When Mamma Mia! opened in theaters in the summer of 2008, many reviewers were less than enthusiastic about the film adaptation of the popular stage musical. While the storyline of 20-year old Sophie living on a Greek island with her single parent mother and embarking on a quest to find her father was declared to be flat and incoherent, the cinematic realization of the stage version has similarly been regarded as unsatisfactory. In spite of critics’ dismay, however, Mamma Mia! achieved great box office success.
The discrepancy between reviewers’ predictions and the actual perception of audiences raises the question of the origin of Mamma Mia!’s popularity. Ashley Elaine York categorizes Mamma Mia!, amongst others, as a “new breed of women’s giants […] best be described as `women’s blockbusters´ and touted as the newest conglomerate trend”. While this relatively broad definition of the woman’s blockbuster and its keys for success is applied by York to different genres and will also be considered, this paper mainly sets out to look at several of its aspects from the point of view of musical studies. Particular emphasis will be put on the use of the well-known ABBA music and its function within the movie and for audience’s reception and involvement as the categorization of the film as a so called jukebox musical will be discussed. Thus, the following questions will be investigated in the course of this paper: Can Mamma Mia! be classified as a jukebox musical, deriving its success from its nostalgic representation of the much loved ABBA music, or does it go beyond this classification to reinterpret the songs in an innovative fashion?
Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Mamma Mia! as a Jukebox Musical
2.1. The Jukebox Musical
2.2. ABBA’s success story
2.3. Mamma Mia! as a jukebox musical
3. Beyond the jukebox? ABBA songs reinterpreted
3.1. Adding comedic elements
3.2. Enhancing the role of women
4. Conclusion
5. Works Cited
Research Objectives and Themes
This academic paper examines the popularity of the film "Mamma Mia!" through the lens of musical studies. It seeks to determine whether the film functions merely as a nostalgic jukebox musical or if it employs innovative reinterpretations of ABBA's music to engage its audience.
- The classification of "Mamma Mia!" as a jukebox musical and its reliance on nostalgia.
- The role of ABBA's music in audience identification and emotional involvement.
- The integration of comedic elements as a means of innovative song repurposing.
- Feminist revoicings and the enhancement of female roles within the narrative.
- The transition of ABBA's music from kitsch to cool in contemporary pop culture.
Excerpt from the Book
3.1. Adding comedic elements
Matching ABBA’s often lighthearted, contagious songs, the plot which was chosen to be constructed around them contains many comedic elements. Those were also used as a means to innovate the songs and to integrate them into the plot. One of the comedic elements is the use of a Greek Chorus taken from ancient Greek comedy. In Mamma Mia!, the most obvious comedy of this lies in the fact that the chorus has been taken literally as the Greeks actually sing the chorus in the song “Mamma Mia!” In this musical number, their heads appear at the edge of the goathouse Donna has climbed on. Given the impossibility of them appearing in that particular position, the Greek chorus first and foremost serves a comedic function. In ancient Greek Comedy, however, there was more to the chorus as it traditionally “represented members of the community” and its function was “to give advice to the characters, express opinions, and ask questions” (Osnes 127-128). These traits have also been applied in Mamma Mia!. It has been argued that in “Dancing Queen,” the chorus mirrors the audience in embodying a community being swept away in the song’s happiness. In “SOS,” an exchange of unvoiced feelings between Donna and Sam, they seem to be the only ones who can hear their confession of love to one another and attempt to get one of them to notice the other, thereby matching the following traditional choruses’ trait: “The choruses movements were expressive and mimed the moods, emotions, and content of the accompanying songs through use of hands, arms, body positions, and feet movement” (Osnes 128). Together with the camera movement which pans back and forth between Donna and Sam, the chorus, pointing towards the addressee is not only underlining the couple’s different positions but can also be interpreted as mirroring audiences’ responses.
Summary of Chapters
1. Introduction: Presents the discrepancy between critical reviews and audience success of the film and establishes the paper's focus on musical studies and the jukebox musical genre.
2. Mamma Mia! as a Jukebox Musical: Defines the jukebox musical subgenre, explores ABBA's career success, and analyzes how the film utilizes nostalgic musical elements to connect with audiences.
3. Beyond the jukebox? ABBA songs reinterpreted: Investigates how the film innovates through comedic parody and the enhancement of female roles, moving beyond a simple reproduction of the original music.
4. Conclusion: Summarizes that the film successfully transcends the jukebox musical category by repurposing ABBA's songs into a modern, self-reflexive experience.
5. Works Cited: Lists the academic and secondary sources utilized in the analysis.
Keywords
Mamma Mia!, ABBA, Jukebox Musical, Nostalgia, Audience Participation, Musical Studies, Film Adaptation, Comedy, Parody, Female Representation, Revoicing, Feminist Revoicings, Popular Culture, Soundtrack, Cinema
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the primary focus of this research paper?
The paper examines "Mamma Mia!" as a cinematic phenomenon, specifically investigating how it functions as a jukebox musical and how it reinterprets ABBA’s original songs to achieve commercial and emotional success.
What are the central themes discussed in the study?
The study focuses on the intersection of nostalgia, audience identification, comedic innovation, and the subversion of traditional gender roles within the film's musical narrative.
What is the main research question?
The author investigates whether "Mamma Mia!" relies exclusively on nostalgic representation of ABBA’s music to succeed, or if it actively reinterprets those songs through innovative narrative and performance techniques.
Which academic methodology is applied?
The paper employs musical studies, analyzing filmic techniques such as mise-en-scène, the integration of musical numbers, and the critical assessment of "camp" and parody in the context of musical theater.
What does the main body of the text cover?
The main body breaks down the definition of the jukebox musical, traces the cultural legacy of ABBA, and performs a detailed analysis of how songs are transformed through comedy and re-gendering.
Which keywords best characterize this work?
The paper is best defined by terms such as Jukebox Musical, Nostalgia, Audience Participation, Parody, and Feminist Revoicings.
How does the film use the "Greek Chorus" as a comedic device?
The film uses the Greek Chorus to provide meta-commentary, mirror audience reactions to the plot, and add a self-reflexive, parodic layer that contrasts with the traditional usage of a chorus in ancient comedy.
What is meant by the "re-gendering" of songs?
Re-gendering refers to the film's creative choice to have male characters sing songs that were originally performed by female ABBA members, which serves to create more balanced relationships between genders in the story.
- Arbeit zitieren
- Master of Arts Amelie Meyer (Autor:in), 2012, Nostalgia and Innovation in the songs of "Mamma Mia!", München, GRIN Verlag, https://www.grin.com/document/537883
