This Is Spinal Tap Film Review The film This Is Spinal Tap was Directed by Rob Reiner and starred Christopher Guest, Michael McKean, and Harry Shearer who were in the band Spinal Tap. This is Spinal Tap was released in 1984. The storyline of this film follows the rock and roll band Spinal Tap across their North America tour. This film depicted the glam rock and roll style of music that was popular during the 1980’s. Some of the bands that were in this genre of music included; Poison, Motley Crue, and Whitesnake.
There are several reasons why this film was a representation of the rock and roll scene of the 1980’s.First off, the members of Spinal Tap had really long bad looking hair, which was a staple of any rock and roll band of the 1980’s. Another reason why this film was such a good representation of the 1980’s rock music scene was that Spinal Tap’s music was not very serious and their lyrics did not have any profound deep meaning. Furthermore, This Is Spinal Tap was a good representation of the glam rock music scene because as hard as the band tried to be taken serious, they were never able to be taken as a legitimate rock and roll band because of their appearance as well as their musical sound.This Is Spinal Tap has been cited by many rock and roll bands as being a very realistic look into the life of a rock and roll musician. Thus, it is very apparent that This Is Spinal Tap did an excellent job of being a true representation of what it was like to be in a rock and roll band in the 1980’s.
This Is Spinal Tap was a very realistic view of the rock and roll scene in the 1980’s because the band members in Spinal Tap looked just like the rock bands that they were making fun of. Additionally, in the 1980’s, lyrics to rock and roll songs were very shallow and were usually about girls.In This Is Spinal Tap, the band had songs that were also very shallow in its meaning and were talking about girls. The soundtrack in This Is Spinal Tap played a very essential roll in the film because it was all of Spinal Tap’s songs. Without the soundtrack, This Is Spinal Tap would not have been such an accurate portrayal of 1980’s rock and roll music. By having original songs that the members of Spinal Tap wrote and played, the film was more realistic because it made the viewer consider if Spinal Tap was a real band.
Another reason why this soundtrack played such a vital roll in the film was because when Spinal Tap was playing these songs live, the viewer got to see just how ridiculous Spinal Tap’s show was and how it was hard for them to be taken seriously as a band when the band has to overcome obstacles from their live shows like the “Stonehenge” incident. Although the band Spinal Tap was not real and had actors posing as a real rock and roll band, This Is Spinal Tap still managed to do a good job of portraying a realistic view of the rock and roll lifestyle of the 1980’s.Many bands have cited This Is Spinal Tap as being a very honest film about what goes on behind the scenes of a rock and roll band. Also, by having the actors that were in the band Spinal Tap write and play their own music, the film was better able to do a good job of portraying the glam rock sound of the 1980’s.
The only way that This Is Spinal Tap could have done a better job of showing what it was like to be in a rock and roll band in the 1980’s would have been to follow a real rock band on tour and record them.When considering what film best represents the glam rock and roll scene of the 1980’s, there are not any better films that This Is Spinal Tap. One of the reasons why this film was such an excellent choice for our class was because during the film, we got to see how Spinal Tap changed their musical sound throughout the years. Thus, the class was able to see all of the different influences on Spinal Tap and how these influences played a role in the bands’ sound during the 1980’s.
Also, by showing the class This is Spinal Tap, the class was better able to understand just how silly the music of this time period was.Had we only seen the clips of real rock and roll bands and not viewed This Is Spinal Tap, the class would not have totally understood the reality of the rock and roll scene during the 1980’s. In closing, This Is Spinal Tap was a very good selection to view in class because it gave us a better understanding of how absurd the rock scene was in the 1980’s. Although the film used actors in a fictional rock and roll band, it was still very realistic because the actors in the band wrote and preformed their own songs.The band Spinal Tap will always have its place in rock and roll history because no one will ever be completely sure if they were a real band or not because they seemed so realistic in the film.
This film did an excellent job of portraying the musical genre of glam rock so much that this film is almost a documentary and not a Hollywood full length film. If this class is offered again, This Is Spinal Tap should definitely be included in the films that are viewed because it did a fabulous job of highlighting the glam rock genre of the 1980’s.
