The Compleat Al
| The Compleat Al | |
|---|---|
CBS/Fox Video Fox Video | |
Release dates | August 7, 1985 (TV) September 25, 1985 (Video) November 11, 2014 (DVD) |
Running time | 100 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $250,000 |
The Compleat Al is a mockumentary about the life of "Weird Al" Yankovic, from his birth in 1959, to 1985. It was partially written by Yankovic and directed by Jay Levey. An abbreviated version premiered on August 7, 1985 on the Showtime network before the full film was released on video on September 25, 1985. The title of the film is a parody from the 1982 documentary The Compleat Beatles.[1]
Although it is a mockumentary, it is roughly based on Yankovic's real life. For example, Yankovic was raised in
which claimed his birth in an elevator signified his "rise to the top."The mockumentary also contains clips from the first three
The parody also extends to the technical aspects of the film, such as the copyright warning message which starts routinely but escalates to warnings that copying the video may result in damage to your VCR, smoke may come out of your TV set, escalating to possible destruction of the planet due to the greed of the viewer.
Production
The film came about when
Release
The film first premiered on August 7, 1985 on the premium cable channel
A book entitled The Authorized Al (
References
- ^ Consequence of Sound. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ "Billboard". 1986-05-17.
- The Paley Center for Media. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ a b Popson, Tom (July 12, 1985). ". . .and With A Busy, Slightly Bent 'Weird Al'". Chicago Tribune. Retrieved 2014-11-12.
- ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1985-09-07). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ Inc, Nielsen Business Media (1985-08-24). Billboard. Nielsen Business Media, Inc.
{{cite book}}:|last=has generic name (help) - ^ What's the difference between "The Compleat Al" and "The Authorized Al"?, Frequently Asked Questions List for the Usenet Newsgroup alt.music.weird-al
- ^ "SDCC: "Weird Al" Yankovic's UHF Gets a 25th Anniversary Blu-ray in November". Comicbook.com. Retrieved 2016-03-24.
External links
- The Compleat Al at IMDb
