More information on the re-release of This Is Spinal Tap came in
As we reported earlier already, MGM Home Entertainment is currently preparing a re-release of the cult mockumentary This Is Spinal Tap this Septmeber both on VHS, DVD and theatrically. Today, Variety ran a short story about the impending re-surfacing of this Rob Reiner fan-favorite.
MGM will turn the volume knob up to 11 in September with a limited theatrical re-release and special DVD edition of “This is Spinal Tap.” The 1984 Rob Reiner-directed “mock-umentary” of a low-intelligence heavy metal band is such a cult favorite that Criterion’s out-of-print DVD copies of the Embassy Pictures release are fetching close to $200 on the Internet. MGM will release the film in select theaters in the U.S. in early September through a special arrangement with StudioCanal, which owns all media rights worldwide to the Embassy library.
MGM Home Entertainment, which acquired video rights to Embassy’s library, will mount a wide-ranging promotional campaign for the re-release of the movie followed by elaborate new DVD and VHS versions on Sept. 12. Christopher Guest, Michael McKean and Harry Shearer will reprise their long-haired characters in a live performance on the VH1 show “The Hit” on June 22, with Fran Drescher posing as host and the group’s rep. The network will later devote an entire special to the faux band. The group will also perform at the House of Blues in Los Angeles following the film’s premiere.
MGM is promoting the film through contests in Rolling Stone magazine and Listen.com. The rarely seen music video “Bitch School,” which was banned by MTV, will be available exclusively on the new VHS version to be priced at $14.95. The special DVD edition will feature more than 100 minutes of supplemental material, including more than an hour of rare footage and never-before-seen outtakes. Also on the DVD are four music videos, three rare commercials, a Flower People press conference and a TV appearance on “The Joe Franklin Show.” More than half of the material on the DVD will be original from the Criterion version, including an audio commentary by the three actors, a new interview with Reiner and many of the outtakes.
The movie will be released theatrically in at least 11 markets on Sept. 8, according to Corie Tappin, VP of marketing for MGM Home Entertainment.
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