Directed by the multi-talented Rob Reiner (A Few Good Men, The Princess Bride, Misery, Stand By Me, When Harry Met Sally), This is Spinal Tap was released in 1984. Using the style of cinema verité for this proto-spoof documentary, Reiner followed the fictional band Spinal Tap on tour and backstage, through ups and downs. Our friends at the Criterion Collection have just released a beautiful 4K/Blu-ray package with a deluxe booklet and all the Spinal Tap you can handle.
Reiner didn’t just follow the fictional band Spinal Tap, he also followed the lead of Martin Scorsese, who both directed and interviewed The Band, the subject of The Last Waltz, released in 1978. In This is Spinal Tap, Reiner goes by the name of Marty DiBergi, the director and likewise interviewer of the band. I’ve yet to see The Last Waltz, but I’m sure it’s nowhere near as funny as Reiner’s homage; by its nature, the spoof is here to entertain.
It had been a bit since I’ve seen this cult classic, and I’m happy to report that the film holds up, even… wow, 41 years later. At the cinema over the weekend, I was even happier to see that both Reiner and the comedic talents of the band haven’t dimmed --- they’ve gotten even stronger. Dare I say that the sequel, Spinal Tap II: The End Continues, is even funnier. Go see it in the theatre while you can, and escape this apocalyptic news cycle. Check out Andrew Mack's first look article here.
Back to the original. The stars and writers that comprise of Spinal Tap --- Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer, and Michael McKean --- are at the top of their game here, using dry British humor to keep us in droll remarks and digs. In fact, the film mirrored the reality of touring rock bands so much that actual rockstars such as Ozzy Osbourne and Steven Tyler thought they were being made fun of, as did Martin Scorsese, who eventually came around to appreciating the playful homage.
What else is there to say on the story? This is the kind of film where you submit yourself to going on a ride in an alternate, ridiculous reality; you shut your mind off and have fun. It’s really lovely to be able to do that, and we need comedies more than ever, so rewatching this film provided palpable relief.
Sound was perfect, and the images were clean and bright, bringing details into view that were muddy in previous releases. I’m not personally sure how much sharper the 4K is over the Blu-ray, but from a glance at other reviews, there’s apparently a huge difference in how the 16mm cinematography looks in this faux documentary.
Let’s check out the special features!
DIRECTOR-APPROVED 4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES
- New 4K digital restoration, supervised and approved by director Rob Reiner, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
- Alternate 2.0 uncompressed stereo soundtrack
- One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and two Blu-rays with the film and special features
- Three audio commentaries, featuring Reiner; actors Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer; producer Karen Murphy; editors Robert Leighton and Kent Beyda; and band members Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins, and Derek Smalls
- Conversation between Reiner and actor Patton Oswalt
- The Cutting Room Floor, featuring ninety-eight minutes of outtakes
- Spinal Tap: The Final Tour (1982)
- Excerpts from The Return of Spinal Tap (1992)
- Interviews with the band for its 2009 Back from the Dead album
- Trailers, media appearances, and music videos
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: An essay by critic Alex Pappademas
- New cover by Dan Goldsworthy
The deleted and extended scenes are an entire movie’s worth; that’s right, you get 98 whole extra minutes of footage that didn’t make it into the final film, which is a brisk 82 minutes. There’s some pretty good stuff in this collection, but you’ll have to set aside a good amount of time to get through it all.
The booklet offers a fun exploration of the band and the phenomena of the film by Alex Pappademas, and it’s designed in good fun to mimic the look of an old music magazine. The conversation between Reiner and fan/comedian Patton Oswalt is a joy to watch. The featurettes Spinal Tap: The Final Tour from 1982 as well as the included excerpts from the 1992 documentary The Return of Spinal Tap both focused on old jokes; I’m not sure there’s much here except for the most die-heard fans.
Overall, this Criterion Collection release comes in a gorgeous package bursting with nostalgia and plenty of laughs to return to, again and again. Highly recommended.