The very definition of a cult movie, Rob Reiner’s This is Spinal Tap continues to resonate with its no-holds-barred look at the business of rock and roll and the fragile egos that are trampled by it, but it remains one of the funniest of films, it’s humor continuing to hit home due to the humanity of its characters. Released in 1984, the film wasn’t far from a runaway hit but over the years, a group of passionate fans as well as the advent of home video brought the film into the mainstream, many of its most memorable bits becoming touchstones in American humor.
While it was not the first “mockumentary” made, it proved a springboard for Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer and Michael McKean, who would go on to collaborate on Best in Show (2000), A Mighty Wind (2003) and For Your Consideration (2006), all of which used this format to lampoon the Westminster Dog Show, folk singing and regional theater, respectively.
Tap, of course, “documents” the latest tour of the titular band, a trio of clueless, well-meaning musicians propelled by dreams of grandeur yet oblivious to their own mediocrity. Composed of interviews, behind-the-scenes moments and concert footage, the movie creates comic gold with the interactions between David St. Hubbins (McKean), Nigel Tufnel (Guest) and Derek Smalls (Shearer), as they try to come to terms with their irrelevancy, personal squabbles breaking out at every turn.
With much of what’s on screen the result of improvisation, I’ve often wondered how many equally funny bits or comments were left on the cutting room floor. I have my answer thanks to the Criterion Collection’s new 4K edition which, among its many supplements, contains 98 minutes of outtakes. Also included is the short film, Spinal Tap: The Final Tour, interviews used to promote their 2009 album Back from the Dead, music videos, a conversation between Reiner and Patton Oswalt and an essay from critic Alex Pappademas.
However, the highlight may be the three different audio tracks that are included. The first features Reiner and the three leads discussing the movie,the second has producer Karen Murphy and editors Robert Leighton and Kent Beyda, while the final one has Guest, McKean and Shearer in character, deconstructing and refuting all they see.
As such, this is an edition that requires multiple viewings, each of which produces further insight and, most importantly, more laughs.
