This Is Spinal Tap (Special Edition)

Director: Rob Reiner
Actors: Fran Drescher, Christopher Guest, Bruno Kirby, Patrick Macnee, Michael Mckean
Studio: MGM (Video & DVD)
Category: DVD

List Price: $14.98
Buy Used: $3.98
You Save: $11.00 (73%)

New (46) Used (64) Collectible (7) from $3.98

Rating: 374 reviews
Sales Rank: 1617

Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Special Edition, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: R (Restricted)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 82 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.4

MPN: MGMD1000973D
ISBN: 6305922756
UPC: 027616852809
EAN: 9786305922759
ASIN: 6305922756

Theatrical Release Date: March 2, 1984
Release Date: September 12, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Former rental copy. Includes original case.

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Customer Reviews

   Read 369 more reviews...

This is Spinal Tap    December 5, 2008
Jeri (Chesterton, IN)
If you like dry, hilarious humor, this is it! Absolutely full of surprises and a wonderful movie. (Just remember that it's make-believe...)


Musicians, Music, Fans, Insanity, Fun, Drama = Spinal Tap!!    November 8, 2008
Douglas Luna (USA)
A must see for anyone who was ever in a "ROCK" band and or who has been associated with bands for more than a couple of years!!!

This is "Behind The Music" before VH1 and MTV!!! Every facet of every scene was true of someone you may have known, which makes it even more hilarious as all the character's, confrontations, trial's and tribulation's all come together at once... here and now so to speak.

This movie is a highlight reel!!! Too real... too funny ...too close to home!!!

LOVE IT!!!


Commentary??    October 1, 2008
J. Hagan
Does anyone know if this release contains the out-of-character commentary from the critereon?

(the version that came out before the special edition (which featured the hilarious in-character commentary)??


Jolly Good!    September 19, 2008
D. Mikels (Skunk Holler)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I remember catching this film on MTV many years ago; I caught it about midway through, watched the rest of it (while laughing me bum off), then made a mental note to myself ("I've got to get this movie!"). Well, some twentysomething years later, I now have the Special Edition of THIS IS SPINAL TAP. Better late than never, as they say; was it ever worth the wait.

Tongue-in-cheek parody is comic gold when done well; and this spoof of the heavy metal hair bands of the Eighties simultaneously pokes fun at the genre while paying reverent homage. (Heck, the actors even play their own gigs and songs.) An alleged "documentary", brought to us by legendary (in his own mind) producer/director Marty DiBergi (Rob Reiner, who did indeed direct the film), THIS IS SPINAL TAP tells the story of England's "loudest" rock band--and of its three core members: lead guitarist Nigel Tufnel (Christopher Guest); co-lead guitarist and vocalist David St. Hubbins (Michael McKean); and heavily-moustached bassist Derek Smalls (Harry Shearer, whose poorly-played rifts are hysterical). The band is in America on tour to promote its latest album ("Smell The Glove"); over the course of this tour Murphy's Law reigns supreme, to the detriment of the band--and to the delight of the viewer.

From Guest's outlandish lead solos, to McKean's horrific lyrics, to the actors' over-the-top Manchester accents, to "flashbacks" depicting the 18-year history of the band (and its 37 drummers, all victims of bizarre accidents), this "rockumentary" is hard core comedic bliss. All the scenes are improvved; how the actors got through them with straight faces beats the stuffings out of me. (I'm still in stitches over the scene where the band gets lost trying to find the stage from the dressing room.) Oh, and look for brief appearances by the likes of Bruno Kirby, Ed Begley, Jr., and Billy Crystal. Yet after the movie's over, it gets even better. . .

Special features. This Special Edition includes numerous outtakes (some entertaining, some not so entertaining), some "music videos", some "commercials", the theatrical trailers, and a special commentary that puts the proverbial cherry on this sundae. Voiced over by Guest, McKean, and Shearer, the actors reprise their roles as Nigel, David, and Derek, and comment about the film expressing righteous indignation over the "hatchet job" director DiBergi did about their beloved band. Their ad libbed voice-overs, from scene to scene, are just as entertaining as the film itself, making THIS IS SPINAL TAP a crowning comedic experience.
--D. Mikels, Author, The Reckoning





CRITERION version: accept no substitute!    August 11, 2008
Mobtown Rat (Baltimore, MD)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful

I'd give Tap eleven stars if I could. I'd rate my purchase from TvBoxset Marketplace (from chinaski77) that high as well. Be sure to know exactly what the seller of this rarer version is ready to give you for your money. Fortunately, I got the best deal I could have imagined. My copy looks like it's missing only the original shrinkwrap. The price I paid is not much more than the original price that Criterion lists. As superior as this version is to the "Special Edition," it's not worth being snookered into paying $100+ for it. Shop with vigilence as much as with "confidence."

Now for the movie. Nothing more to say about Spinal Tap than has already been regurgitated for almost 25 years. You either revere it or don't get it.

As for the difference between Criterion's version and the recent "Special Edition," the former includes a terrific commentary track by director Rob Reiner and his production crew, and an equally great one by actors Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Sheerer. These commentaries go a long way toward giving viewers insight into the creative process gone through to make such a complex comedy. The latter DVD release contains neither of those tracks. Instead it replaces them with one done by the actors in character: Nigel Tufnel, David St. Hubbins and Derek Smalls commenting on "rockumentary" director Marty DiBergi's portrayal of them. The mock track did nothing special for my viewing experience.

More simply put, if Tap is on your must-have list, the Criterion Collection's release is the one to buy. Finding a rental is very difficult.