'This Is Spinal Tap' Named Greatest Rock 'N' Roll Movie Of All Time

April 4, 2005

According to the Belfast Telegraph, "This is Spinal Tap" has been named the greatest rock 'n' roll movie of all time by readers of the music magazine Mojo.

"Spinal Tap" — a mock documentary about a band past their sell-by date on a U.S. tour — beat more earnest portraits such as the film it actually parodied, THE BAND's "The Last Waltz", which was runner-up. Films featuring the ROLLING STONES and THE BEATLES were also highly ranked in the list.

"Spinal Tap" was released to little fanfare in 1984 with some viewers convinced the bumbling dinosaurs — who had a knack of losing drummers in freak accidents — on screen were a genuine band. But word of mouth about the smartly observed film, which took a pop at bands such as STATUS QUO, LED ZEPPELIN and BLACK SABBATH, spread and it became a sleeper hit.

Actors Michael McKean, Christopher Guest, Harry Shearer — the nucleus of the group — prepared several scenes with Reiner but then ad-libbed. At the end of filming, they had more than 40 hours of footage, which was edited down to a more manageable form.

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