Disappointment for a huge fan!

It's an amazing and heartbreaking story.

The movie's neither hopeful in contrived ways, nor hopeless in different contrived ways. Somehow it manages to be wonderful

It is encouraging that the film ends so strongly.Otherwise, it wouldn't have been a particularly memorable film

When, many moons ago, I first heard of 'Spitting Image', I thought it would be at best a one-season wonder. The novelty of having puppets doing satire would in my view wear off quickly, leaving the show nowhere to go. As we now know, 'Image' ran for over a decade.It was originally produced by John Lloyd, one of the driving forces behind 'Not The Nine O'Clock News' so predictably it inherited that earlier show's healthy disrespect for authority and public figures. The voices of Chris Barrie ( magnificent as Ronald Reagan ), Harry Enfield, Jessica Martin, Kate Robbins and Steve Nallon ( more like Thatcher like she ever was ) were superbly matched to clever puppetry courtesy of Fluck & Law. Amongst the writers were Doug Naylor and Rob Grant ( later to create 'Red Dwarf' ), John O'Farrell and Mark Burton.The first few episodes were at best patchy, marred by canned laughter and some iffy material, but by the end of the first season the bugs had been ironed out. A regular item was 'The President's Brain Is Missing!' starring President Ronald Reagan. No-one then knew that Reagan had the first symptoms of Alzheimer's. The Reagan of 'Spitting Image' was gaffe-prone, frequently seen in bed with wife Nancy, read comics and loved Warner Brothers cartoons. In one episode, he authorised the use of Phantom jet fighters to assist Wile E.Coyote in the destruction of the Roadrunner. In another, he conducted a secret nuclear test up his own arse.British politicians also came in for a bashing; Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher dressed like Al Capone, smoked cigars, and was seen taking political advice from a 90-year old Hitler. The show ridiculed Labour leader Neil Kinnock's attempts to make his party electable ( it had been in opposition only five years when the show started ). In one sketch, he said to the Shadow Cabinet; "We must get rid of all the people who will be a liability at the next General Election.". At which point, the entire Shadow Cabinet left the room. Liberal leader David Steel later blamed 'Image' for his failure to become P.M., it caricatured him as a squeaky-voiced muppet living in the top pocket of David Owen.No review of the show can be complete without mentioning their treatment of The Royal Family. Though pro-monarchists wailed that it was insulting and unfair, I disagree. I thought the show gave them an unexpectedly human face, portraying them as ordinary people with normal fallacies. The Queen Mother, in particular, came across as a lovable Beryl Reid type fond of a flutter on the horses. When the Royals sang a parody of Queen's 'We Are The Champions' ( entitled 'We Are The Windsors' ), it sounded like a new National Anthem.'Image' was lucky enough to be around when Thatcher was dumped by the Tories and replaced by the ultra-grey John Major. The writers and performers succeeded in making the man more interesting than he really was.The show got into trouble on more than one occasion. For instance, a joke at the expense of gun collectors soon after the Hungerford massacre in 1987 provoked predictable self-righteous fury from the tabloids.'Image' also spoofed '80's and '90's pop culture, such as 'Rambo', 'Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles' ( or Turds as they became ), pop groups like 'Wham!', 'Culture Club', and 'The Pet Shop Boys' ( their hit 'Go West' was guyed as 'How The Hell Do We Keep Getting Away With It?' ). No respect was shown for anyone or anything.It overstayed its welcome, unfortunately, ending the year before Labour's 1997 landslide victory. Despite many imitations, it remains unequalled.Perhaps the show's unsung heroes were the people inside the puppets, such as Louise Gold and the late Alistair Fullerton. Another underrated aspect was the songs. 'The Chicken Song' sent-up 'Agadoo' by Black Lace' and became a hit in its own right. 'We've Screwed Up The World' was a bleak parody of Louis Armstrong's 'Wonderful World' with Satchmo bemoaning our increasingly polluted planet. 'Every Job You Take', performed by Sting, rounded off the first series.'Image' provided I.T.V. with one of its last great comedy shows, and helped make the nightmare of the Thatcher/Reagan years partially bearable.

Spitting Image was an extremely funny show. It stopped at nothing & ridiculed everyone, from politicians to royal rivalry. It is a pity it ended & didn't get the chance to parody Blair, Prescott & Buyers, i am sure they would have had a great time coming up with sketches as good as the thatcher era. as for de_niro_2001 from Scotland, i guess he can't appreciate humor or lacks one, or maybe because the show made fun of Scotland one time, when they showed a list of some things that Scotland brought the world: Dr Finlay, Lulu, English tourists, wee wee on the floors of trains,that really horrible Dundee cake, a monster that doesn't exist & lots of silly dancing. Scotland, not far from London.....not far enough! that was a classic!

In the 80s no celebrity was off limits to the Spitting Image team which lampooned contemporary celebrities using latex puppets with exaggerated features. Regulars included the street smart Pope with his shades and cellphone, or Ronald Reagan in the infamous "the President's brain is missing" (with two dangerously arranged "nurse" and "nuke" bedside buttons). Other common appearances included the British royal family, Margaret Thatcher and her cabinet.Every Sunday night at 10pm Brits would be sure to watch the latest satirical sketches penned by now famous celebrities such as David Baddiel. Voices were also from comedians who went onto greater things including Steve Coogan (Around the World in 80 Days), Rory Bremner (has his own impressionist show on British TV), Harry Enfield and Adrian Edmonson.Over time it deteriorated. The great news is that there is talk the show will return in 2005.

All satire bites. Of course this series was vituperative. Most, if not all humour is at the expense of somebody else. So what better targets can there be for humour than the rich, famous and powerful? The other reviewer who expressed his disgust at a programme that could mock a certain baby should take this into consideration: any child born into the family of Windsor will be one of the most privileged and pampered people in the world from the very first day of its life. "Spitting Image" was not evil. It didn't stigmatize the large numbers unemployed, force the poll tax on people, starve public services of cash. It didn't widen the gulf between the rich and the poor. It simply provided satire. If one doesn't like "Spitting Image" then one won't like any good satire at all. The series also launched the careers of many of this country's most popular comic actors. The puppets, mannerisms and voices were spot on. The 80s and early 90s were a very difficult time for a lot of people in the UK. "Spitting Image" was a fine example of how we were able to laugh at ourselves and this crazy world we live in.