Filmed: Thursday 3 - Sunday 13 March 1977
Location: Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide and Perth, Australia
Broadcast: See below
Release status: See below
Shown in: Worldwide
UNFINISHED - THIS IS A WORK IN PROGRESS. Some of this information will be moved to the Swedish entry for ABBA - The Movie.
Footage for ABBA - The Movie was filmed in Australia in March 1977 and in Stockholm in June 1977.
This entry focusses on the Australian-filmed footage. See ABBA - The Movie (Swedish footage) for the footage filmed in Stockholm.
SYNOPSIS as described in the press release from Warner Brothers
Ashley, a disc jockey at a radio station in Sydney, Australia, is assigned by his boss to get an exclusive, in-depth interview with ABBA when they arrive for their sell-out concert tour of Australia. Ashley has never done anything like an in-depth interview before in his life and is more than a little panic-stricken by the assignment.
The film captures ABBA's hit-making performances at a series of amazing concerts which feature all the top-selling songs that have made them world-wide superstars , and also gives an insight into their hectic off-stage life. Ashley's first task is to meet the fans - from young children to senior citizens - and discover the secret of their fantastic popularity. He sets out to learn as much as he can about ABBA. It's hardly a challenge, because the stores are filled to overflowing with ABBA magazines and other ABBA articles. What is a challenge, is getting hold of ABBA. Ashley is no journalist and doesn't have a press card. Without a press card you can't go anywhere near ABBA, but he is stubborn and somehow manages to get into some press conferences. After ABBA has left ...
His job is hanging on this interview so Ashley follows them back and forth across the continent: from Sydney to Melbourne, Adelaide and the last stop Perth, where, with time rapidly running out, he finally succeeds in tracking down the super group.
SCENE-BY-SCENE - more or less (and naturally mainly concentrating on scenes with ABBA or ABBA connections in).
SYDNEY
PERTH
ADELAIDE
MELBOURNE
CAST AND CREW
Apart from ABBA, two Australian actors starred in the film:
INFORMATION
Benny outside the trailer with Stig:
Benny: Har ni filmat paraplyerna därute? Det är en underbar sight tyker jag. Har ni gjlort det?
Stig: Ja, de har de gjort.
Benny: Have you filmed the umbrellas out there? it's a wonderful sight I think. Have you done that?
Stig: Yes, they've done that.
Stig (to Agnetha out of shot), then Benny and Björn and voice in background:
Stig: Agnetha ... jag har 4kg smink
Benny: Är sminkösen här?
Voice: Jarä
Björn: Man kan säga till henne ...
Benny: Var finns hon nånstans tro?
Björn: Nämen hom kommer hit sörru, om man såager, ber henne det
Stig: Nåa, gå inte ut och blöt håret är du bussig.
Stig: Agnetha ... I have 4kg of make-up
Benny: Is the make-up woman here?
Voice: Yeah
Björn: You can tell her ...
Benny: Where is she?
Björn: She will come here, if you tell, ask her to.
Stig: No, don't go outside and get your hair wet please..
In the hotel room reviewing the papers: (NEED PIC)
Benny (to Agnetha): Din ända var det bästa på hela showen!
Agnetha: Tackar.
Benny (to Agnetha): Your behind was the best in the whole show!
Agnetha: Thanks!.
Need Swedish words for:
Bodyguard: It was pretty dangerous there for a while, wasn't it? With the rain on the stage.
Björn: No, not really.
Bodyguard (to Agnetha): It was pretty dangerous there for a while, wasn't it? With the rain on the stage.
Agnetha: Yes, really.
The bodyguard to Ashley when he's trying to get to ABBA: (NEED PIC)
Bodyguard: Nä, nä, nä, inga såna grejer här
Bodyguard: No, no, no, no such things here.
ABBA - The Movie (Australian footage), 1977;
ABBA - The Movie (Swedish footage), 1977;
ABBA - The Movie Première, 1977;
Restored ABBA - The Movie (Benny & Frida), 2003;
ABBA - The Movie: Looking Back (Benny & Björn), 2005;
ABBA - The Movie blogspot;
The ABBA Phenomen in Australia;
ABBA - The Movie (Wikipedia);
Thanks to Robin Andersson, Ian Cole, Harry Ehler, Julian D, Vladimir Chistov, Mark Creek, Malin Westerberg, George Bourdaniotis and the ABBF Fan Club Magazine.
Extra thanks to Harold Hanlon c/o ABBA Village.
Enormous thanks to ABBAMAIL (no longer online) and to Raffem.com.
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 (no longer online). Thanks also to Dmitry Shipov and Guido Strotkötter.
Ian Cole has been particularly helpful in sharing all his knowledge and information. 90% of the information for this ABBA - The Movie entry (and the Swedish one) is down to Ian's site The Secret Guide to ABBA - The Movie.
Thank you so much to everyone.
YouTube link c/o SorryHaters and Cid Nahuel Montserrat
Antony Maloff