Entertainment For Lively Minds
Explain something to me about the Anvil film
I finally got round to watching this thanks to the BBC iPlayer and it's certainly a very affecting depiction of what life is like for most rock bands - doing regular jobs to make ends meet, surrounded by sympathetic relatives who really think they should give up and always believing that the last album didn't make it because the record company weren't behind it but the next one is going to make it because it's clearly brilliant.
****SPOILER ALERT********
I urge you to watch it if, like me, you hadn't seen it before. But I've got one question. Explain the ending to me. There is not a documentary maker born who can resist making a movie that is shaped like a feature film. This film culminates in a journey to play a festival in Japan. The band are thrilled to do it but disappointed to find themselves bottom of the bill at 11.30 in the morning. The question is, will they find themselves playing to five men and a Japanese dog or to thousands of ecstatic fans? Of course it's the latter. I can't be the only one to have smelt a rat at that point. Now either the documentary makers cheated it by making sure that the hall was packed full of kids who wanted to get on TV or there is in Japan the makings of a massive Anvil cult, in which case the promoter had dropped a massive bollock by putting them on at the bottom of the bill.
Or am I just twisted?
- More from David Hepworth.
- Login or register to post comments
-
There are a few cheats to create the classic narrative arc
For example, the Japan gig is out of chronological order to provide the up-beat end. It happened before the "redemptive" album. Not sure whether it was a set up in terms of the audience though
That's interesting
Didn't realise that. Pretty big cheat if you ask me.
The thing that always gets me about Anvil
(and I haven't seen the film) is that the lead singer is called Robb Reiner, while the director of Spinal Tap was Rob Reiner.
It's one hell of a coincidence, considering what both films are about.
That's the drummer
The singer is called Lips. Treat yourself and follow David's iPlayer link; I just did, and the funniest and most moving thing I've seen in along time.
The given explanation, on the DVD audio commentary...
as far as I recall, they say that they were gutted when they found out that they were on at 11.30, but the Japanese promoter explained it that they had been put on at that time as a mark of respect - so people who had been waiting 30 odd years to see them again didn't have to wait any longer.
"Cultural differences" or diplomatic bullshit? The romantic in me chooses to believe the former
Mmmm
But most of the people in the audience are teenagers.
Life imitiating parody
Doesn't Spinal Tap end with band finding redemption in Japan? It's all a bit too convenient.
They'd never have sold the film without the happy ending. The more likely result - ten more years of dwindling returns and a final acceptance - just wouldn't send the audience away satisfied.
There's an extra on the DVD where the director gets up to play drums with the band at this show. I'm just saying, like.
So, yes, I think they cheated.
Now I'm really suspicious
Sounds to me like an extra gig staged for the cameras.
Don't care if they cheated
Those guys deserved to live out their fantasy happy ending (and hear our cheers in cinemas and front rooms), even if it was specially created for the film.
(Honestly, you'll be telling me The West Wing isn't just like the Obama White House next, dashing my pinko-liberal fantasies as well.)
Actually it's the other way round (Series 7 spoiler alert)
The Obama White House is based on Season Seven of The West Wing. Non-white candidate comes from nowhere to run against those with previous White House experience to be selected as the Democratic candidate to beat Republican, essentially honourable, but nevertheless Republican older white male.
Agreed!
And no spoiler alert needed - I'm on my 3rd cycle round all seven boxed sets.
it's life imitating art imitating life
According to this article, 'Haven't we seen this election before?' - http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/magazine/7616333.stm - on the BBC news magazine of 15 September 2008, the West Wing creators drew on Barack Obama in creating their plotline. And then Barack Obama made the West Wing plotline come true.
The whole thing felt a bit staged
I'm not saying it was, but there was a lot of stuff there that seemed a bit too good to be true. That said, whilst doing my degree a few years ago, I did a side module on Documentary, and it was a real eye opener. Once you gain a certain awareness of some of the practices of the documentary genre, you start to feel like an incredible cynic, because you're always looking for those little inconsistencies. And they're often there - even the great John Grierson (one of the fathers of British documentary making) wasn't above a bit of narrative tweaking and staging.
Very enjoyable film, though, and I say that as someone who can't abide heavy metal.
Couple of points
Watching the Glastonbury coverage the other day they interviewed some confused teenagers who were down the front at 11 am watching Rolf Harris or similar. They had got there early to keep a place to see Muse 11 hours later! They were planning on staying there ALL day so there may be a bit of this going on. Also even the Pilton town band gets a crowd of many hundreds at Glastonbury on sunday morning.
Secondly documentary has always been about truth and not fact ever since the days of Robert J. Flaherty Man of Arran etc.
I think...
... I'd rather go and see Rolf Harris than Muse. Is this wrong?
nope
that's entirely right
hmmm
having been to several Japanese festivals, including some at Makuhari Messe where the Anvil gig takes place, the crowd behaviour didn't especially ring untrue to me. I can't say it's not staged, but I've definitely seen Japanese crowds go crazy for bands at silly times of the day before.
51 minutes in
- the producer CT is shown turning the volume up to 11.
Of course the actual happy ending
is the band appear to have revived their career off the back of the film and have a tour booked of summer rock festivals and gigs at modest student union sized venues for which they will probably get paid.
There are loads of nods to Tap, like the bit where they are in some diner discussing their old song about hanging witches is an homage to the scene where Nigel Tufnel & David St Hubbins reminisce about 'All the way home'. The photo snapshot run through the back catalogue where you're expecting 'Shark Sandwich' to appear, and the bit where they deafen the guests at the wedding reception is 'Sex Farm' at Lindberg Airforce Base...
Indeed
just looked at Wikipedia after seeing the (moving) film, with some trepidation, but seems like they are doing OK enough I guess:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Anvil_(band)
And they've finally recorded Thumb Hang ...
all hail you tube
Speaking of spinal tap when this was first broadcast I was never sure if this was spoof or not or if Melvyn was aware of Christopher Guest's work but wonderfully "The Darkness on south bank show" is on youtube in full ! It's like Anvil only in reverse.
The ending
Even if there was some artistic license taken there, I regard the ending as a tragedy in itself. Because, that's as good as it's ever going to get for them, and that's as high as their sights are set. They are hopelessly suckered into the the whole scenario of 'being famous'.