‘Wind’
powers mockumentary advancements
By Jack Schneider
On-line Forty-Niner
In
1984, audiences witnessed a new type of
film which would be known as a “mockumentary”
with Rob Reiner’s classic “This is Spinal
Tap.” The movie showed three American actors
pretending to be English; Christopher Guest
as the lead guitarist Nigel Tunfel, Harry
Sherear as Derek Smalls on Bass and Michael
McKean as David St. Hubbins on guitar and
vocals. Their drummer would always die from
serious accidents such as getting into a
vicious gardening accident or getting blown
up on stage.
Nineteen years later, the three stable members
of Spinal Tap appear as the Folksmen in
the latest mockumentary, “A Mighty Wind,”
directed by Guest. The film shows both similar,
yet different mannerisms from their days
of “Spinal Tap.” The once crazy hair metal
band that was popular in the ’80s, is now
picking up mandolins, long neck basses,
and an acoustic guitar.
“Wind” tells the story of not only The Folksmen,
but also two other folk groups. Each group
has been brought together, to honor a folk
icon, and play at New York City Hall. The
Folksmen, a group of middle aged men sing
classic folk tunes about wandering and the
famous Joe’s Diner. Band members include
tenor Alan Barrows (Guest), guitarist and
baritone Jerry Palter (McKean) and a very
weird bassist Mark Shubb (Sherear). The
other bands featured in the mockumentary
include the heart-filled duo Mitch and Mickey,
played with intricate chemistry by Catherine
O’Hara and a neurotic Eugene Levy. The third
act includes the cult-like Main Street Singers,
including Terry Bohner (John Michael Higgins)
and a staple among Guest mockumentaries
Parker Posey as Sissy Knox.
Although the laughs produce a comic result
in “A Mighty Wind,” this movie does differ
from other Guest hits including “Waiting
for Guffman” and “Best in Show.” It appears
that as each mockumentary gets made, it’s
turning more into a movie. “Best in Show”
was the transition of making a mockumentary
blurring the lines of a mockumentary and
a movie. “A Mighty Wind” is nonetheless
a mockumentary, including candid interviews
with all the performers, as well as the
same font in the credits used in Guest’s
previous films.
In terms of style and plot, “A Mighty Wind”
appears as a light-hearted mockumentary
compared to the sometimes dark, but cheesy
“This is Spinal Tap.” The film is filled
with funny moments and things a viewer would
never expect people to say or do, if it
was an actual documentary. “Spinal Tap,”
featured Rob Reiner as Marty DiBergi, who
interviews the British hair band, and makes
the audience believe it could be a documentary
(or as he puts it in the beginning, the
film audience is about to see is a “rockumentary”).
The idea of the mockumentary has certainly
advanced into more than just the comedy
category, with the horror hit “The Blair
Witch Project.” The first-person camera
movements seen in “A Mighty Wind,” and just
about every other mockumentary satirizes
the use of in your face camera angles. One
thing that will never go away from mockumentaries
is the laughter and intimate portrayal of
interesting human beings.
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