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About ABBA The Movie

Additional filming in Stockholm

Eagle

At the hotel

Thank You For The Music

The promo stuff & trivia

The Group acting

A new and bright idea. ABBA used their Australian connection to set the film up. During the 1977 tour there, the leading Swedish film director Lasse Hallström was called out to make "ABBA The Movie". Tied in with their new LP release "ABBA The Album" it was a perfect marketing operation.

A disc jockey called Ashley is assigned to follow the group around on the sell-out tour in Australia. Ashely hopes to get an "exclusive gut-level dialog" with ABBA for his radio station, but the likeable, inexperienced fellow is hopelessly out of his depth. In vain, he chases them from Sydney to Perth, then to Adelaide, before accidentally running into them in Melbourne. He turns up at the wrong places and is usually one jet flight behind the group. He even misses the press conference where Agnetha is asked to confirm whether she has the sexiest bottom and replies "How do I know? I haven't seen it".

For his troubles, Ashley is repeatedly thrown out of concert halls and dressing rooms. But the movie provides a happy ending for him when he gets the interview he has sought so relentlessly.

Meeting the press (Sydney)

Outside the Sydney Opera House

The concept of ABBA The Movie was very easy. The main aim was to show the group performing live and the tiny storyline was the secondary thing. The group did not have to do any advanced acting and in fact in the scenes they do other things that singing, they act themselves. The Movie was disappointing if you wanted to see behind-the-stage footage or to see ABBA in private. There are some shot cuts including footage from behind the stage. The parts showing ABBA "acting" are Ashley's dream (the video clip to The Name Of The Game), short parts in the elevator (the video to Eagle), ABBA in their hotel room (filmed at the Sheraton hotel in Stockholm - go.to/abba.related) and the group in studio singing Thank You For the Music. The press conference is "real" and not performed for the movie. 

Additional filming in Stockholm - late summer 1977

Ashley's dream (& more)

(The Name of The Game)

(The Spunky ABBA picture book which Asley is reading before he falls asleep)

Djurgården Stockholm

Björn on his own...

Lots of pictures of all ABBA members were taken during the work with additional filming for "ABBA The Movie" in Djurgården in Stockholm. One of the photo sessions featured Björn.

Benny - my camera never lies...

Bang a... frisbee

Begging for more

The white horse

The brown horse

The ice-cream time

Golf (day 2)

In the saloon

Benny and the goat actress...

The animal by Benny's side actually had a little part in "ABBA The Movie". Just a couple seconds before the scene with Björn, Benny and Ashley playing cards the goat is leaving the saloon...

What's the Name of the Game...

The dinner

Eagle

The hotel scenes

(Sheraton Hotel in Stockholm)

Thank You For The Music

ABBA The Movie Trivia and promo posters

1. Original Dutch ads promoting ABBA The Movie during the second week after the premiere.

2. Japanese reduction coupons

3. Promo flyer & postcard from Israel

4. Promo flyer from Japan

5. Promo flyer from Slovakia

6. Promo sheets from South America

Posters from different countries