ABBA: el gran show

A journalist chases the Swedish supergroup Abba across Australia hoping to deliver a career saving interview to his boss.

Forget what I have just written, it isn't important. It is just an excuse to see a group about their work and learn just a little about their lives and personalities. The stress being on the word "little."

The setting of Australia is interesting because the group were about as big in Oz as any group has ever been anywhere at anytime - and I include the Beatles in that. They just had the widest fan base of any group I have seen. They closed whole cities centres down with people just wanting to see them no matter hear them play!

(For this reason alone we should be grateful that it is not just an in-concert film.)

Pop music is not known for its longevity, but lots of the material here is not only brilliant, but perfectly performed and eternal. Although I am almost fighting myself in saying it, they perfected the three minute pop song. When they burst in to Dancing Queen it sends a shiver down your spine - the girls voices just compliment each other so well that it is frightening. Agnetha and Frieda sing like a choir of angels - and yet there is only two of them!

Sadly they are not around anymore (as a group) and there is nothing to replace them. I loved everything about them from their naff 1970's satin clothes (for newcomers, they were even a joke at the time!) to their second language English which leads to bizarre grammatical errors ("for twenty years I have not seen you with a rifle in your hands(!)"). I feel for the kids today, there is nothing as good as this around. Watch this movie to see what a brilliant little pop music product they were.

ABBA - The Movie... a movie that gives a snapshot of ABBA (one of, if not THE most influential group of 1970s pop), and more importantly, a snapshot of Australia in March 1977.

The movie opens with dialogue setting up the premise that a country music DJ is given the next to impossible assignment of interviewing ABBA during their March 1977 tour of Australia. Next, a shot of a Qantas 747 flying above the Sydney Harbour Bridge and on to their arrival and tour.

Throughout the rest of the movie, the thin plotline shows the DJ Ashley's (Robert Hughes) attempts to get an interview with the group, generously interspersed with footage of the group on stage in the major Australian capitals, back stage, at their hotel and so on.

Fledgeling director (at the time) Lasse Hallstrom puts it all together and makes it all come across as charming.

The lesser known delights - interviews with members of the Australian public, an absolute charming segment with Australian children in a ballet school, and footage from their first Australian press conference. The movie is virtually a documentary of the tour, with the story line woven in for effect.

A lot of fun, well put together, and certainly worth a watch - definitely transports you right into Australia, March 1977, accompanied by some of the most timeless music ever made.

Now that it's out in DVD, the ABBA fans who missed the movie when originally released can delight in seeing their favorite group as they were then. Even though, the band has been disbanded for over 20 years, ABBA was unique for groups of the time, in that they left a fairly large legacy of surprisingly good quality videos of their music. This movie, although trite contains a fascinating video record of one of their most impressive tours. With the introduction of the musical Mamma Mia (based on ABBA songs) on Broadway several years back, which started an ABBA resurgence of sorts, the existence of videos like this one has let another whole generation get hooked on ABBA music. ABBA was an extremely attractive and very talented group which will live on through these videos. The video and sound quality of the DVDs ( I watch on an HD set ) is excellent considering the time period they were recorded. I liked ABBA back then, but never really followed their music closely. Now I'm hooked, and grateful for the video record that exists of " one of the greatest pop groups that ever was" ( from U2)

ABBA: The Movie was a big success around the world but barely made a ripple in the U.S. It was 12 years before I saw it. It is about a deejay named Ashley who follows ABBA around on their Australian tour in hopes of getting an interview. They lead him to Sydney, Perth, Adelaide and Melbourne. Along the way, he tapes comments from fans. Mixed in with the plot are scenes from the concerts. Frida struts boldly in hot pants, prowling the stage like a female Elvis. Agnetha teases the crowd with her bottom during "Money Money Money." The group provides a cross section of what had been done up to that time: "Waterloo," "The Name of the Game" and "Ring Ring." The ladies make a real entrance for "Dancing Queen," ABBA's only number 1 record in the U.S. ABBA is a feminist group. The women are the stars. The men maintain a low profile. Benny Andersson later told of how The Movie started out as just their desire to have a personal record of their time in Australia and grew until it became a feature length film. The Movie was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, the same guy who directed ABBA's videos. They finish with their signature tune, "Thank You for the Music." I am an ABBA fan and wrote a book about the Fab Four from Sweden.

I saw this movie on Oprah Winfrey's Oxygen Network (thanks Oprah!). I had heard of it. I'm an ABBA fan. I love their music. I think Agnetha and Frida are two of the best singers I've ever heard. They're also very beautiful. Watching this movie is like being in a time machine. It brings back all of the memories of that time, you know, when music was still worth listening to. I wish someone would put this movie on DVD. The disc jockey stuff isn't bad. As a matter of fact it's kind of cool. He has a dream sequence that's interesting with Agnetha and Frida. Well anyway, I never got to see ABBA in concert so I'll really enjoyed this movie! I give it the highest rating possible. But then again, I'm a music nut!