The Making of '...And God Spoke'

I saw this film in a theater and wasn't expecting much. It turned out to be one of the funniest films of the 90's and by the time the Nude Ninjas appeared, I was already on the floor.

"...And God Spoke" is really one of the funniest parodies of the motion picture industry ever. A former b-film director and his egotistical, sleaze-ball producer decide to adapt the entire Bible into a lavish epic because of its popularity, despite the fact that they vaguely know how many disciples Jesus had and have to rely on product placements from Coke for extra funding. Not to spoil it, but the film they eventually make turns out as a kind of blasphemous Rocky Horror Picture Show that you have to see to believe.

Andy Dick as Abel and Lou Ferrigno as Cain are hysterical. Dick: "I get killed?!?" As a film maker and former Catholic schoolboy I found it all too hysterical though it may help to know something about the Bible and the film industry to get the most mileage out of it.

Speaking of Spinal Tap, I hated that film. Christopher Guest's humour is way too gentle for my tastes and I've never been a big Rob Reiner fan either. This film and "Fear of A Black Hat" are my two favorite mockumentaries of all time.

Today I tried watching a mockumentary about a cheesy production of a fake film. However, "Guns of the Clackamas" simply wasn't funny though I was hoping it was an other "...And God Spoke". In fact, in my review, I complained about this--and strongly recommended people see the earlier film, "...And God Spoke". Imagine my surprise, then, when I checked and saw that I had never reviewed this 1993 film! This is surprising, as I loved the film and strongly recommend it to anyone who loves Christopher Guest's mockumentaries. Now "...And God Spoke" is not as sophisticated and hip as the Guest films (especially "Best in Show"), but there is a wonderful cheesiness that is quite endearing.

This film is a fake documentary in which a porno production company wants to make a 'quality film'. So, they naturally picked the most prestigious sort of film--a Biblical epic!! The resulting film is in terrible taste and looks a lot like a porno-Biblical film! But what makes it even funnier are all the behind the scenes bits--such as the appearance of Eve Plumb in the film and her resulting lawsuit as well as seeing Soupy Sales as Moses! It's all real and goofy--and strikes a wonderful balance between looking crappy yet being entertaining and insightful.

By the way, because of the subject matter, this film might offend the easily offended. Think twice about showing this film to young kids or your mother-in-law!

Some say this was similar to "This is Spinal Tap." I don't think so. It was a mockumentary but otherwise there's no comparison between the two. The focus was the making of a Biblical epic, and while these two filmmakers have no problem getting the finances, they run through so many troubles that the film turns out to be a real turkey. (Ranging from the Eve character not wanting to display nudity to a product placement scheme showing Moses holding a six pack of coke.)

This predates 'Living in Oblivion' (which is similar, and much better) but it was still a funny satire on Independent Filmmaking.

AND GOD SPOKE brilliantly portrays what can go wrong on a movie shoot. Its one drawback: You have to be working in films to truly appreciate the dead-on portrayals of clueless workers, egomaniac directors and interfering producers, and the 'compromises' made to get the film done. All these basic realities of real film production are hilariously exaggerated here. It's too close for comfort sometimes.

This is one of the funniest films made in the last decade and it is well worth seeing--particularly if you are in film or are considering it as a career.

This movie is hard to come by, but in the event that it should air on a TV station near you, or play at some cult flick cinema club, don't hesitate to see it. It'll be the best 90 minutes you'll have all year.

Myself, I don't remember just when I caught on to the fact that this was no 'true' documentary. It might have been as long as 15 minutes into the film. My girlfriend at the time didn't catch on until the 'product placement' scene. Believe it or not! Which goes to show, these guys know how to make a mockumentary. The string of ridiculous snafus which haunt the production team were pulled off with such skill and sensibility that you couldn't help but believe it. And no, it's not just a film for movie makers. It's for anybody who enjoys rolling on the floor laughing their hind ends off.

No, Spinal Tap it ain't. I've only seen ST twice, and I could watch this movie over and over again. It's most awesomely hilarious, and I can't wait until it comes my way again.

"Does anybody have a bible?". Indeed.