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"ABBA" DELIGHTS
AUDIENCES IN HUNTINGTON
by Jed Ryan
July
16, 2002
Throughout
the 1977 musical documentary "ABBA:
The Movie," zealous Australian fans of the Swedish quartet
chant "We want ABBA! We want ABBA!" Apparently, so
did everyone who showed up at Huntington's Cinema
Arts Centre on the night of Wednesday, July 3rd... and there were many!
ABBA
hit it big with "Waterloo" in 1974 and became
the most commercially successful pop group of the '70's. "ABBA:
The Movie" was directed by Lasse Hallstrom, whose
most recent films have been the critically-acclaimed "The
Cider House Rules" and "Chocolat". In "ABBA:
The Movie," the director did a superb job in demonstrating
why ABBA was so popular: Aside from their songs being so
damn catchy, they were dynamic performers and knew how
to connect
with their audience. Although the movie offers perfunctory
bits of biographical information about the members of ABBA,
and ties the movie together with a miniscule plot (A hapless
DJ follows ABBA on their Australian tour in hopes of getting
an interview.), basically "ABBA: The Movie" is
mostly music, music, music. Eighteen of their beloved hits,
including "Fernando," "SOS," and
"Thank You For the Music," delighted the audience
that night-- and the tunes sound just as good in 2002 as
they
did years ago. Even non-ABBA fans could appreciate the
film for
the way it was made: "ABBA: The Movie" shows
the RIGHT way to make a film about a rock group. By the
time our
unlikely hero finally meets Bjorn, Benny, Agnetha and Frida
in an elevator by accident at the end of the movie (Oh,
I'm sorry-- did I give away the ending?!), we really feel
like
we've gotten to know ABBA. And their sincerity and love
for their fans (Shown by their consent to give Mr. DJ an
impromptu
interview) seems totally real. Twenty years after Sweden's
greatest import (aside from the X-rated flick "I Am
Curious [Yellow]") broke up, ABBA's music is still
alive and well. Their music played an important role in
the gay-favorite cult
flicks "Muriel's
Wedding" and "The
Adventures of Priscilla, Queen of the Desert". The group "Bjorn
Again" have been hugely successful as ABBA imitators. "Mamma
Mia," the hottest ticket on Broadway, is a musical
based on ABBA songs. Ace of Base, another Swedish quartet,
was clearly
influenced by ABBA. And Erasure, in 1992, released a four-song
EP called "ABBA-esque" with covers of ABBA songs,
including "Take A Chance on Me." Why does ABBA
have such a big gay following? Perhaps the group's theatrical
shows,
which incorporated pageantry and fabulous costumes, had
something to do with it. As one attendee at the event that
night stated, "Back
in the 70's, you couldn't go to the gay bars without hearing
ABBA!" Even today, giving "Dancing Queen" a
spin at a gay club is a guaranteed way to get everyone
excited-- and on the dance floor!
If
someone told you that a 25-year old
foreign movie could sell out a theater on a Wednesday
night, would you believe them? Probably not. But the
fact that
cinema-lovers showed up in groves for "ABBA: The
Movie" that
night demonstrates ABBA's lasting popularity as well
as the fine
job done in promoting the event. The legendary "lost" film
(Despite being a huge box office hit upon its release,
it has never been released on video or DVD in America.)
made its way
to the big screen, in a sparkly, vivid print, via the Long
Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival (LIGLFF) for
a special showing. After the film, the movie-goers gathered
in the
Cinema Arts Centre's Sky Room for wine, cheese, finger
food, and an
array of homemade desserts made by the LIGLFF Committee.
Seen: Paul Paquette and many of his followers from the
Suffolk
Gay Men's Group, Barry Jones
and Jim Coppola of GALFOLI
(Gay and Lesbian Foundation of Long Island), Joe
Coppola (Jim's brother), drag star Delfina Best (who
brought three
female friends dressed in ABBA-influenced fashions!),
Jim Pizzo,  Harold O'Brien, and, of course, the hard-working
members of
the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival, who were
delighted by the success of the event.
"ABBA: The Movie" was
the second of a new series of gay and gay-interest movie
nights at the Cinema Arts Centre. According to Sephen Flynn,
Director
of LIGLFF, the next scheduled event will be a presentation
of gay Spanish director Pedro Almodovar's new movie "Talk
To Her" in September. Stephen and the other members
of the Long Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival work all
year
long to make the Film Festival in November one of Long
Island's most anticipated cultural events. LIGLFF is always
looking
for volunteers, suggestions, and creative input from members
of our community. The 2002 Film Festival is set for November
14th through the 17th. Get psyched!The
Long
Island Gay and Lesbian Film Festival
P.O. Box 1477
Melville, N.Y. 11747
www.LIGLFF.org
Photo
(bottom) by Jed Ryan
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