One of the most memorable lines 鈥� and Rob Reiner鈥檚 personal favorite 鈥� of 鈥淭his Is Spinal Tap鈥� goes: 鈥淭here鈥檚 a fine line between stupid and clever.鈥�
You could say the same thing about the classic 1984 mockumentary. It could have so easily not panned out. No one in Hollywood thought it was a good idea. It was saved by Norman Lear who, after Reiner made his pitch and departed, is said to have turned to the executives in the room and announced: 鈥淲ho鈥檚 going to tell him he can鈥檛 do it?鈥�
The movie, itself, has no script, just a four-page outline. It was almost entirely improvised. Reiner鈥檚 first cut of the film was seven hours long. Even the jokes they did have planned 鈥� like the infamous 鈥渢hese amps goes to 11鈥� scene 鈥� were filmed off-the-cuff.
鈥淨uick!鈥� Reiner recalls shouting. 鈥淢ake an amp with an extra number on it!鈥�
But what teetered so close to never panning out in the first place, has of course become one of the most beloved comedies of the 鈥�80s and a massive influence to countless mockumentaries that have followed. It is even in the Library of Congress.
Now, Reiner and company want to get the band back together for a sequel. Reiner was at the Cannes Film Festival for an anniversary screening on the beach of 鈥淭his Is Spinal Tap鈥� and to drum up excitement for the just-announced sequel that will also see Michael McKean, Harry Shearer, and Christopher Guest reprise their roles as band members David St. Hubbins, Derek Smalls and Nigel Tufnel.
鈥淭he bar is high. There鈥檚 no question about it,鈥� Reiner said in an interview by the beach in Cannes. 鈥淎nd we wrestled with that forever, whether or not we should even bother to do it. But we had an idea. Over the years, people have come up and said, 鈥極h, you should do a sequel.鈥� We鈥檝e always said, 鈥楴o, no, no.鈥� But as time went by, we finally had something we think can work. And we鈥檒l find out!鈥�
Reiner assures that this time, too, there will be no screenplay. He will depend on the still sharp improvisational talents of his cast, who have carried on Spinal Tap 鈥� a fictional band turned into a semi-real one 鈥� in occasional concerts in the intervening decades. Reiner鈥檚 character, the director Marti DeBergi (styled after Martin Scorsese in The Band concert documentary 鈥淭he Last Waltz鈥�), will naturally return.
鈥淗ere we are 40 years later and Marti DeBergi 鈥� who has not been the greatest filmmaker, let鈥檚 put it that way. The man made 鈥楰ramer vs. Kramer vs. Godzilla.鈥� And I think he did 鈥楢ttack of the 52-Foot Woman,鈥欌�� says Reiner. 鈥淏ecause he said there鈥檚 going to be this reunion, we wanted to make this film, and we鈥檝e given him free reign.鈥�
When 鈥淭his Is Spinal Tap鈥� was first released, many thought Spinal Tap was a real band. Reiner, who studied rock documentaries like 鈥淭he Kids Are Alright鈥� and 鈥淭he Song Remains the Same鈥� for preparation, enlisted a cinematographer, Peter Smokler, with a documentary background. What was real and what was parody was almost indistinguishable. Sting, Reiner says, has since told him he watched it countless times but didn鈥檛 know if he should laugh or cry.
And some bits were taken straight from rock 鈥榥鈥� roll lore. The band getting lost on their way to the stage came from an experience by Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, who may have been enjoying the pre-show backstage atmosphere too much.
Asked if Scorsese ever spoke to him about Reiner鈥檚 riff on him, Reiner responds: 鈥淚nitially, Marty got mad. But over the years, he鈥檚 come to love it. We did 鈥榃olf of Wall Street鈥� a few years ago and we talked about it. He said, 鈥楢h, I love it. I love that you did that.鈥欌��
鈥淭he Last Waltz鈥� will again be a major touchstone for the sequel which Reiner is developing for his re-launched production company Castle Rock. Reiner鈥檚 plan entails Spinal Tap reconvening for one last show.
Many of Reiner鈥檚 most beloved films are seemingly sequel-proof. Recapturing the tone of 鈥淭he Princess Bride鈥�? Inconceivable. (Writer William Goldman did try, though.) And it鈥檚 just as hard to imagine the magic of 鈥淪tand by Me鈥� or 鈥淲hen Harry Met Sally鈥� being captured a second time. But 鈥淪pinal Tap,鈥� Reiner thinks, isn鈥檛 done rocking.
鈥淚f you have an idea,鈥� he says, 鈥渢hen you say, 鈥極K.鈥欌��
鈥擩ake Coyle, The Associated Press
