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‘Beyond The Pole’ celebrating the Mockumentary


05 July 2010

The multi-award winning ‘BEYOND THE POLE’ is available to own on Blu-ray and DVD from 5th July.

Available to own on DVD and Blu-ray from 5th July, ‘BEYOND THE POLE’, is a brilliant satirical mockumentary that follows the story of two inexperienced adventurers (The Green Wing’s Stephen Mangan and Bellamy’s People’s Rhys Thomas) as they attempt to become the first carbon-neutral, vegetarian and organic expedition to reach the North Pole. As a world first they have high hopes of getting into the Guinness Book of Records and, if all goes well, of saving the planet from Global Warming.


Now we all know that it’s going to take more than a couple of vegetarian travellers to save the planet, however fortunately in the world of the mockumentary anything is possible. To celebrate this fine art of filmmaking we’ve got a list of the greatest faux documentaries to ever entertain our ear, eyes, hearts or minds.

The War of the Worlds

Mr. Orson Welles’ fictitious public service announcement regarding imminent alien invasion sent 1950’s America in to something of a tither. Broadcast as a Halloween special on Mercury theatre’s on the air programme, the show ran without commercial breaks and many listeners actually thought they were about to be overrun by little green men, with a few gullible souls reportedly taking their own lives…

A Hard Days Night

A fictitious look at a couple of days in the life of the fab four, this 1964 film sees the charming, witty mop-tops fooling about on a train and annoying Paul’s granddad. It is the first feature film to be described as a ‘mockumentary’, and was highly influential, leading to a speight of 60’s spy films. It was also the inspiration for the Monkees TV show. So, not entirely perfect then…

This is Spinal Tap

Considered by many to be the outright “Daddy” of the genre, Christopher Guest ad-libbed film followed the exploits of a washed up metal band, Spinal Tap, as they hit the road to promote their latest album. The film was edited together from hours of ad-libbed footage between the principle cast, including Christopher Guest and Harry Shearer, and the result was a hilarious exposé of the 80’s metal scene.

Best in Show

Not content to rest on his laurels, Christopher Guest teamed up again with a number of his Spinal Tap crew, this time turning his satirical gaze on the pet world and taking aim at the damn right ridiculous world of dog shows.

A Mighty Wind

They say that all things come in threes and that certainly the case with Christopher Guest as he continues to show the world he is the king of the ‘mockumenatry’. This time Guest packs a punch with this smart and witty film that tells the tale of a 1960’s folk band reunion as they prepare to honour a recently deceased concert promoter with a comeback gig at the local town hall.

Cannibal Holocaust

Featuring actual animal deaths (6 in all) and rumoured to have been a snuff film, this supposedly real footage of documentarians studying indigenous Amazonian tribe’s people was banned in countries all over the world and remains one of the most controversial films of all time. Now get down to Blockbuster and rent yourself a copy!

The Blair Witch Project

In what could be called a re-imagining of Cannibal Holocaust, we see found footage shot by student filmmakers as they investigate the notorious ‘Blair Witch’ in the woods of Burkittsville, Maryland. Just like The War of the Worlds, this story was cleverly sold to the world as fact via a cunning viral internet campaign that for a time, had people convinced that what they were watching was real.

District 9

In 1982 a massive spaceship appeared over Johannesburg baring a population of Aliens which humans quickly labelled ‘The Prawns’ due to their appearance. As time goes on the humans become bitter and angry towards the aliens and set about evicting them from a ghetto that they now call home. What ensues is a swashbuckling Sci-Fi adventure that cunningly conceals a satirical critique of institutional racism and Apartheid, now that’s what I call a mockumentary.

The Office

Ricky Gervais’s TV phenomenon became a huge hit at the dawn of Y2K. His expose of office politics in the bleak industrial town of Slough is a brilliant mix of comedy, drama and cringe worthy experiences. Its ‘mockumentary’ style only serves to heighten the impact on the audience, making David Brent the archetypal office aresehole in the process.

Borat

A hapless Khazakhstani journalist is given the task of travelling to America and making a documentary about American society and culture. What follows is a hilarious trip through the United States as Borat and his producer plunge into one disaster after another quickly angering every local they encounter.

‘BEYOND THE POLE’ out on DVD and Blu-ray July 5th 2010.