Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #3501 in DVD
• Released on: 2001-09-17
• Rating: Exempt
• Number of discs: 1
• Format: PAL
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 89 minutes

Amazon.co.uk Review
The Winner Takes It All--The ABBA Story reflects the peaks and troughs of the Swedish supergroup's popularity over the decades, as well as the quartet's turbulent years together.

Initially labelled as just another trashy Eurovision act following their win with "Waterloo" in 1974, the group confounded their critics by emerging as a credible musical team with superior songwriting abilities. Following a few years of mass adoration the punters got tired, and for most of the 1980s the group, along with their fans, were forced into years of hibernation and denial. Luckily a new dawn rose in the early 1990s with the emergence of ABBA tribute bands such as Bjorn Again, the appropriation of the group's music in the movies Priscilla Queen of the Desert and Muriel's Wedding, and the global success of the ABBA Gold greatest hits collection.

This documentary successfully manages to piece together both the public and private side of the group, through the use of interview excerpts and video footage. The DVD also contains exclusive interviews with all four members of the band for the first time since their split. Reflecting on the intricate nature of their music, as well as the elevation of their compositions to the heady heights of pop classics, the documentary concludes with behind-the-scenes footage of preparations for the ABBA-inspired West End stage show Mamma Mia!. This is a must for all ABBA fans, as well as those wishing to discover the heritage of one of the world's greatest pop groups.

On The DVD: although boasting 30 minutes of extra footage, interviews and music, this release is basically an extended version of the television documentary (of the same name) broadcast in 1999. The DVD version of the programme has been segmented into 20 chapters, labelled with names of classic ABBA tunes, which reflect the themes of particular parts of the narrative. Unfortunately all of the additional DVD footage has been subsumed into the documentary and cannot be accessed individually. There are no other extra DVD features (not even subtitles), and the main menu only allows access to the individual chapters. --John Galilee

DVD Description
Chapter headings:
1. Money, Money, Money
2. Waterloo
3. I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do, I Do
4. S.O.S.
5. Fernando
6. Dancing Queen
7. Chiquitta
8. Ring Ring
9. Gimme! Gimme! Gimme!
10. Honey, Honey
11. Super Trouper
12. Mamma Mia
13. Voulez-Vous
14. Does Your Mother Know?
15. Summer Night City
16. The Name Of The Game
17. Knowing Me, Knowing You
18. The Winner Takes It All
19. The Day Before You Came
20. Thank You For The Music

DVD Extras:
30 minutes of additional footage, interview and music incorporated into the original television documentary.

PAL Colour
Region Code 2
4:3
Documentary: 90 minutes (approx)
Languages - English (Stereo)
Subtitles: None

Synopsis
Follow the fascinating 25 year journey of one of pop music's biggest bands, ABBA. All four members talk about their lives before and after ABBA, with exclusive footage of their West End musical MAMA MIA. Interviews with Bono, Malcolm McLaren, Paul Gambaccini, and Tim Rice add to the fun.

Customer Reviews

if u like abba u'll like this
Although i do love abba and did like the dvd i actually bought it as it's listed with the steps girls against it. It actually has about a 30second clip with them in on the entire 1 1/2hr dvd so i wasnt very impressed with that!

Lets start at the very beginning, a very gud place 2 start..
For me, this was the first Abba Dvd i bought. No reason for it but it was the first dvd i came across in the shops and bought.
I had previously seen the Abba - Super Troupers documentary which i LOVED and wanted to know more so i bought this. I must admit, i loved it, i'm quite sure.
I haven't owned it for long and so i think i've only watched it about twice or three times but if you're just starting out then this is a great dvd to begin with!

After this i recommend the Abba - The Concert dvd.
Enjoy!

"Abba Story, The Winner takes it all" good for what it is...
I was given a copy of this as a birthday present. I had seen this when it was originally aired on television a year or two ago.

I would have to agree with a previous reviewer, that if you want to know about the making of the musical "Mamma Mia" this DVD is a fine starting point. However, if you want to know more about Abba, this DVD is not going to fill too many gaps in your lack of knowledge. I found the interviews with Benny, Bjorn, Agnetha, and Frida to be too short, where surely there should have been more time devoted to them and the magic they created as a group!

Would I have bought this for myself? Sasdly the answer is no.