentary, keyboard player John Sinclair had just returned from touring with Uriah Heep when principal photography was about to begin, and told them how they had been booked to play an air force base. They subsequently used the story in the film.

In post-production, Christopher Guest was very concerned with the verisimilitude of the finger positions on the band's instruments during the concert scenes, and even re-shot some footage after the movie was edited to ensure their hands appeared in sync with the music.[9]

The character of Jeanine, David's disruptive girlfriend, was added during the production to provide a storyline to the material—in part to mollify studio executives who worried the movie would be plotless. Actress Victoria Tennant was briefly considered for the role, but June Chadwick won the part, thanks to her chemistry with the cast and her improvisation skills.[9][10]

Robert Bauer played the same character, Moke, in two Rob Reiner movies, The Sure Thing (1985) and this one.

Reception and legacy

Critical reception

Since its release, This Is Spinal Tap has received acclaim from critics[13] and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1984.[14][15][16] The film holds a 95% "Certified Fresh" rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes based on 66 reviews, with an average rating of 8.60/10. The site's critical consensus reads, "Smartly directed, brilliantly acted, and packed with endlessly quotable moments, This Is Spinal Tap is an all-time comedy classic."[17] On Metacritic, which uses a weighted average, assigned the film a score of 92 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "universal acclaim".[18]

Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film four stars out of four and wrote "This Is Spinal Tap is one of the funniest, most intelligent, most original films of the year. The satire has a deft, wicked touch. Spinal Tap is not that much worse than, not that much different from, some successful rock bands."[19] Ebert later placed the film on his ten best list of 1984 and would later include it in his Great Movies list in 2001 where he called it "one of the funniest movies ever made".[20][21] Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also awarded 4 out of 4 stars, writing, "It is so well done, in fact, that unless you are clued in beforehand, it might take you a while to realize that the rock group under dissection in This Is Spinal Tap does not really exist."[22] Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised it as "a witty, mischievous satire, and it's obviously a labor of love."[23] In 2002, This Is Spinal Tap was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.[24]

Critics praised the film not only for its satire of the rollercoaster lifestyles of rock stars but also for its take on the non-fiction film genre. David Ansen from Newsweek called the film "a satire of the documentary form itself, complete with perfectly faded clips from old TV shows of the band in its mod and flower-child incarnations".[25]

Even with cameos from Billy Crystal and Patrick Macnee, Spinal Tap still managed to trick many of its moviegoers into believing the band existed. Reiner observed that "when Spinal Tap initially came out, everybody thought it was a real band... the reason it did go over everybody's head was that it was very close to home".[26]

Reactions from musicians

 
Cover for Shark Sandwich, one of the band's fictional albums

The film resonated with many musicians. Jimmy Page, Robert Plant, Jerry Cantrell, Dee Snider and Ozzy Osbourne all reported that, like Spinal Tap, they had become lost in confusing arena backstage hallways trying to make their way to the stage.[27][28][29] When Dokken's George Lynch saw the film he is said to have exclaimed, "That's us! How'd they make a movie about us?"[30] Glenn Danzig had a similar reaction when comparing Spinal Tap to his former band the Misfits saying, "When I first saw Spinal Tap, I was like, 'Hey, this is my old band.'"[31]

Lars Ulrich told a press conference crowd that the 1992 Guns N' Roses/Metallica Stadium Tour seemed "so Spinal Tap." This tour was in support of Metallica's own "black album". Shortly after the tour started, Metallica's James Hetfield suffered third-degree burns on his arms after he stood too close to a pyrotechnic device. Earlier in that tour, backstage at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert, Metallica met with Spinal Tap and discussed how their "black album" was an homage to Spinal Tap's Smell the Glove. This was captured on the Metallica DVD A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica.

In a 1992 interview, Nirvana explained declining the offer to be a part of the film Singles. Kurt Cobain goes on to say, "There's never really been a good documentary on rock and roll bands." Dave Grohl then cuts in saying, "Except for Spinal Tap, [that] was the only rock movie worth watching," which Cobain agreed with, as well as mentioning Dont Look Back, by D.A. Pennebaker.

According to a 1997 interview in Spin magazine with Aerosmith rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford, "The first time Steven [Tyler] saw it he didn't see any humor in it." When the film was released, Aerosmith's most recent album, Rock in a Hard Place, depicted Stonehenge prominently on the cover.

U2 guitarist The Edge said in the documentary It Might Get Loud that when he first saw Spinal Tap, "I didn't laugh: I wept," because it summed up what a brainless swamp big-label rock music had become.[32]

Use of Spinal Tap as a descriptive term

It became a common insult for a pretentious band to be told they were funnier than Spinal Tap. As George Lynch put it, the more seriously a band took themselves, the more they resembled Spinal Tap.[30] After seeing a 1986 performance by metal band Venom, singer Henry Rollins compared them to Spinal Tap.[33] In their respective Behind the Music episodes, Quiet Riot's Rudy Sarzo and Ratt's Robbin Crosby compared their own bands to Spinal Tap to some extent. For example, as a parallel to the "Shit Sandwich" incident, Quiet Riot's fourth album Condition Critical was given the two-word review of "Prognosis:Terminal" by J. D. Considine in Musician magazine. His review of the short-lived band GTR's eponymous debut LP in the same magazine was "SHT". R.E.M.'s Mike Mills described the band's early tours as "very Spinal Tap", citing, among other things, they had played at a United States Air Force base.

Judas Priest, the heavy metal band that Rob Reiner saw in preparation for the film, has had many drummers in its career (eight in total), which the website Ultimate Classic Rock described as "positively Spinal Tap-worthy".[34] Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery later described the run of five drummers in a year between his band's first two albums as "like Spinal Tap".[35] In the Pearl Jam documentary Pearl Jam Twenty, the members jokingly refer to the fact that while the core lineup of the group has remained unchanged (singer Eddie Vedder, guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard, and bassist Jeff Ament), the band has had five drummers. They describe this as "very Spinal Tap of us". In the documentary, a mock silent film called The Drummer Story is shown explaining what happened to their previous drummers. In it, one of them is almost eaten by a sea monster, only to be rescued by Eddie Vedder, playing a lifeguard.

The Canadian heavy metal band Anvil, whose drummer is named Robb Reiner, have been called "the real Spinal Tap" based on the misadventures depicted in their documentary Anvil! The Story of Anvil.[36]

Accolades

In 2008, Empire magazine ranked This Is Spinal Tap #48 on its list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time.[37] The New York Times placed the film on their list of The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made.[38] In January 2010, Total Film placed This Is Spinal Tap on its list of The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time.[39] When Entertainment Weekly compiled their list of The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time, the publication included the film as "just too beloved to ignore".[40] In 2011, Time Out London named it the best comedy film of all time.[41] In November 2015, the film was ranked the 11th funniest screenplay by the Writers Guild of America in its list of 101 Funniest Screenplays.[42] Stephen Sondheim listed it among his favorite films of all time.[43]

This Is Spinal Tap at 35: Tribeca Film Festival (The Guardian)[44]

The film is recognized by American Film Institute in this list:

Lawsuit

On October 17, 2016, actor Harry Shearer filed a $125 million fraud and breach of contract lawsuit against both StudioCanal, the successor in interest to Embassy Pictures, and Vivendi, which owns the studio. Shearer claimed that he and the other co-stars of the film received only $179 for sales of merchandise and music over the prior three decades. Shearer's lawsuit was specifically directed at StudioCanal by ordering the studio to terminate the copyright to This Is Spinal Tap.[46] In February 2017, Shearer's co-stars Christopher Guest and Michael McKean, as well as the film's director Rob Reiner, joined the lawsuit against StudioCanal and Vivendi, seeking $400 million in damages.[47] In the same month, Vivendi made an attempt to motion to the court to dismiss the case.[48][failed verification] In September 2017, a judge dismissed Shearer, Reiner and McKean from the case.[49] In October 2017, Spinal Tap revised their case by adding Universal Music Group (UMG, another division of Vivendi, whose Polydor label released the film's soundtrack) as a defendant, as well as the right to reclaim their copyrights to the film, its songs and characters.[50]

In August 2018, another judge ruled that Guest, Reiner, McKean and Shearer could pursue the fraud claim against Vivendi.[51]

The case related to sales of the soundtrack was settled out of court by November 2019, with UMG retaining the distribution rights but with the music rights eventually returning to Shearer, Guest, and McKean in the future.[52] A settlement between Vivendi, StudioCanal, and the cast on the merchandising aspect was reached in September 2020 with final details to be resolved in the following months.[53]

Home media

This Is Spinal Tap was first released on VHS in 1984 by Embassy Home Entertainment, and in 1994 as part of the Criterion Collection on LaserDisc under the title This Is Spinal Tap: Special Edition. It has also been released twice on DVD.

The first DVD release was a 1998 Criterion edition in letterbox format which used supplemental material from the 1994 Criterion LaserDisc release. It is the only double sided DVD in their catalogue, and it is now out of print.[54] It included an audio commentary track with Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer; a second audio commentary track with Rob Reiner, Karen Murphy, Robert Leighton and Kent Beyda; 79 minutes of deleted scenes; Spinal Tap: The Final Tour, the original twenty-minute short they shot to pitch the film; two trailers that feature Rob Reiner showing a film about cheese rolling (because "Spinal Tap" itself was still in the editing room); a TV promo, Heavy Metal Memories; and a music video for "Hell Hole". Sales of this edition were discontinued after only two years and the DVD has become a valuable collector's item. Much of this material had appeared on a 1994 CD-ROM by The Voyager Company that included the entire film in QuickTime format.

In 2000, MGM Home Entertainment released a special edition with more or less the same extras from the Criterion edition, plus a new audio commentary track with Guest, McKean and Shearer performing in character throughout, commenting on the film entirely in their fictional alter-egos, and often disapproving of how the film presents them; 70 minutes of deleted scenes (some of which were not on the Criterion DVD); a new short, Catching Up with Marty Di Bergi (where it is revealed that the members of Spinal Tap were very disappointed in Di Bergi for making a "hatchet job" of their film); the Heavy Metal Memories promo and six additional TV promos; music videos for "Gimme Some Money", "Listen to the Flower People" and "Big Bottom"; and segments of Spinal Tap appearing on The Joe Franklin Show. The special features were produced by Automat Pictures. However, this version of the film was missing the subtitles that appear throughout the film (for example, introducing band members, other personnel, and location names) and did not include the commentaries from the Criterion edition. The MGM DVD is missing the subtitles burned into the film; they have been replaced with player generated subtitles.

A 25th Anniversary Edition Blu-ray Disc release was released on July 28, 2009. It includes all bonus features from the MGM DVD, plus an interview with Nigel about Stonehenge, as well as the performance of "Stonehenge" from the band's Live Earth performance. It does not include the commentaries from the Criterion Collection DVD, even though MGM had stated that they would be included in the earliest press release for the Blu-ray version (most likely due to legal issues), and does not feature a "create your own avatars" element teased in publicity. However, this version does restore the subtitles that introduce band members/locales/events/etc. that were missing from MGM's DVD. The alternative, Region B, UK edition of this version additionally features a new hour-long documentary featuring famous fans, the "Bitch School" promo, the EPK for the "Back From The Dead" album, an interview with the late Reg Presley discussing the influence of the Troggs tapes on the film, and the first hour (ending with an abrupt edit) of The Return Of Spinal Tap. It does however lose the Di Bergi short and the Joe Franklin clip.

Appearances in other media

See also: Up to eleven

Harry Shearer, who played Derek Smalls, went on to become one of the main voice artists on The Simpsons, providing voices for Principal Skinner, Mr. Burns, Waylon Smithers, Ned Flanders and many others. The members of Spinal Tap reprised their roles in "The Otto Show", first playing on a concert attended by Bart and Milhouse which escalates into a riot after the band's early exit, then having their tour bus run off the road by Otto in the school bus.[55]

The Internet Movie Database normally only allows users to rate films up to ten stars, but specifically for Spinal Tap, the site allows users to rate the film eleven stars, referencing the "Up to eleven" scene.[56] On IGN, This Is Spinal Tap was the only DVD—and seemingly the only thing reviewed on IGN—to get 11 out of 10.[57] This scene was also used in some news reports on the death of James Charles "Jim" Marshall, founder of the famous amplifier company whose equipment is featured in the scene.[citation needed] Richard D. Titus, UX&D Controller for the BBC, adopted a Spinal Tap-inspired suggestion from a colleague that the BBC iPlayer should have a volume control that goes to eleven.[58] The term has entered the vernacular, as with an autistic's description of sensory overload vis-à-vis a neurotypical's routine filtering.[59]

Fran Drescher reprised the role of Bobbi Flekman during the fifth season of her hit television sitcom The Nanny; it was the season's third episode, titled "The Bobbi Flekman Story". In the episode, Flekman is now a record label producer for The Brian Setzer Orchestra, and an ex-business partner of character Maxwell Sheffield (Charles Shaughnessy). Drescher's regular character Fran Fine believes Flekman is attempting to seduce Sheffield, and impersonates her to stop it.[60]

Outside the world of music, J. K. Rowling cited Spinal Tap's series of drummers as an inspiration for the Harry Potter series, in which something bad happens to every teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts, causing them to leave the job without completing a full school year.[61]

A biographical comic book was released in 2018, That Was Spinal Tap, telling both the fictional story of the band and the real-life tale of the actors and others who created the characters and music. It was scripted by Rock 'N' Roll Comics co-creator Jay Allen Sanford.

Sequel

In May 2022, director Rob Reiner announced that he is working on a sequel to the film, which will include him returning to play DiBergi, and McKean, Shearer, and Guest as the members of Spinal Tap. The film will be Castle Rock Entertainment's first film following its revival in 2021.[62][63][64]

Related works

  • "Christmas with the Devil", 1984 follow-up single.
  • Inside Spinal Tap (1985), a rare companion book by Peter Occhiogrosso. In 1992 this was revised and expanded exclusively for the UK market.
  • Both Michael McKean and Harry Shearer appeared in character as David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls as part of the all-star charity group Hear 'n Aid. The group issued the single "Stars" in early 1986 which charted in the UK, hitting #26. St. Hubbins and Smalls were two of the dozens of well-known heavy metal artists who participated and were credited on the record, and can be seen in the video.
  • Break Like the Wind (1992), album.
  • "The Otto Show", a 1992 episode of The Simpsons which features Spinal Tap.
  • A two-hour, made-for-TV sequel, The Return of Spinal Tap, was broadcast and released on video in 1992 to promote Break Like the Wind. It consisted mostly of footage from an actual Spinal Tap concert at the Royal Albert Hall. In it the "Stonehenge" joke from the original movie is referenced, as the new, large prop is instead too big to get into the venue.
  • This Is Spinal Tap: The Official Companion (ISBN 0-7475-4218-X) was published in 2000. It featured a "Tapistory", full transcript of the film (including outtakes), a discography, lyrics and an A–Z of the band. This book largely recycles material from the Peter Occhiogrosso book and Criterion DVD commentaries.
  • Back from the Dead, 2009 album and DVD.
  • Unplugged and Unwigged, 2009 live DVD of Guest, McKean, and Shearer performing songs from their various works.
  • Smalls Change (Meditations on Ageing), 2018 solo album by Shearer as Derek Smalls.[65]

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Officially stylized as This Is Spın̈al Tap: A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi, with a non-functional heavy metal umlaut over the letter n—n-diaeresis—and a dotless letter i.

References

  1. ^ Nixon, Rob. . TCM.com. Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on March 3, 2016. Retrieved January 12, 2015.
  2. ^ "This Is Spinal Tap (1984)". Box Office Mojo. from the original on June 8, 2010. Retrieved August 5, 2010.
  3. ^ Hill, Stephen (April 29, 2014). "11 Reasons We Love Spın̈al Tap". Louder. from the original on October 20, 2020. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Arnold, Jeremy (2016). 52 Must-See Movies and Why They Matter (1st ed.). Running Press. ISBN 978-0762459469. from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved August 19, 2019.
  5. ^ Yarbroff, Jenny (April 10, 2009). "Spinal Tap and its Influence". Newsweek. from the original on November 29, 2014. Retrieved June 5, 2017.
  6. ^ From the Criterion Collection DVD Commentary.
  7. ^ "Christopher Guest on the Real Inspiration Behind 'This Is Spinal Tap'". October 9, 2014. from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  8. ^ . Turner Classic Movies. Archived from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  9. ^ a b c d e f From the Criterion Collection DVD Commentary
  10. ^ a b c d e "This Is Spinal Tap". Turner Classic Movies. from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  11. ^ "This Is Spinal Tap Turns 30: The Bands That Inspired the Classic Film". from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  12. ^ Mastropolo, Frank (August 5, 2014). . Rockcellarmagazine.com. Archived from the original on February 21, 2016. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  13. ^ "This Is Spinal Tap Movie Reviews". Metacritic. from the original on August 7, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  14. ^ "The Greatest Films of 1984". AMC Filmsite.org. Archived from the original on July 30, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  15. ^ . Film.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2008. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  16. ^ "The Best Movies of 1984 by Rank". Films101.com. Archived from the original on May 30, 2012. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  17. ^ "This Is Spinal Tap Movie Reviews, Pictures". Rotten Tomatoes. from the original on March 22, 2020. Retrieved August 27, 2021.
  18. ^ "This Is Spinal Tap". Metacritic. Fandom, Inc. Retrieved March 13, 2022.
  19. ^ . Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on June 6, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  20. ^ . Chicago Sun Times. Archived from the original on November 13, 2005. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  21. ^ "This Is Spinal Tap Movie Review". Chicago Sun Times. from the original on September 21, 2020. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  22. ^ Siskel, Gene (March 29, 1984). "'Spinal Tap' a smashing rock parody". Chicago Tribune. Section 5, p. 12.
  23. ^ Maslin, Janet (March 2, 1984). "Film: 'This Is Spinal Tap,' a Mock Documentary". The New York Times: C6.
  24. ^ "'Spinal Tap,' 'Alien' Make National Film Registry". Lifewhile. December 18, 2002. Archived from the original on January 27, 2013. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  25. ^ Muir, John (2004). Best in Show: The Films of Christopher Guest and Company. Applause Theatre & Cinema Books. p. 31. ISBN 9781557836090.
  26. ^ Yabroff, Jennie (2009). The Real Spinal Tap. Newsweek.
  27. ^ See the notes for Symptom of the Universe: The Original Black Sabbath 1970–1978, Rhino Records, 2002.
  28. ^ . Rolling Stone. Archived from the original on May 25, 2009. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  29. ^ Paul Du Noyer, "Who the hell does Jimmy Page think he is?", Q magazine, August 1988, p. 7.
  30. ^ a b Konow, David (2002). Bang Your Head. Three Rivers Press. pp. 216–217. ISBN 0-609-80732-3.
  31. ^ Blush, Steven (2001). George Petros (ed.). American Hardcore: A Tribal History. Feral House. p. 207. ISBN 0-922915-71-7.
  32. ^ "'It Might Get Loud' Movie Review: Documentary Puts Three Guitar Gods Center Stage". New Jersey On-Line. August 14, 2009. from the original on March 10, 2011. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  33. ^ Rollins, Henry, Get In The Van: On The Road With Black Flag, 2.13.61 Publications, 1994
  34. ^ Rivadavia, Eduardo (December 6, 2014). "Judas Priest Lineup Changes: A Complete Guide". Ultimate Classic Rock. from the original on October 26, 2018. Retrieved November 1, 2018.
  35. ^ Sterling C. Whitaker (2003). Unsung Heroes of Rock Guitar. Booksurge Publishing. p. 228. ISBN 978-1591097587.
  36. ^ . Spinner. November 25, 2010. Archived from the original on March 14, 2012. Retrieved January 7, 2012.
  37. ^ "Empire's The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time". Empire. from the original on January 6, 2009. Retrieved June 11, 2010.
  38. ^ "The Best 1,000 Movies Ever Made". The New York Times. April 29, 2003. from the original on March 29, 2005. Retrieved May 25, 2010.
  39. ^ "Total Film features: 100 Greatest Movies of All Time". Total Film. from the original on January 5, 2011. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  40. ^ "Entertainment Weekly's 100 Greatest Movies of All Time". Entertainment Weekly. AMC Filmsite.org. from the original on March 31, 2014. Retrieved August 23, 2010.
  41. ^ "100 Best Comedy Movies". Time Out London. from the original on January 31, 2013. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  42. ^ "101 Funniest Screenplays List". Writers Guild of America, West. November 11, 2015. from the original on February 2, 2016. Retrieved April 25, 2019.
  43. ^ Bose, Swapnil Dhruv (November 29, 2021). "Stephen Sondheim once named his 40 favourite films of all time". Far Out Magazine. Retrieved July 1, 2022.
  44. ^ "This Is Spinal Tap at 35: Tribeca Film Festival". The Guardian, West. April 28, 2019. from the original on April 28, 2019. Retrieved April 28, 2019.
  45. ^ "AFI's 100 Years...100 Laughs" (PDF). American Film Institute. (PDF) from the original on June 24, 2016. Retrieved August 5, 2016.
  46. ^ "Harry Shearer Files $125 Million 'Spinal Tap' Fraud Suit, Copyright Termination". Billboard. from the original on October 20, 2016. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  47. ^ Davies, Rob (February 8, 2017). "Spinal Tap creators aim to 'go to 11' with $400m lawsuit". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. from the original on February 8, 2017. Retrieved April 7, 2017.
  48. ^ Shearer, Harry (April 4, 2017). "Harry Shearer: Why My 'Spinal Tap' Lawsuit Affects All Creators". Rolling Stone. from the original on February 25, 2018. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  49. ^ "'Spinal Tap' Lawsuit: Judge Tosses Harry Shearer, Fraud Claim From Profits Case". The Hollywood Reporter. September 29, 2017. from the original on August 10, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  50. ^ Aswad, Jem (October 20, 2017). "'Spinal Tap' Actors File Amended Complaint, Seek Ability to Reclaim Copyrights". from the original on August 4, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  51. ^ "'Spinal Tap' creators may pursue fraud claim in $400 million U.S..." Reuters.com. August 29, 2018. from the original on September 4, 2019. Retrieved September 5, 2019.
  52. ^ Aswad, Jem (November 5, 2019). "Spinal Tap Creators and Universal Music Settle Copyright Dispute". Variety. from the original on November 5, 2019. Retrieved November 5, 2019.
  53. ^ Haring, Bruce (September 19, 2020). "'This Is Spinal Tap' Creators Reach Settlement On Long-Running Court Battle Over Rights And Income". Deadline Hollywood. from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved September 20, 2020.
  54. ^ "Out of Print". The Criterion Collection. Retrieved July 4, 2022.
  55. ^ Groening, Matt (1997). Richmond, Ray; Coffman, Antonia (eds.). The Simpsons: A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family (1st ed.). New York: HarperPerennial. p. 87. ISBN 978-0-06-095252-5. LCCN 98141857. OCLC 37796735. OL 433519M..
  56. ^ "Trivia: 'This Is Spinal Tap' IMDB Rating Goes to Eleven – /Film". December 2, 2010. from the original on August 11, 2018. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  57. ^ "This is Spinal Tap DVD". IGN. September 8, 2000. from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved December 5, 2021.
  58. ^ . April 25, 2012. Archived from the original on April 25, 2012. Retrieved August 10, 2018.
  59. ^ Christine M. Condo (March 3, 2020). "'You don't look autistic': The reality of high-functioning autism". The Washington Post. from the original on May 3, 2021. Retrieved January 15, 2021.
  60. ^ "The Bobbi Flekman Story". The Nanny. Season 5. Episode 3 (104 total). October 15, 1997. CBS.
  61. ^ Griffiths, Eleanor Bley (March 15, 2018). "JK Rowling confirms why her Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers are all cursed". Radiotimes.com. Retrieved February 8, 2022.
  62. ^ Blistein, Jon (May 12, 2022). "Break Out the Stonehenge Set — Spinal Tap Are Making a 'This Is Spinal Tap' Sequel". Rolling Stone. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  63. ^ Fleming, Mike Jr. (May 12, 2022). "Cannes Hot Package: 'Spinal Tap II' On Tap As Rob Reiner, Michael McKean, Christopher Guest & Harry Shearer Back For Encore". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved May 12, 2022.
  64. ^ "Rob Reiner on Re-Launching Castle Rock with 'Spinal Tap' Sequel and Shooting Documentary on Pal Albert Brooks: Cannes". May 18, 2022.
  65. ^ Amazon

External links

 
Wikiquote has quotations related to This Is Spinal Tap.
 
Look up Spinal Tap-ian in Wiktionary, the free dictionary.

January 19, 2023
this, spinal, this, article, about, film, soundtrack, album, soundtrack, also, known, this, spın, rockumentary, martin, bergi, 1984, american, mockumentary, film, written, directed, reiner, feature, directorial, debut, film, stars, christopher, guest, michael,. This article is about the film For the soundtrack album see This Is Spinal Tap soundtrack This Is Spinal Tap also known as This Is Spin al Tap A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi a is a 1984 American mockumentary film co written and directed by Rob Reiner in his feature directorial debut The film stars Christopher Guest Michael McKean and Harry Shearer as members of the fictional British heavy metal band Spinal Tap one of England s loudest bands 3 4 with Reiner as Martin Marty Di Bergi a documentary filmmaker who follows them on their American tour The film satirizes the behavior and musical pretensions of rock bands and the hagiographic tendencies of rock documentaries such as The Song Remains the Same 1976 and The Last Waltz 1978 and follows the similar All You Need Is Cash 1978 by the Rutles 5 Most of its dialogue was improvised and dozens of hours were filmed This Is Spinal TapTheatrical release posterDirected byRob ReinerWritten byChristopher Guest Michael McKean Harry Shearer Rob ReinerProduced byKaren MurphyStarringChristopher Guest Michael McKean Harry Shearer Rob Reiner June Chadwick Tony Hendra Bruno KirbyCinematographyPeter SmoklerEdited byRobert Leighton Kent Beyda Kim SecristMusic byChristopher Guest Michael McKean Harry Shearer Rob ReinerDistributed byEmbassy PicturesRelease dateMarch 2 1984 1984 03 02 Running time82 minutesCountryUnited StatesLanguageEnglishBudget 2 million 1 Box office 4 7 million North America 2 This Is Spinal Tap was released to critical acclaim but its initial release found only modest commercial success Its later VHS release however brought it greater success and a cult following In 2002 it was deemed culturally historically or aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation by the National Film Registry It has been credited with effectively launching the mockumentary genre 4 Contents 1 Plot 2 Cast 3 Production 3 1 Background 3 2 Development 4 Reception and legacy 4 1 Critical reception 4 2 Reactions from musicians 4 3 Use of Spinal Tap as a descriptive term 4 4 Accolades 5 Lawsuit 6 Home media 7 Appearances in other media 8 Sequel 9 Related works 10 See also 11 Notes 12 References 13 External linksPlot EditFilmmaker Martin Marty Di Bergi is creating a documentary that follows the English rock group Spinal Tap on their 1982 United States concert tour to promote their new album Smell the Glove The band comprises childhood friends David St Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel on vocals and guitar bassist Derek Smalls keyboardist Viv Savage and drummer Mick Shrimpton They were known as the Originals until they found out another band had that name so they changed their name to the New Originals They had a hit as the Thamesmen with their single Gimme Some Money before changing their name to Spinal Tap and achieving a minor hit with the flower power anthem Listen to the Flower People and finally transitioning to heavy metal Several of their previous drummers died in strange circumstances spontaneous human combustion Peter James Bond a bizarre gardening accident John Stumpy Pepys and choking on someone else s vomit Eric Stumpy Joe Childs Segments of Marty s film show David and Nigel to be competent but dimwitted and immature musicians At one point Nigel shows Marty a custom made amplifier that has volume knobs that go up to eleven believing this would make their output louder Nigel s amplifier dials that go up to eleven this scene is the origin of the term up to eleven Several of the band s tour shows are canceled because of low ticket sales and major retailers refuse to sell Smell the Glove because of its sexist cover art Tensions arise between the band and their manager Ian Faith David s girlfriend Jeanine a manipulative yoga and astrology devotee joins the group on tour and participates in band meetings influencing their costumes and stage presentation The band s distributor opts to release Smell the Glove with an entirely black cover without consulting the band Despite their manager convincing the band that it would have a similar appeal to the Beatles White Album the album fails to draw crowds to autograph sessions with the band Nigel suggests staging a lavish show and asks Ian to order a Stonehenge megalith However Nigel rushing a sketch on a napkin mislabels its dimensions the resulting prop is only 18 inches high rather than 18 feet making the group a laughing stock The group blames Ian and when David suggests Jeanine should co manage the group Ian quits The tour continues rescheduled into smaller and smaller venues Nigel is marginalized by Jeanine and David At a gig at a United States Air Force base Nigel is upset by an equipment malfunction and quits mid performance At their next gig in an amphitheater at an amusement park the band finds their repertoire is severely limited without Nigel and improvise an experimental Jazz Odyssey which is poorly received At the last show of the tour David and Derek consider exploring old side projects such as a musical theatre production about Jack the Ripper Before they go on stage Nigel arrives to a very cool reception from David and Jeanine to tell them that their song Sex Farm has become a major hit in Japan and that Ian wants to arrange a tour there In the wings as Nigel watches the band performing David relents and invites him to join the band onstage giving huge delight to everyone but a furious Jeanine With Ian reinstalled as manager Spinal Tap performs a series of sold out shows in Japan despite the loss of drummer Mick who explodes onstage Cast EditMichael McKean as David St Hubbins Christopher Guest as Nigel Tufnel Harry Shearer as Derek Smalls Rob Reiner as Martin Marty Di Bergi Tony Hendra as Ian Faith R J Parnell drummer for Atomic Rooster as Mick Shrimpton David Kaff as Viv Savage June Chadwick as Jeanine Pettibone Bruno Kirby as limo driver Tommy Pischedda Ed Begley Jr as John Stumpy Pepys Danny Kortchmar as Ronnie Pudding Fran Drescher as Bobbi Flekman Patrick Macnee as Sir Denis Eton Hogg Julie Payne as mime waitress Dana Carvey as mime waiter Sandy Helberg as Angelo DiMentibelio Zane Buzby as Rolling Stone reporter Billy Crystal as Morty the Mime Paul Benedict as Tucker Smitty Brown Howard Hesseman as Terry Ladd Duke Fame s Manager Paul Shortino as Duke Fame Lara Cody as Duke Fame s groupie Andrew J Lederer as student promoter Russ Kunkel as doomed drummer Eric Stumpy Joe Childs Victory Tischler Blue as Cindy Joyce Hyser as Belinda Gloria Gifford as the airport security officer with the security wand Paul Shaffer as incompetent promoter Artie Fufkin Polymer Records Archie Hahn as the room service guy Charles Levin as Disc n Dat manager Anjelica Huston as Polly Deutsch Donald Kendrick as Background Vocalist Fred Willard as Air Force Lt Bob Hookstratten Wonderful Smith as Janitor Robert Bauer as Moke Spinal Tap s roadieProduction EditBackground Edit Michael McKean and Christopher Guest met while in college in New York City in the late 1960s and they played music together They worked with Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner on a TV pilot in 1978 for a sketch comedy show called The TV Show which featured a parody rock band called Spinal Tap During production of that sketch while being burned with oil from on stage effect McKean and Guest began to improvise inventing characters that became David St Hubbins and Nigel Tufnel 6 7 Guest had previously played guitar under the name Nigel Tufnel on Michael McKean and David Lander s album Lenny and the Squigtones 8 Development Edit The entire film was shot in Los Angeles County over a period of about five weeks The visit to Elvis Presley s grave was filmed in a park in Altadena with a mock up of the grave site The band sings Heartbreak Hotel because that was the only Elvis song for which producer Karen Murphy could obtain rights 9 Rob Reiner procured 60 000 from Marble Arch Productions to write a screenplay with McKean Guest and Shearer based on the Spinal Tap characters They realized after a few days of writing that no script could capture the kind of movie they wanted to make so they decided instead to shoot a short demo of the proposed film They shopped the demo around to various studios but had no takers until television writer producer Norman Lear decided to back the project 10 Virtually all dialogue in the film is improvised Actors were given outlines indicating where scenes would begin and end and character information necessary to avoid contradictions but everything else came from the actors As often as possible the first take was used in the film to capture natural reactions 9 Reiner wanted to list the entire cast as writers on the film to acknowledge their contributions but the Writers Guild objected and so only he Guest McKean and Shearer received writing credit 10 Veteran documentary cameraman Peter Smokler worked as cinematographer on the film Smokler had great instincts for camera placement on set according to Reiner and is responsible for the film s handheld cinema verite style 10 although the cinematographer did not understand what was supposed to be funny about the movie 9 With Smokler behind the camera the film was shot not as a feature film but as a documentary without a script or traditional shooting schedule So much footage was filmed over 100 hours that it eventually required three editors to complete the film 9 Inspirations for the film included the documentaries Don t Look Back 1967 which was made about Bob Dylan and The Last Waltz 1978 which was about The Band 10 The famous scene where Spinal Tap becomes lost backstage was inspired by a video of Tom Petty at a concert in Germany walking through a series of doors trying to find the stage but ending up on an indoor tennis court 11 Rob Reiner also went to see the English heavy metal band Judas Priest in concert as part of his preparation for the film He later said It physically hurt my chest The reverberation in the hall was so strong that I couldn t stay there any longer 12 According to Harry Shearer in the Criterion edition DVD commentary keyboard player John Sinclair had just returned from touring with Uriah Heep when principal photography was about to begin and told them how they had been booked to play an air force base They subsequently used the story in the film In post production Christopher Guest was very concerned with the verisimilitude of the finger positions on the band s instruments during the concert scenes and even re shot some footage after the movie was edited to ensure their hands appeared in sync with the music 9 The character of Jeanine David s disruptive girlfriend was added during the production to provide a storyline to the material in part to mollify studio executives who worried the movie would be plotless Actress Victoria Tennant was briefly considered for the role but June Chadwick won the part thanks to her chemistry with the cast and her improvisation skills 9 10 Robert Bauer played the same character Moke in two Rob Reiner movies The Sure Thing 1985 and this one Reception and legacy EditCritical reception Edit Since its release This Is Spinal Tap has received acclaim from critics 13 and is widely regarded as one of the best films of 1984 14 15 16 The film holds a 95 Certified Fresh rating on the review aggregation website Rotten Tomatoes based on 66 reviews with an average rating of 8 60 10 The site s critical consensus reads Smartly directed brilliantly acted and packed with endlessly quotable moments This Is Spinal Tap is an all time comedy classic 17 On Metacritic which uses a weighted average assigned the film a score of 92 out of 100 based on 30 critics indicating universal acclaim 18 Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun Times gave the film four stars out of four and wrote This Is Spinal Tap is one of the funniest most intelligent most original films of the year The satire has a deft wicked touch Spinal Tap is not that much worse than not that much different from some successful rock bands 19 Ebert later placed the film on his ten best list of 1984 and would later include it in his Great Movies list in 2001 where he called it one of the funniest movies ever made 20 21 Gene Siskel of the Chicago Tribune also awarded 4 out of 4 stars writing It is so well done in fact that unless you are clued in beforehand it might take you a while to realize that the rock group under dissection in This Is Spinal Tap does not really exist 22 Janet Maslin of The New York Times praised it as a witty mischievous satire and it s obviously a labor of love 23 In 2002 This Is Spinal Tap was deemed culturally historically or aesthetically significant by the Library of Congress and was selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry 24 Critics praised the film not only for its satire of the rollercoaster lifestyles of rock stars but also for its take on the non fiction film genre David Ansen from Newsweek called the film a satire of the documentary form itself complete with perfectly faded clips from old TV shows of the band in its mod and flower child incarnations 25 Even with cameos from Billy Crystal and Patrick Macnee Spinal Tap still managed to trick many of its moviegoers into believing the band existed Reiner observed that when Spinal Tap initially came out everybody thought it was a real band the reason it did go over everybody s head was that it was very close to home 26 Reactions from musicians Edit Cover for Shark Sandwich one of the band s fictional albums The film resonated with many musicians Jimmy Page Robert Plant Jerry Cantrell Dee Snider and Ozzy Osbourne all reported that like Spinal Tap they had become lost in confusing arena backstage hallways trying to make their way to the stage 27 28 29 When Dokken s George Lynch saw the film he is said to have exclaimed That s us How d they make a movie about us 30 Glenn Danzig had a similar reaction when comparing Spinal Tap to his former band the Misfits saying When I first saw Spinal Tap I was like Hey this is my old band 31 Lars Ulrich told a press conference crowd that the 1992 Guns N Roses Metallica Stadium Tour seemed so Spinal Tap This tour was in support of Metallica s own black album Shortly after the tour started Metallica s James Hetfield suffered third degree burns on his arms after he stood too close to a pyrotechnic device Earlier in that tour backstage at The Freddie Mercury Tribute Concert Metallica met with Spinal Tap and discussed how their black album was an homage to Spinal Tap s Smell the Glove This was captured on the Metallica DVD A Year and a Half in the Life of Metallica In a 1992 interview Nirvana explained declining the offer to be a part of the film Singles Kurt Cobain goes on to say There s never really been a good documentary on rock and roll bands Dave Grohl then cuts in saying Except for Spinal Tap that was the only rock movie worth watching which Cobain agreed with as well as mentioning Dont Look Back by D A Pennebaker According to a 1997 interview in Spin magazine with Aerosmith rhythm guitarist Brad Whitford The first time Steven Tyler saw it he didn t see any humor in it When the film was released Aerosmith s most recent album Rock in a Hard Place depicted Stonehenge prominently on the cover U2 guitarist The Edge said in the documentary It Might Get Loud that when he first saw Spinal Tap I didn t laugh I wept because it summed up what a brainless swamp big label rock music had become 32 Use of Spinal Tap as a descriptive term Edit It became a common insult for a pretentious band to be told they were funnier than Spinal Tap As George Lynch put it the more seriously a band took themselves the more they resembled Spinal Tap 30 After seeing a 1986 performance by metal band Venom singer Henry Rollins compared them to Spinal Tap 33 In their respective Behind the Music episodes Quiet Riot s Rudy Sarzo and Ratt s Robbin Crosby compared their own bands to Spinal Tap to some extent For example as a parallel to the Shit Sandwich incident Quiet Riot s fourth album Condition Critical was given the two word review of Prognosis Terminal by J D Considine in Musician magazine His review of the short lived band GTR s eponymous debut LP in the same magazine was SHT R E M s Mike Mills described the band s early tours as very Spinal Tap citing among other things they had played at a United States Air Force base Judas Priest the heavy metal band that Rob Reiner saw in preparation for the film has had many drummers in its career eight in total which the website Ultimate Classic Rock described as positively Spinal Tap worthy 34 Marillion guitarist Steve Rothery later described the run of five drummers in a year between his band s first two albums as like Spinal Tap 35 In the Pearl Jam documentary Pearl Jam Twenty the members jokingly refer to the fact that while the core lineup of the group has remained unchanged singer Eddie Vedder guitarists Mike McCready and Stone Gossard and bassist Jeff Ament the band has had five drummers They describe this as very Spinal Tap of us In the documentary a mock silent film called The Drummer Story is shown explaining what happened to their previous drummers In it one of them is almost eaten by a sea monster only to be rescued by Eddie Vedder playing a lifeguard The Canadian heavy metal band Anvil whose drummer is named Robb Reiner have been called the real Spinal Tap based on the misadventures depicted in their documentary Anvil The Story of Anvil 36 Accolades Edit In 2008 Empire magazine ranked This Is Spinal Tap 48 on its list of The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time 37 The New York Times placed the film on their list of The Best 1 000 Movies Ever Made 38 In January 2010 Total Film placed This Is Spinal Tap on its list of The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time 39 When Entertainment Weekly compiled their list of The 100 Greatest Movies of All Time the publication included the film as just too beloved to ignore 40 In 2011 Time Out London named it the best comedy film of all time 41 In November 2015 the film was ranked the 11th funniest screenplay by the Writers Guild of America in its list of 101 Funniest Screenplays 42 Stephen Sondheim listed it among his favorite films of all time 43 This Is Spinal Tap at 35 Tribeca Film Festival The Guardian 44 The film is recognized by American Film Institute in this list 2000 AFI s 100 Years 100 Laughs 29 45 Lawsuit EditOn October 17 2016 actor Harry Shearer filed a 125 million fraud and breach of contract lawsuit against both StudioCanal the successor in interest to Embassy Pictures and Vivendi which owns the studio Shearer claimed that he and the other co stars of the film received only 179 for sales of merchandise and music over the prior three decades Shearer s lawsuit was specifically directed at StudioCanal by ordering the studio to terminate the copyright to This Is Spinal Tap 46 In February 2017 Shearer s co stars Christopher Guest and Michael McKean as well as the film s director Rob Reiner joined the lawsuit against StudioCanal and Vivendi seeking 400 million in damages 47 In the same month Vivendi made an attempt to motion to the court to dismiss the case 48 failed verification In September 2017 a judge dismissed Shearer Reiner and McKean from the case 49 In October 2017 Spinal Tap revised their case by adding Universal Music Group UMG another division of Vivendi whose Polydor label released the film s soundtrack as a defendant as well as the right to reclaim their copyrights to the film its songs and characters 50 In August 2018 another judge ruled that Guest Reiner McKean and Shearer could pursue the fraud claim against Vivendi 51 The case related to sales of the soundtrack was settled out of court by November 2019 with UMG retaining the distribution rights but with the music rights eventually returning to Shearer Guest and McKean in the future 52 A settlement between Vivendi StudioCanal and the cast on the merchandising aspect was reached in September 2020 with final details to be resolved in the following months 53 Home media EditThis Is Spinal Tap was first released on VHS in 1984 by Embassy Home Entertainment and in 1994 as part of the Criterion Collection on LaserDisc under the title This Is Spinal Tap Special Edition It has also been released twice on DVD The first DVD release was a 1998 Criterion edition in letterbox format which used supplemental material from the 1994 Criterion LaserDisc release It is the only double sided DVD in their catalogue and it is now out of print 54 It included an audio commentary track with Christopher Guest Michael McKean and Harry Shearer a second audio commentary track with Rob Reiner Karen Murphy Robert Leighton and Kent Beyda 79 minutes of deleted scenes Spinal Tap The Final Tour the original twenty minute short they shot to pitch the film two trailers that feature Rob Reiner showing a film about cheese rolling because Spinal Tap itself was still in the editing room a TV promo Heavy Metal Memories and a music video for Hell Hole Sales of this edition were discontinued after only two years and the DVD has become a valuable collector s item Much of this material had appeared on a 1994 CD ROM by The Voyager Company that included the entire film in QuickTime format In 2000 MGM Home Entertainment released a special edition with more or less the same extras from the Criterion edition plus a new audio commentary track with Guest McKean and Shearer performing in character throughout commenting on the film entirely in their fictional alter egos and often disapproving of how the film presents them 70 minutes of deleted scenes some of which were not on the Criterion DVD a new short Catching Up with Marty Di Bergi where it is revealed that the members of Spinal Tap were very disappointed in Di Bergi for making a hatchet job of their film the Heavy Metal Memories promo and six additional TV promos music videos for Gimme Some Money Listen to the Flower People and Big Bottom and segments of Spinal Tap appearing on The Joe Franklin Show The special features were produced by Automat Pictures However this version of the film was missing the subtitles that appear throughout the film for example introducing band members other personnel and location names and did not include the commentaries from the Criterion edition The MGM DVD is missing the subtitles burned into the film they have been replaced with player generated subtitles A 25th Anniversary Edition Blu ray Disc release was released on July 28 2009 It includes all bonus features from the MGM DVD plus an interview with Nigel about Stonehenge as well as the performance of Stonehenge from the band s Live Earth performance It does not include the commentaries from the Criterion Collection DVD even though MGM had stated that they would be included in the earliest press release for the Blu ray version most likely due to legal issues and does not feature a create your own avatars element teased in publicity However this version does restore the subtitles that introduce band members locales events etc that were missing from MGM s DVD The alternative Region B UK edition of this version additionally features a new hour long documentary featuring famous fans the Bitch School promo the EPK for the Back From The Dead album an interview with the late Reg Presley discussing the influence of the Troggs tapes on the film and the first hour ending with an abrupt edit of The Return Of Spinal Tap It does however lose the Di Bergi short and the Joe Franklin clip Appearances in other media EditSee also Up to eleven Harry Shearer who played Derek Smalls went on to become one of the main voice artists on The Simpsons providing voices for Principal Skinner Mr Burns Waylon Smithers Ned Flanders and many others The members of Spinal Tap reprised their roles in The Otto Show first playing on a concert attended by Bart and Milhouse which escalates into a riot after the band s early exit then having their tour bus run off the road by Otto in the school bus 55 The Internet Movie Database normally only allows users to rate films up to ten stars but specifically for Spinal Tap the site allows users to rate the film eleven stars referencing the Up to eleven scene 56 On IGN This Is Spinal Tap was the only DVD and seemingly the only thing reviewed on IGN to get 11 out of 10 57 This scene was also used in some news reports on the death of James Charles Jim Marshall founder of the famous amplifier company whose equipment is featured in the scene citation needed Richard D Titus UX amp D Controller for the BBC adopted a Spinal Tap inspired suggestion from a colleague that the BBC iPlayer should have a volume control that goes to eleven 58 The term has entered the vernacular as with an autistic s description of sensory overload vis a vis a neurotypical s routine filtering 59 Fran Drescher reprised the role of Bobbi Flekman during the fifth season of her hit television sitcom The Nanny it was the season s third episode titled The Bobbi Flekman Story In the episode Flekman is now a record label producer for The Brian Setzer Orchestra and an ex business partner of character Maxwell Sheffield Charles Shaughnessy Drescher s regular character Fran Fine believes Flekman is attempting to seduce Sheffield and impersonates her to stop it 60 Outside the world of music J K Rowling cited Spinal Tap s series of drummers as an inspiration for the Harry Potter series in which something bad happens to every teacher of Defence against the Dark Arts at Hogwarts causing them to leave the job without completing a full school year 61 A biographical comic book was released in 2018 That Was Spinal Tap telling both the fictional story of the band and the real life tale of the actors and others who created the characters and music It was scripted by Rock N Roll Comics co creator Jay Allen Sanford Sequel EditIn May 2022 director Rob Reiner announced that he is working on a sequel to the film which will include him returning to play DiBergi and McKean Shearer and Guest as the members of Spinal Tap The film will be Castle Rock Entertainment s first film following its revival in 2021 62 63 64 Related works Edit Christmas with the Devil 1984 follow up single Inside Spinal Tap 1985 a rare companion book by Peter Occhiogrosso In 1992 this was revised and expanded exclusively for the UK market Both Michael McKean and Harry Shearer appeared in character as David St Hubbins and Derek Smalls as part of the all star charity group Hear n Aid The group issued the single Stars in early 1986 which charted in the UK hitting 26 St Hubbins and Smalls were two of the dozens of well known heavy metal artists who participated and were credited on the record and can be seen in the video Break Like the Wind 1992 album The Otto Show a 1992 episode of The Simpsons which features Spinal Tap A two hour made for TV sequel The Return of Spinal Tap was broadcast and released on video in 1992 to promote Break Like the Wind It consisted mostly of footage from an actual Spinal Tap concert at the Royal Albert Hall In it the Stonehenge joke from the original movie is referenced as the new large prop is instead too big to get into the venue This Is Spinal Tap The Official Companion ISBN 0 7475 4218 X was published in 2000 It featured a Tapistory full transcript of the film including outtakes a discography lyrics and an A Z of the band This book largely recycles material from the Peter Occhiogrosso book and Criterion DVD commentaries Back from the Dead 2009 album and DVD Unplugged and Unwigged 2009 live DVD of Guest McKean and Shearer performing songs from their various works Smalls Change Meditations on Ageing 2018 solo album by Shearer as Derek Smalls 65 See also EditA Mighty Wind film 2003 The Rutles 1978 Bad News band 1982 Best in Show film 2000 CB4 film 1993 For Your Consideration film 2006 Spinal Tap discography Up to eleven Waiting for Guffman film 1996 All You Need Is Cash 1978 Fear of a Black Hat 1994 Popstar film 2016 Get Ready to Be Boyzvoiced 2000 The Big Picture 1989 Notes Edit Officially stylized as This Is Spin al Tap A Rockumentary by Martin Di Bergi with a non functional heavy metal umlaut over the letter n n diaeresis and a dotless letter i References Edit Nixon Rob The Big Idea Behind THIS IS SPINAL TAP TCM com Turner Classic Movies Archived from the original on March 3 2016 Retrieved January 12 2015 This Is Spinal Tap 1984 Box Office Mojo Archived from the original on June 8 2010 Retrieved August 5 2010 Hill Stephen April 29 2014 11 Reasons We Love Spin al Tap Louder Archived from the original on October 20 2020 Retrieved August 19 2019 a b Arnold Jeremy 2016 52 Must See Movies and Why They Matter 1st ed Running Press ISBN 978 0762459469 Archived from the original on May 3 2021 Retrieved August 19 2019 Yarbroff Jenny April 10 2009 Spinal Tap and its Influence Newsweek Archived from the original on November 29 2014 Retrieved June 5 2017 From the Criterion Collection DVD Commentary Christopher Guest on the Real Inspiration Behind This Is Spinal Tap October 9 2014 Archived from the original on August 10 2018 Retrieved August 10 2018 This Is Spinal Tap Turner Classic Movies Archived from the original on August 10 2018 Retrieved August 10 2018 a b c d e f From the Criterion Collection DVD Commentary a b c d e This Is Spinal Tap Turner Classic Movies Archived from the original on August 10 2018 Retrieved August 10 2018 This Is Spinal Tap Turns 30 The Bands That Inspired the Classic Film Archived from the original on August 10 2018 Retrieved August 10 2018 Mastropolo Frank August 5 2014 Four Decades of Hellfire with Judas Priest Interview Rock Cellar Magazine Rockcellarmagazine com Archived from the original on February 21 2016 Retrieved November 1 2018 This Is Spinal Tap Movie Reviews Metacritic Archived from the original on August 7 2009 Retrieved June 11 2010 The Greatest Films of 1984 AMC Filmsite org Archived from the original on July 30 2012 Retrieved June 11 2010 The 10 Best Movies of 1984 Film com Archived from the original on December 4 2008 Retrieved June 11 2010 The Best Movies of 1984 by Rank Films101 com Archived from the original on May 30 2012 Retrieved June 11 2010 This Is Spinal Tap Movie Reviews Pictures Rotten Tomatoes Archived from the original on March 22 2020 Retrieved August 27 2021 This Is Spinal Tap Metacritic Fandom Inc Retrieved March 13 2022 This Is Spinal Tap Movie Reviews Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on June 6 2011 Retrieved June 11 2010 Ebert s 10 Best Lists 1967 to Present Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on November 13 2005 Retrieved June 11 2010 This Is Spinal Tap Movie Review Chicago Sun Times Archived from the original on September 21 2020 Retrieved June 11 2010 Siskel Gene March 29 1984 Spinal Tap a smashing rock parody Chicago Tribune Section 5 p 12 Maslin Janet March 2 1984 Film This Is Spinal Tap a Mock Documentary The New York Times C6 Spinal Tap Alien Make National Film Registry Lifewhile December 18 2002 Archived from the original on January 27 2013 Retrieved January 7 2012 Muir John 2004 Best in Show The Films of Christopher Guest and Company Applause Theatre amp Cinema Books p 31 ISBN 9781557836090 Yabroff Jennie 2009 The Real Spinal Tap Newsweek See the notes for Symptom of the Universe The Original Black Sabbath 1970 1978 Rhino Records 2002 Q amp A Robert Plant Rolling Stone Archived from the original on May 25 2009 Retrieved January 7 2012 Paul Du Noyer Who the hell does Jimmy Page think he is Q magazine August 1988 p 7 a b Konow David 2002 Bang Your Head Three Rivers Press pp 216 217 ISBN 0 609 80732 3 Blush Steven 2001 George Petros ed American Hardcore A Tribal History Feral House p 207 ISBN 0 922915 71 7 It Might Get Loud Movie Review Documentary Puts Three Guitar Gods Center Stage New Jersey On Line August 14 2009 Archived from the original on March 10 2011 Retrieved June 11 2010 Rollins Henry Get In The Van On The Road With Black Flag 2 13 61 Publications 1994 Rivadavia Eduardo December 6 2014 Judas Priest Lineup Changes A Complete Guide Ultimate Classic Rock Archived from the original on October 26 2018 Retrieved November 1 2018 Sterling C Whitaker 2003 Unsung Heroes of Rock Guitar Booksurge Publishing p 228 ISBN 978 1591097587 Real Life Spinal Tap Anvil Sign Record Deal Spinner November 25 2010 Archived from the original on March 14 2012 Retrieved January 7 2012 Empire s The 500 Greatest Movies of All Time Empire Archived from the original on January 6 2009 Retrieved June 11 2010 The Best 1 000 Movies Ever Made The New York Times April 29 2003 Archived from the original on March 29 2005 Retrieved May 25 2010 Total Film features 100 Greatest Movies of All Time Total Film Archived from the original on January 5 2011 Retrieved August 23 2010 Entertainment Weekly s 100 Greatest Movies of All Time Entertainment Weekly AMC Filmsite org Archived from the original on March 31 2014 Retrieved August 23 2010 100 Best Comedy Movies Time Out London Archived from the original on January 31 2013 Retrieved December 5 2021 101 Funniest Screenplays List Writers Guild of America West November 11 2015 Archived from the original on February 2 2016 Retrieved April 25 2019 Bose Swapnil Dhruv November 29 2021 Stephen Sondheim once named his 40 favourite films of all time Far Out Magazine Retrieved July 1 2022 This Is Spinal Tap at 35 Tribeca Film Festival The Guardian West April 28 2019 Archived from the original on April 28 2019 Retrieved April 28 2019 AFI s 100 Years 100 Laughs PDF American Film Institute Archived PDF from the original on June 24 2016 Retrieved August 5 2016 Harry Shearer Files 125 Million Spinal Tap Fraud Suit Copyright Termination Billboard Archived from the original on October 20 2016 Retrieved December 5 2021 Davies Rob February 8 2017 Spinal Tap creators aim to go to 11 with 400m lawsuit The Guardian ISSN 0261 3077 Archived from the original on February 8 2017 Retrieved April 7 2017 Shearer Harry April 4 2017 Harry Shearer Why My Spinal Tap Lawsuit Affects All Creators Rolling Stone Archived from the original on February 25 2018 Retrieved December 5 2021 Spinal Tap Lawsuit Judge Tosses Harry Shearer Fraud Claim From Profits Case The Hollywood Reporter September 29 2017 Archived from the original on August 10 2018 Retrieved August 10 2018 Aswad Jem October 20 2017 Spinal Tap Actors File Amended Complaint Seek Ability to Reclaim Copyrights Archived from the original on August 4 2018 Retrieved August 10 2018 Spinal Tap creators may pursue fraud claim in 400 million U S Reuters com August 29 2018 Archived from the original on September 4 2019 Retrieved September 5 2019 Aswad Jem November 5 2019 Spinal Tap Creators and Universal Music Settle Copyright Dispute Variety Archived from the original on November 5 2019 Retrieved November 5 2019 Haring Bruce September 19 2020 This Is Spinal Tap Creators Reach Settlement On Long Running Court Battle Over Rights And Income Deadline Hollywood Archived from the original on May 3 2021 Retrieved September 20 2020 Out of Print The Criterion Collection Retrieved July 4 2022 Groening Matt 1997 Richmond Ray Coffman Antonia eds The Simpsons A Complete Guide to Our Favorite Family 1st ed New York HarperPerennial p 87 ISBN 978 0 06 095252 5 LCCN 98141857 OCLC 37796735 OL 433519M Trivia This Is Spinal Tap IMDB Rating Goes to Eleven Film December 2 2010 Archived from the original on August 11 2018 Retrieved August 10 2018 This is Spinal Tap DVD IGN September 8 2000 Archived from the original on May 3 2021 Retrieved December 5 2021 Why the BBC s iPlayer volume control go to 11 rxdxt April 25 2012 Archived from the original on April 25 2012 Retrieved August 10 2018 Christine M Condo March 3 2020 You don t look autistic The reality of high functioning autism The Washington Post Archived from the original on May 3 2021 Retrieved January 15 2021 The Bobbi Flekman Story The Nanny Season 5 Episode 3 104 total October 15 1997 CBS Griffiths Eleanor Bley March 15 2018 JK Rowling confirms why her Defence Against the Dark Arts teachers are all cursed Radiotimes com Retrieved February 8 2022 Blistein Jon May 12 2022 Break Out the Stonehenge Set Spinal Tap Are Making a This Is Spinal Tap Sequel Rolling Stone Retrieved May 12 2022 Fleming Mike Jr May 12 2022 Cannes Hot Package Spinal Tap II On Tap As Rob Reiner Michael McKean Christopher Guest amp Harry Shearer Back For Encore Deadline Hollywood Retrieved May 12 2022 Rob Reiner on Re Launching Castle Rock with Spinal Tap Sequel and Shooting Documentary on Pal Albert Brooks Cannes May 18 2022 AmazonExternal links Edit Wikiquote has quotations related to This Is Spinal Tap Look up Spinal Tap ian in Wiktionary the free dictionary This Is Spinal Tap at IMDb This Is Spinal Tap at the TCM Movie Database This Is Spinal Tap at AllMovie This Is Spinal Tap at the American Film Institute Catalog This Is Spinal Tap an essay by Peter Occhiogrosso at the Criterion Collection Retrieved from https en wikipedia org w index php title This Is Spinal Tap amp oldid 1133786608, wikipedia, wiki, book, books, library,

article

, read, download, free, free download, mp3, video, mp4, 3gp, jpg, jpeg, gif, png, picture, music, song, movie, book, game, games.