Rating: 
Summary: I really enjoyed this !!
Review: After watching this DVD (with no break), I could understand ABBA a lot better and now love them even more than before. You will know a lot of new facts about ABBA from this video. For example, I've never known before that Benny was the second husband to Frida. It didn't matter to me whether or not this DVD provided full version of ABBA songs without being disturbed by narration, because I have their VHS video collections (ABBA Gold & More Gold). I also enjoyed new clips I've never seen including solo career of Agnetha and Frida. In addition, I found myself that I'm very interested in Benny and Bjoern's musical "Mamma Mia" and "Kristina".I only hope "desperately" that they would be reunited and have a new concert as Eagles and other old bands did. Also, I would like to urge the manufacturer (Polydor or Universal Music) to release new DVDs with great vision/sound quality by applying new technology to their previous video recordings because they deserve it and fans are hunger for them. It will be great as well to have video albums for each member of ABBA after separating....
Rating:
Summary: an absolute MUST for any true ABBA fan!!!!!
Review: ever since i heard my first ABBA song (which was "Fernando") when i was 11 years old i became an instant die-hard ABBA fan. this documentary, hot on the heels of the "Mama Mia" craze, is something wonderful for those of us who have loved the band and continue to find precious gems in their music. As ABBA has been a constant fixture in my life for more than a decade, this documentary was wonderful to watch, i was surprised at how little i really knew about the lives of the four members and the rare footage of their careers before ABBA was a true treat to watch (Agnetha singing "I don't know how to Love him" from "Jesus Christ Superstar" in Swedish was definately worth it!). with more than 20 years separating the members from the end of ABBA, the older/wiser rememberances by Benny, Bjorn and Frida are poignant and almost sad. Agnetha, whose english has apparently waned over the years, did not agree to be interviewed on camera-- instead she supplies audio commentary for her experiences within the group as well as her heartbreaking decision to choose raising her two young children than persue international stardom. The British rehearsals for the opening of "Mama Mia" which are interlaced throughout the documentary seem a bit tedious at times, yet they serve as a great catalyst for tying all the members memories into a coherent narrative. Clips of songs ("If it wasn't for the Night", just as an example) which are not easily available on such albums as ABBA Gold are also a great added pleasure. I would most heartedly recommend this DVD for anyone who loves ABBA as much as i do, you will not be disappointed!!!
Rating:
Summary: A great story about THE Swedish Pop Group!
Review: Having first listened to ABBA in early 1970's, I was thrilled to find their story on DVD some 30 years later. This DVD does a great job of telling their stories, both as a group and individually. I remember the wild clothes they wore when they sang Waterloo at Eurovision, so seeing how they have changed in the last 30 years and how their lives changed was real special for me. The music is great and so are the interviews. The most telling comment I can make about this DVD and the music they performed over the years is to use the title of one of their song, "Thank You For The Music." The songs you're singing, Thanks for all the joy you're bringing. Buy it, watch it, and remember the music.
Rating:
Summary: A great story about THE Swedish Pop Group!
Review: Having first listened to ABBA in early 1970's, I was thrilled to find their story on DVD some 30 years later. This DVD does a great job of telling their stories, both as a group and individually. I remember the wild clothes they wore when they sang Waterloo at Eurovision, so seeing how they have changed in the last 30 years and how their lives changed was real special for me. The music is great and so are the interviews. The most telling comment I can make about this DVD and the music they performed over the years is to use the title of one of their song, "Thank You For The Music." The songs you're singing, Thanks for all the joy you're bringing. Buy it, watch it, and remember the music.
Rating: 
Summary: Don't waste your money.
Review: I am very disappointed with this dvd. There is not one song that is not interrupted by dialog about the history of abba. I would have bought the dvd if I knew this.
Rating:
Summary: The Winner is the Viewer!
Review: I have been waiting eagerly for anything about ABBA to appear on DVD. This is an excellent start. This documentary which originally aired on Bravo is cram packed with rare footage of the super group at thier peak as well as as some fascinating clips of each member during their pre-ABBA solo careers. What a great story it is. Benny and Bjorn give us a glimpse of their incredible creative genius, Frida fondly recalls her experiences as a world icon, and even Agnetha offers some insights into why it had to come to an end. There's 30 minutes of never aired footage here too. Anyone who wants to know what the phenomenon of ABBA was all about will surely understand after seeing this exhuberant, joyful documentary.
Rating: 
Summary: Fascinating for a longtime fan
Review: I have not seen the DVD, but as this is the same footage as the Bravo Profile, I thought that should have been pointed out. For a longtime fan, this is fascinating, delving deep into the history of ABBA and all four of its members with historical footage (even pre-ABBA) and present-day interviews. Agnetha's interview is different, consisting of a voice-over as we see footage of her walking around a park. They don't go into the personal details of her reasons for seclusion (which I think is a good thing), but it paints her life in a depressing light. They make up for the lack of "face-to-face" with her by slanting the concert and video footage slightly in her favor. Frida, Benny and Bjorn open up in ways we haven't seen before, and the behind-the-scenes look is quite interesting. I was not interested in the "Mamma Mia" footage and winced at the vocal performances I heard in those bits, though I much enjoyed the footage showing the analysis of the music they were doing for it.
Rating:
Summary: Worth getting tho it feels like an infomercial for Mamma Mia
Review: I remember seeing this special when it originally aired on Bravo in 1999 or 2000 and enjoying it, so when I saw it on DVD, the Abbaphile in me had to buy it. What you get is a 90 minute documentary about Abba with extensive new interviews with Benny and Bjorn (both of which speak excellent English nowadays) as well as some with Frida and a few audio bites of Agnetha while we see her walking by a pond. There's nothing in here that most Abba fans don't know already, but to see it come to life instead of reading it is worth it. We see bits (though not all) of several tv performances, including the infamous 1974 Eurovision awards that started it all for them, a 1979 tv performance of If It Wasn't For The Nights, and also them singing Thank You For The Music in late 1982, probably from their final performance on tv together. The biggest complaint is that despite how much Abba loving we get on the special, it keeps comign back to talking about "Mamma Mia", which at the time (mid 1999) was in the rehearsal stages. It gets annoying, but anyone who loves Abba enough to buy this DVD will be entertained regardless.
Rating:
Summary: The Winner Takes It All
Review: If you are an ABBA fan, this DVD is a must have. It is an interesting chronicle of the group ABBA as well as its individuals. You get a chance to see beyond the group into the individuals and understand more about them. The periodic references to the Mama Mia production are an added plus. I came away from this with more appreciation for the memebers of this incredible group.
Rating: 
Summary: Excellent rare footage, let down by MamaMia hype
Review: If you are looking for a true ABBA history DVD, then skip this. Unfortunately there is no true ABBA history DVD around, so keep waiting. If you can't wait, this one will provide you with some very rare footage of the band in their early days, including solo projects. For example, Anna rehearsing for a part in the Swedish version of 'Jesus Christ Superstar'. But this 'documentary' was clearly made to tie-in with the London premiere of the musical 'Mama Mia - the Musical', and focusses alot on that - obviously a marketing exercise (yawn!). By the way, I didn't enjoy Mama Mia the Musical as much as I expected to.
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