ABBA - The Movie

TV:                    Sweden - TV2, 27 December 1980; TV3, 3 June 1992; TV4; 25 December 2006
                         Australia - SBS, Saturday 16th May 2009

DVD release:    Japan - 5 October 2005 (2-DVD set, catalogue number UIBO1076)
                        UK - 26 September 2005 - now also available on Blu-Ray
                        Germany - 23 September 2005
                        Canada - 4 October 2005
                        USA - March 28 2006 
                        Australia - 2 October 2005 (2-DVD set) and 9 October for single version - buy it here
                        Click here for more information on the DVD release of "ABBA - The Movie"

"ABBA - The Movie" has also been released on video in the UK and Sweden and also on laserdisc

ABBA had taken a film crew on their Australian tour where all the concerts were recorded along with backstage activity and travel in between the four concert venues. They had intended the movie to be a documentary film - something they could look back on in years to come and remember the madness that was their life at that time.

Film Director Lasse Hallström was approached in November 1976 to prepare a synopsis and he travelled with them on their tour of Europe in January and February 1977 taking in Norway, Sweden, Denmark, West Germany, Netherlands, Belgium, Scotland and England) to watch the shows for himself.  His synopsis of 5½ pages in length was approved and plans were made immediately for him and his crew to travel to Australia.  Read what Lasse Hallström had to say about "ABBA - The Movie" here.

Click here to read the film's synopsis from the Warner Brothers press release

Not everything you see in "ABBA - The Movie" was reality and there are dozens of editing, continuity, visual and other discrepancies throughout the film. Lasse Hallström used every trick he could. There are many instances where parts of some scenes were filmed in completely different places and times. It's not until you meet Australians who are familiar with these places that the discrepancies are pointed out.  Click here if you want to know where they are!

Apart from ABBA, two Australian actors starred in the film - Tom Oliver (later to become Lou Carpenter in Neighbours) and Robert Hughes.  See what Robert Hughes had to say here.

Click here to read some interesting facts about the making of "ABBA - The Movie"

Click here to read what ABBA had to say about "ABBA - The Movie"

Concert performances featured in "ABBA - The Movie":
Tiger / SOS / Money, Money, Money / He Is Your Brother / Intermezzo No. 1 / Waterloo / Mamma Mia / Rock Me / I've Been Waiting For You / Why Did It Have To Be Me / When I Kissed The Teacher / Get On The Carousel (the only official release of this song is in this film) / I'm A Marionette / Fernando / Dancing Queen / So Long

Others:
Please Change Your Mind (written by Benny & Björn and performed by Nashville Train)
Hole In Your Soul (over opening credits and Qantas plane arriving at Sydney)
The Name Of The Game (dream sequence)
Ring Ring (schoolgirls)
Eagle (in the lift)
Thank You For the Music (studio - Alternate Mix)
NB. the list does not count the bits of other songs that are heard near the beginning and end on the radio tape, (Agnetha singing two notes of "I Wonder" in the changing room!), etc.  Remember there's also Thank You For the Music as the credits roll at the end.

"Eagle", "The Name Of The Game"  and "Thank You For The Music" were all filmed in Panavision so not really suitable for television broadcast because the picture would be cut in half. Consequently when these songs were later released as singles, new versions ("Eagle", "The Name Of The Game" and "Thank You For The Music" were prepared for television).

Click here for images from the film and the interview from the DVD

Thanks to Robin Andersson, Ian Cole, Harry Ehler, Mark Creek, Malin Westerberg, George Bourdaniotis and the ABBF Fan Club Magazine.
Extra thanks to ABBAMAIL and to Rafael & Stefan's ABBA Pictures
Even more thanks to Harold Hanlon c/o ABBA Village

Much of the information here was taken from ABBA Report Issue 17 Summer 2000 but the people who fed that article were ABBF Magazine (especially Cotton Ward), Claes Davidsson, Cliff Docherty, Micke Hjernestam, Alex Jones, Carl Magnus Palm, Luke Rogers, Rod Reynolds, Ian Smith, Bill Paganucci, Grant Whittingham, Graeme Read and in particular, Ian Cole.  Most of those contributions came via ABBAMAIL. Thank you so much to everyone.