This is Spinal Tap (1984)

This is Spinal Tap (1984)
Director: Rob Reiner
== Plot Synopsis ==
Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner) on what proves to be a fateful tour.
== Male Deaths ==
* Ed Begley Jr. [John "Stumpy" Pepys]
* Ric Parnell [Mick Shrimpton]
* Harry Shearer [Derek Smalls]
== Female Deaths ==
* None
== Trivia ==
# The actors are all competent musicians and they're actually playing on the soundtrack.
# Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner, Christopher Guest and Michael McKean were given $10,000 to write a script. They made a 20-minute version of the film to better demonstrate the improvisation they had in mind. Several scenes from the demo are in the finished movie.
# After the film opened, several people told Rob Reiner that they loved the film but he should have chosen a more well-known band for a documentary.
# In his memoir "Father Joe", Tony Hendra admits that he attempted suicide the night before the first day of filming. He credits the joy he experienced in making the film with bringing him back from his depression.
# Several rock stars have commented on what an uncannily accurate spoof of the rock and heavy metal world this film was. Ozzy Osbourne said when he first watched the film, he was the only person who wasn't laughing; he thought it was a real documentary. U2guitarist The Edge said, "I didn't laugh, I wept. It was so close to the truth." Marillion had five drummers in the space of a year between their first two albums, which guitarist Steve Rothery later admitted was "like Spinal Tap".
# During the metal detector scene, the background voices making announcements over the PA are the band members without their English accents.
# In 2002, the Library of Congress deemed the movie "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant," and selected it for preservation in the United States National Film Registry.
# When Nigel rubs a violin against his guitar during his solo, it's a parody of Led Zeppelinguitarist Jimmy Page, who used a violin bow to play his guitar during many concert performances.
# Rob Reiner was originally going to be one of the band members. He ended up directing after Harry Shearer said he "didn't look good in spandex."
# Early home video versions of the film, which included the music video "Hell Hole" and other extras, had a disclaimer at the very end stating that the band did not actually exist.
# The IMDb ranking for this movie shows a special scale from one to eleven, although users can still only choose a rating from one to ten.
== Gallery ==
Rjparnell2.jpg|Ric Parnell
Category:1984 Films
Category:American Films
Category:Films directed by Rob Reiner
Category:Mockumentaries
Category:Comedy
Category:Films
Category:AVCO Embassy Pictures films
Category:Cult Classics