Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.Spinal Tap, one of England's loudest bands, is chronicled by film director Marty DiBergi on what proves to be a fateful tour.
- Awards
- 3 wins & 2 nominations
- Sir Denis Eton-Hogg
- (as Patrick MacNee)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe actors are all competent musicians, and they're actually playing on the soundtrack.
- GoofsWhile David and Nigel normally play guitar, they both play bass during Big Bottom, because that's what the song requires. It's a musical joke.
- Quotes
Nigel Tufnel: The numbers all go to eleven. Look, right across the board, eleven, eleven, eleven and...
Marty DiBergi: Oh, I see. And most amps go up to ten?
Nigel Tufnel: Exactly.
Marty DiBergi: Does that mean it's louder? Is it any louder?
Nigel Tufnel: Well, it's one louder, isn't it? It's not ten. You see, most blokes, you know, will be playing at ten. You're on ten here, all the way up, all the way up, all the way up, you're on ten on your guitar. Where can you go from there? Where?
Marty DiBergi: I don't know.
Nigel Tufnel: Nowhere. Exactly. What we do is, if we need that extra push over the cliff, you know what we do?
Marty DiBergi: Put it up to eleven.
Nigel Tufnel: Eleven. Exactly. One louder.
Marty DiBergi: Why don't you just make ten louder and make ten be the top number and make that a little louder?
Nigel Tufnel: [pause] These go to eleven.
- Crazy creditsThe credits state that the band Spinal Tap is fictional, and add "And there's no Easter Bunny, either!"
- Alternate versionsThe movie was released in 1994 on CD-ROM by the Voyager Company, a movie distribution company specialized in converting and releasing movies on CD-ROM format. The CD-ROM edition includes the movie as well as extra features. For instance, it has two audio commentaries, one of them from the three main cast members who are not in character. This audio commentary has never been released on any other medium. The CD also includes some fun basic options such as turning the volume to 11 or typing in popular lines and phrases from the movie, which the CD then automatically locates in the movie and plays the scene with the line. The bonus material also includes music videos, ten deleted scenes, the original Spinal Tap short that was made to sell the idea of the movie to potential producers, and some notes from the crew. Another rarity is a fake trailer presented by Rob Reiner himself for "Cheese Rolling," a mockumentary about Denmark's fictional traditional cheese festival, where small villages compete in cheese throwing and similar sports activities involving cheese that can get very intense.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Greatest: 100 Most Metal Moments (2004)
- SoundtracksTonight I'm Gonna Rock You Tonight
(uncredited)
Written by Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, Rob Reiner
Performed by Spinal Tap
"See Spinal Tap" should be written in the dictionary next to satire. Lately satire has come to mean a simple mockery of pop-culture instead of "human vice or folly attacked through irony, derision or wit". Movies like "Scary Movie" claim to be parodies or satire without even trying to be witty. They just imitate something as opposed to commenting on it. True satire takes a bit more work by the writers and will make you laugh much harder.
Spinal Tap gives you the absurdity of the rock and roll world, yet still respects the music. I understood this when I saw a clip of the movie for the first time at the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame. It was the scene with amps that go to "11". I couldn't stop thinking about that scene until I finally saw the movie. Every aspect of the music world is lampooned; arrogance, absurdity, backstage crybabies, has-beenism, volume, even the Beatles. This movie is quoted like the Simpsons, which isn't always good but certainly proof of legendary movie. It's dry, deadpan humor and it may take a day to sink in but this movie is hilarious.
- freenachos
- Nov 4, 2002
- Permalink
Details
- Release date
- Country of origin
- Languages
- Also known as
- This is Spinal Tap
- Filming locations
- Production companies
- See more company credits at IMDbPro
Box office
- Budget
- $2,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $4,736,202
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $30,835
- Mar 4, 1984
- Gross worldwide
- $4,738,481