This Is Spinal Tap - Up To 11 - 25th Anniversary [DVD]

Legendary!

From the moment this movie came out I loved it. The tongue-in-cheek mockumentary about a British rock band (think Led Zeppelin meets Deep Purple crossed with the Beatles) on their farewell US tour begins in such a low-key way that you find yourself wondering if perhaps it's a real band. Then it gradually builds an irresistible, hilarious momentum. One scene after another presents ribald, laugh-out-loud gags, from the lyrics of "Fat Bottom" to the famous problem with the polystyrene model of Stonehenge. Many of the lines - notably "turn it up to 11" have entered into the language. One for rockers of all ages. Cringe-making, irreverent and magnificent.

Did Elton John watch this before making Tantrums and Tiaras? Did Madonna see it before making 'In Bed with Madonna'? Have Metallica watched this before releasing `Metallica' (the black album)? Did U2 see this before visiting Graceland in Rattle and Hum? Have Velvet Revolver watched it before forming a band? The humour throughout Spinal Tap is dry and observed rather than slapstick in your face and that is fine by me. Hissy fits about food, on stage pompous prop failure, the tuning of a violin used during a guitar solo, radio interference on stage, the constant replacement of drummers, getting lost on the way to the stage, the revival of the career in Japan, amplifiers that go to eleven, all the jokes and clichés are there, in fact I think this film may have invented a few. In much the same way that the British TV series `Drop the Dead donkey' character Damien Day successfully lampooned cliché overly self important `on the spot' news reporters, to the point where I struggle to take these `news hounds' seriously, I find it hard to take most TV `Rockumentary' programmes seriously as a result of Spinal Tap. Musicians and producers talking to camera about their `work' just isn't the same. Both influenced and influencing Spinal Tap is a work of comedy genius. Not many films have dialogue that enter the language, the phrase `its all a bit spinal tap' I have heard used in the media on countless occasions, and will be for years to come. There is little funnier in film or television when life imitates art, and art then imitates life to this degree. If we can see it, why can't they? All you need to enjoy this is a sense of humour.

I was recommended this film by a jazz musician from the Sixties. I had never heard of it before. So, as soon as I had some money, I ordered a Blu-ray disc. Since I live in India and the disc was Region B, it did not play and I eventually had to ask Amazon to replace it with a DVD. Yes, I had to wait a lot, but it was definitely worth it. This has to be the ultimate twentieth century rock group spoof I have seen! Anyone who has followed any rock 'n' roll group seriously would be able to relate to it, and see the junkyard that rock has become. The Extras of the movie have interviews that tell exactly from which rock group they took which particular element. But what they miss is the reference to The Beach Boys and The Moody Blues in the short fictional footage from the Sixties. It is amazing how they have tried to recreate the same audio/video quality from the Sixties, while the rest of the film is in Eighties. The short footage is a take on a lot of Sixties artists trying to jump on the psychedelic bandwagon: wear colorful clothes, sing about love and beauty and flower power, add a little bit of sitar here and there and you have a hit. I wonder how they miss the reference to Blue Öyster Cult, which is evident in the title of the film (note the 'n̈'). There is also a reference to Deep Purple, where David shouts 'Spinal Tap Mark Two!' Leaving aside the references to different bands, the film is primarily a spoof on British groups, because, well, 'all-the-good-stuff-comes-from-there.' It mocks the socialite circles that rock musicians have to go into, record labels, band managers, their attempt to boost sales because of racy covers, stage imagery, British rockers feeling unfettered once they enter the States and trying to be more wild. At another level, it traces the journey of rock from its beginnings in the Fifties, as the band members of Spinal Tap were in a skiffle rock group (very common in those days, and the story of almost every rocker in the Sixties), then in a psychedelic group (which mocks The Rolling Stones and The Moody Blues), then in a hard rock/heavy metal group like Priest or Maiden. The ending of the movie is a hilarious take on any-and-every rock group making it big in Japan. I could go on, because every shot in the film is a commentary on some or the other aspect of society and music industry. If you're interested in twentieth century pop/rock culture, you cannot do without this film.

I haven’t seen this for some years and wanted to watch it again with my wife , who has never seen it. It wasn’t available on any streaming service so I opted to buy it. While it may have dated a bit it is still as funny as ever. My wife enjoyed it immensely and wondered why she never saw it when it first came out. It’s the sort of film I could watch again over the coming years.

Having been involved in the music business for many years I can truly say that, although a comedy "rockumentary", this film isn't all that far from the truth: a bit of hyperbole here and there but otherwise it hits the mark. Saying that even if you've no involvement in music you will find this film absorbing and very very funny. The film basically revolve around the rock band Spinal Tap, their excesses and there fall from the top as music tastes change within their record company and their management goes from mistake to mistake. All the characters are larger than life but oddly endearing and believable. The scene with the customoised amplifiers is most often cited but there are many more e.g. the pods used to start a concert, the miniature Stonehenge.... Just one more thing, my cousins a drummer, what's his life insurance premium going to be?

BONNE RECEPTION CONFORME A MON ATTENTE . TOP

Un film culto per appassionati di musica ma non solo. Questa edizione è completamente in inglese, sia audio che sottotitoli, ma se avete un po' di dimestichezza con la lingua vi consiglio di prenderlo.

dvd men fel bas teknik så omöjlig att tiitta på här i Europa. Borde Amazon ha koll på!

Simplemente magistral. Una mofa genial del mundo del rock. Algunos músicos de la época (Tony Iommi de Black Sabbath o Biff Byford de Saxon) reconocen en sus memorias que algunas de las cosas que suceden en la película les pasaron realmente a sus bandas. Tenía ganas de tenerla original (además en esta edición regalan la peli de Anvil).

It’s a cult classic and must have in the movie collection