This Is Spinal Tap (1984)

Filmhuis Den Haag, Melkweg and Paard present ‘Getting the Band Back Together’ in November, a joint music film programme celebrating bands in all shapes, sizes and genres. *This Is Spinal Tap* (1984) is actually a mockumentary - a parody of the ‘real’ documentary - and one of the pioneers of the genre. The filmmaker and actor Rob Reiner, who sadly passed away last year, serves up all the rock clichés, taken to the extreme, thereby satirising the musical pretensions of hard rock and heavy metal as well as the rock documentaries of the 1980s. In the film, the (fictional) British metal band Spinal Tap is followed by the dead-serious director Marty Di Bergi, played by Reiner himself, who tries to portray the band with delightful naivety. The not-particularly-bright rockers give us a glimpse into the world of groupies, Marshall stacks, shiny spandex, backcombed men’s hair and sold-out stadium shows. Especially for the "41st anniversary", the film has been remastered and remixed, as a teaser for the long-awaited sequel ‘Spinal Tap II: The End Continues’, which was released last year. Melkweg often hosts different types of programmes at the same time, such as concerts, club nights and...