It’s a stronger: “it’s the tap spinal” turns 41 | Features

When we think of a revolutionary and beloved model of Rob Reiner “this is Spinal Tap”, we remember the personalized Marshall amp where the figures all go to 11, and the timeless observation that “it is such a beautiful border between stupid and intelligent”, and the invaluable visual gags involving the tiny stoneshenge and the strip in a The background in the corridors of the background. All these greatest successes, and many others, once again killed when I watched the edition meticulously remastered and remixed “Golden Anniversary” of “Tap”, playing in theaters from July 5 to 7, but I was also considered by the precise and finely calibrated appointment of the publishing, which, after an additional review, should have been considered for an academic nomination.

No joke.

We know that the director Reiner and the main members of the distribution Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer have created a detailed overview of the film with practically zero dialogue, leaving the distribution of the whole to find some of the most ingenious dialogues improved in the history of cinematographic comedy and the column of comedy and gem. (It was a relatively bright era of comedies, with “Airplane!”, “Fast Times at Ridgemont High”, “The Jerk”, “Pee-Wee’s Big Adventure” and “Police Academy” which blocks less than 100 minutes.)

One of the delights to revisit “Spinal Tap” is to appreciate the way that so many scenes are just the right length, often realizing a classic punch line just before moving on to the next sequence, for example, the discreet moment when the guest’s Nigel tufnel plays a charming and discreet passage on the piano and talks about the way D minor is the saddest of Keys. He tells Marty Dibergi to Reiner, “I’m really influenced by Beethoven and Bach, it’s somehow between the two, really, it’s like a” Mach “room …”

Marty asks: “What are you calling this?”

[The briefest pause.] “Well, this piece is called” Lick My Love Pump “. “”

It’s just a masterful absurdity.

“This is Spinal Tap” was not the first false documentary in the modern era. The feature of James McBride in 1967 “David Holzman’s Diary”, with LM Kit Carson as a full character, is a fascinating, fictitious and disturbing work pretending to be an autobiographical documentary. (The whole film is available on YouTube.) In 1979, Albert Brooks launched the PBS documentary series “An American Family” with “Real Life”. However, “TAP” is the undeniable goat of the genre – a masterpiece with several layers which slowly launches the rock documentary, the most obviously “The Last Waltz” in Scorsese, while perfectly recreating the structure of these films. Reiner, Guest, McKean and Shearer have teamed up to create characters so ridiculous and yet so authentic that they remained part of the fabric of pop culture since their career was resuscitated when the “sex-cul” became a surprise success in Japan. The group occurred in the character of “Saturday Night Live” and MTV in the 1990s, among other programs, and they recorded two follow -up albums of the “Spinal Tap” soundtrack. They played live here and there, perhaps the most memorable to Live Earth London in 2007, where they interpreted their powerful eco-Anthem “warmer than hell”.

Such high achievements did not seem possible at the beginning of “This Is Spinal Tap”, which finds the group in the middle of a rapid descending spiral as they embark on their first tour of the United States in six years. The record company does not want to release its album, “Shend the Glove” because the proposed cover is deeply offensive. While they once played 15,000 places arenas, the sites reserved for this tour are more in the range of 1,200 to 1,500 seats. When Di Bergi asks for the crutch but the grouping group bubbling Ian Faith (the late Tony Hendra, sublimely funny) if it is a sign that the popularity of the group is decreasing, Faith replies: “Oh no … not at all. I just think that their attraction becomes selective.” Poor Ian. We realize that he drowns before him.

We are also entitled to a brief history of the group, and how perfect the false archive images are! The boys began as the originals, had to rename the new originals and had become known as Thamesman when they hit the charts in 1965 with “Pop, Look & Listen”, as we see in a glorious clip, in black and white, with a pre-dental working group delivering an infectious melody that you find yourself being Oh, and there is Ed Beggley Jr. as a drummer John “Stumpy” Pepys, who died in a bizarre gardening accident, thus launching the amazing and inexplicable chain of tragic sticks of sticks. (Rip to Eric “Stumpy Joe” Childs, who smothered the vomit who was not necessarily his.) It is also perfect the clip of boys singing the melody of flowers “Jamboreepop”, with the director Reiner perfectly capturing the state of pop music and 1967 American varieties, with Kaleidoscopic visual effects and the sound of a co -coral. With the guest and McKean paving the way, these performances are funny but also extremely charming because they are authentic. Innocent days through the metal group dressed in roaring spandex through ridiculous power hymns such as “Big Bottom” and “Hell Hole”, musicality sells the joke.

There is such a sweet affection atmosphere in the satire of “TAP”, a tone that greatly influenced the classic models of the guest such as “Waiting for Guffman” (1996) and “A Mighty Wind” (2003), as well as the brilliant series of IFC “Documentary Now!” Even when the group visits the tomb of Elvis and claims that Elvis was going to make a musical version of “Somebody up Thyl loves me”, where they arrive at the Holiday Inn in Chicago and the mark reads

When the group is not on stage, there is always a musical rhythm for this improvised dialogue, with guests like Tufnel and McKean that David St. Hubbins taking the reins in most scenes, and Shearer as Derek Smalls knowing just when proving to be with a perfectly delivered slogan. Just as impressive is the work of the players of the day – some already well known, some by going up – who present themselves for a scene or two and never drop the ball, creating instantly memorable characters. Billy Crystal and Dana Carvey as mime servers. Bruno Kirby as a limousine driver who is all about Sinatra. Fran Drescher, who essentially created the voice of “The Nanny” with his representation of the publicist Bobbi Flekman. Howard Hesseman as a condescending manager for another act that says to Ian and the group: “Listen, we would like to stand up and chat, but we have to sit in the hall and wait for limousine.” Anjelica Huston as an artist who creates the Mini-Stonehenge Stage set. Paul Shaffer as a Fufkin Artie, the unfortunate and creamy representative for Polymer Records. Fred Willard as a lieutenant Hookstraten. All these performances contribute to the creation of an impassive “spinal tap” universe which is completely eccentric but completely relatable.

In honor of the film’s golden anniversary (because everyone knows that 41 is traditionally the golden anniversary), “This is spinal tap” will be in the rooms of the country from July 5 to 7. In September, we will obtain the long -awaited suite, “Spinal Tap II: The End continues”, with the director Marty Di Bergi telling the group’s misadventures while they come together for a last show. We have seen Camée de celebrity reports from Paul McCartney to Elton John to Questlove in Garth Brooks in Lars Ulrich. It’s very good, but we hope that these superstars do not upset the balance of everything that made the original so good – and they would better play. When you share the screen with Spinal Tap, you are in the presence of a greatness of false documentaries.