This Is Spinal Tap: Up To 11 Edition

Although not the first to employ the 'faux documentary' style, this was the first to do so in a film with mass appeal.  Few knew that Spinal Tap weren't a real band and, unless you worked in the industry, you didn't know what Rob Reiner looked like so introducing himself as Marty DiBergi, a filmmaker and fan of the British heavy metal band Spinal Tap works as a wonderfully convincing conceit.
 
Nobody knows exactly who Spinal Tap were modelled on but there are elements of the Rolling Stones, Iron Maiden, Black Sabbath and particularly Saxon in their make-up.  Fronted by vocalist and guitarist David St. Hubbins and with regulars Nigel Tufnel on lead guitar and Derek Smalls on bass, Spinal Tap have been going for decades, morphing from a Beatles-type pop group through their Flower Power stage to become one of the loudest and most punctual heavy metal bands in the world.
 
 

 
With new drummer Viv Savage, previous occupants of the stool having met with unfortunate ends from exploding on stage, choking on vomit or dying in a bizarre gardening accident, Tap are releasing a new album and embarking on a tour of North America to publicise their record, Smell The Glove, and kick start their flagging career.  Things get off to a bad start when band manager Ian Faith fails to convince the record company that the cover of an oiled naked woman on all fours, wearing a dog collar and being forced to smell a glove is not sexist.
 
From there things get progressively worse as David's girlfriend Jeanine causes tensions between him and Nigel, sets fail to function or arrive in the wrong size and hotel bookings go awry - instead of seven suites a hotel arranges for one suite on the seventh floor.  They also have to deal with smaller venues than they are used to, something which Ian Faith puts down to a more selective audience than dwindling appeal and there is also the small matter of finding the stage...
 
 
 
Written by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer and Rob Reiner, who also directs, This Is Spinal Tap effortlessly lampoons and skewers every musical documentary cliché and sends up the pomposity and pretentiousness of heavy metal musicians in a loving way that never feels cruel and has become a favourite of those in the music business.  Guest, McKean and Shearer are incredibly talented comedians and writers and show themselves here (and in A Mighty Wind) to be fine musicians who can really play.  If it's not the ridiculous sets and problems finding the stage, the offensive lyrics could easily be interpreted as real and there are reports of bands thinking that they were the basis for some of the more memorable moments, such is the accuracy of the parody.
 
I had seen This Is Spinal Tap at least ten times and watched it twice more prior to writing this review.  Some comedies get a little stale with repeat viewings as you know what's coming next  and the jokes lose their impact; the best ones have you laughing before the gag arrives and have nuances and small lines that you pick up on every time you watch them so they retain their freshness.  This Is Spinal Tap is one of them and one of the greatest comedies ever made.

The Disc

 
Extra Features
The disc starts with a black screen with the Marshall amp flying overhead before settling in the distance with the three main band members commenting on the quality of the black (a gag you'll appreciate if you've seen the film) and trying to work out the menu.  You can options play feature, scene selection, extra features, setup and, if it's a little bland for your taste, you can turn it 'up to 11' to animate the amp.
 
The commentary is one of the best I've ever heard.  If you want to know about how the film was made and where the ideas and influences came from you'll learn nothing from this or anything else on the disc as the idea that this is a real documentary that the band consider a hatchet job is continued throughout.  The actors do the commentary in character and complain about how they were misrepresented, try and point out the join which reveals that Marty DiBergi was wearing a false beard and reminisce about drummers they have loved and lost.  It is an extension of the film and utterly hilarious.
 
In addition to the commentary, the disc contains about 3 ½ hours of supplementary features, both old and new, including featurettes, music videos, trailers, deleted scenes and live performances. 
 
 
 
The This Is Spinal Tap: Up To 11 documentary is a funny and revealing piece with contributions from various actors and musicians with each accompanied by a caption with their name and occupation that spins to reveal how many times they've seen the film.  Bands like The Kings of Leon and Anvil talk about how it is still relevant and part of their lives, comedians such as Ricky Gervais, Rob Brydon and Eddie Izzard speak about the comedic elements with Gervais and Martin Freeman talking about its impact on The Office and record producer Mike Hedges confirms its accuracy, knowing full well how bands perform in the studio and on the road.
 
25 years after the documentary, Spinal Tap have reformed for a gig at The Royal Albert Hall.  This piece begins with The Folksmen being told that they are not required for the evening and proceeds with Spinal Tap playing a 50 minute concert with their greatest hits.  They also appeared at Live Earth and their brief appearance is included along with footage of their 'reunion'.  These show that they really can play and hold their own when it comes to rock concerts at big and established venues though they can't be held responsible for set malfunctions!
 
Showing how much footage was shot is the hour of deleted scenes which is quality material, most of which is very funny and adds a lot to the characters with some interesting subplots including Derek Smalls' divorce.  There are also some separate deleted scenes which are also a good watch.
 
I particularly liked the music videos, the best of which is Bitch School which is as funny as it is overtly sexist!  There are various trailers and TV spots which show the various ways it was marketed and are funny, simply because of the content.
 
 
 
The Picture
I was impressed by the quality of the Special Edition DVD but this blows it out of the water with quite superb colours and black levels.  The picture is wonderfully sharp and they haven't gone too far with the DNR making the skin tones waxy and the balance is perfect.  It's not reference quality but it was never that kind of film and shouldn't look as if it was shot last year.
 
They have the look nailed down with pitch perfect costumes and hair, perfectly lampooning the look of early '80s metal bands so Spinal Tap look the part.
 
The Sound
You have the choice of DTS-HD Master Audio or Linear PCM Stereo and whilst they are both good, the DTS clearly has the edge when it comes to presenting the concert scenes with perfect balance and crisp dialogue making the lyrics easy to make out.
 
The music is quite brilliant and I look forward to getting the soundtrack as the songs are superbly written and performed making me wonder whether Guest, McKean and Shearer were musicians first and actors second!
 
 
 
Final Thoughts
This Is Spinal Tap is one of those timeless comedies that doesn't suffer with repeated viewings and is a groundbreaking piece of filmmaking, introducing the mockumentary (or Rockumentary) concept to the mainstream.  It helps that it is in no way mean-spirited and has real heart - the band members are idiots, but loveable idiots, typified by Nigel Tuffnel's wonderful reasoning about how his amplifier is better because it goes to 11.  As their long-suffering manager, Ian Faith is such a plausible character that you really believe that many rock bands have managers like him who have to organise things at short notice, withhold bad news and massage bruised egos.
 
Whether you decide to buy the 3 DVD set, the 5 Disc Special Edition or this Blu-ray Disc, you are in for a treat as Optimum have excelled themselves in putting together a set that will satisfy even the most hardcore Spinal Tap fan - Highly recommended.