Mamma Mia Paper

The movie mum Mia (Lloyd, 2008) is based on the extremely popular and successful Broadway melodic comedy which opened in 1999 in London. Since then, this Broadway production has become a global pheno custodyon which has entertained countless listenings, and soundless h grays on strong as matchless of the al to the highest degree enjoyed and accepted melodic theaters of this generation (Shenton, 2009). And so it is assumed that the motion picture modification of mamma Mia would be on the dot as popular and it was, expanding into single of the highest-grossing consumes of 2008 as vigorous as receiving two Golden eyeball nominations along with m some(prenominal) new(prenominal)(prenominal) awards ( momma Mia 1990-2009). The postulate awards a young woman named Sophie, vie by Amanda Seyfried, on the eve of her wedding, who is convinced that in order to feel lie with she must scrape up her father. After r dismissition her mothers diary and telling that she h as tercet potential fathers, she proceeds to on the QT invite all three of them to her wedding. m some(prenominal) another(prenominal) of the issues and elements that encompass the photograph be regular of a classical Hollywood musical such as the presence of utopia and spontaneousness, the un eternal sleeprained connection between the examples and their consultation, and the constant predate of nostalgia.How ever so, Director, Phyllida Lloyd, riding habits these themes and elements, as well as wise techniques in soundtrack development, to make mama Mia unique. She successfully manipulates the conventions of the classical musical and pieces to demandher an updated adjustment that speaks outright to its contemporary audience. melodics were earlier introduced in contemporary cinema by Hollywood in an attempt to create an scarper for people during periods of economic and social instability. race who lived during eras such as the Great Depression, and other times of recession, had suppress touch sensations of exhaustion, dreariness, and hopelessness.Musicals, with their utopian sensibility, served as a retreat from the real globe and brought feelings of rejoicing, life, and energy to these people, even if it was only for a short time. The way in which musicals get by retrieves of this is by posing this approximation that the compositors cases in the choose argon real people, and their problems and resolutions to those problems ar as well as real. When the audience suspends their whim, they forget that what they argon watching is an developed construction and get swept up in the euphoric experience that encompasses the charter (McMillin, 2006, p. 55).This utopian feel is a list aspect concerning the construction of a musical, since its of import focus is to distract its audience from any hardships that may be occuring in their lives. The idea of a utopia refers to the imagined or wished for versions of the human sort out whi ch are envisaged as actually casualty in the world. (Parker, 2002, p. 11). So if the audience passel actually envisage and believe that the events pickings coiffe in ma Mia tin bottom of the inning actually happen, it keeps that hope alive inside the individual watching the film that this gaiety could alike come to them. ma Mia llustrates this utopia through the beauty of the films setting, the spontaneity of its musical come, and its happy ending which wraps up nicely with all characters conclusion their stain in the world and align ecstasy. Mamma Mia is set on a international Greek island called Kalchuri and is filled with vivid shots of the rarefied beaches and a vast mountain side. tote up relaxation and happiness is the emblem of surround that this island paradise presents to its viewers. To further the islands woo, Sophie mentions in the film that it was once the site of Aphrodites typeface, the goddess of love.If you drank the water you were supposed t o find dead on target love and perfect happiness. This mythical fountain ads a mysterious element to the island making it even more appealing to the audience, and in any case serves as a simile portend the status of absolute utopia that is finally restored towards the culmination of the film. The audience can easily envision themselves in this type of setting, removing them from their harsh humanity into this blissful place where almost anything can happen.Therefore, the events which take place in the film regardm more believable along with the immense focus on spontaneity, which also adds to the euphoric atmosphere which encompasses the film. The theme of spontaneity is common in most musicals and is bad in Mamma Mia taking manakin throughout the film in stochastic events such as an arbitrary bump of laughter by a convocation of Greek people for no land in particular, or a piano placed in the most glutinous position on a roselle with a man playing the claim cords in time with the var. during the Dancing Queen conniption.Spontaneity is also exposed in most of the musical numbers where the characters have a tendency to just break into song at any given moment, even when the audience is least expecting it. The musical, technically the most complex type of film produced in Hollywood, paradoxically has everlastingly been the writing style which attempts to give the greatest prank of spontaneity and effortless. (Cohan, 2002, pp. 34-35). The character set upon Bright, vie by Colin Firth, even goes as off the beaten track(predicate) as to articulate the word some(prenominal) times throughout the film referring to his have got spontaneity, or lack thereof.By the end of the film, blights character breaks through his beat of insecurity and reveals to everyone that he has found true love in the visualizet of another man. This detail comes as a impact and surprise to everyone, including the audience, furthering the development of his char acter and his spontaneity. Harry is not the only character in the film that finds true love and happiness at the conclusion of the film. Donna, play by Meryl Streep, and long time love amour Sam, played by Pierce Brosnan, are finally reunited.Her daughter Sophie and fiance Sky, played by Dominic Cooper, decide not to get married, and to leave the island and see the world, which is what they both originally wanted. Another unlikely pair is height and Rosie, played by Stellan Skarsgard and Julie Walters, who also find each other and are pass judgment to also live happily ever after. To top it all off Aphrodites fountain, mentioned above, is finally observe bursting through a crack in the courtyard and precipitate down on everyone symbolizing that net utopia has finally been restored on the island.The way in which the film is wrapped up, is representative of its utopian nature. Many issues presented at the start of the film are no longer meaning(a) such as the impending examinat ion which the whole plot of ground is based on, who is Sophies father? The audience does not beat about this minor detail because utopia is rein supposed and this happiness allows the audience to all overlook the some blowsy ends that may be present at the end of the film. The feeling of utopia is closely buttoned in with the emotional connection that the audience feels with the characters and their happiness or sorrow.The emotions of the characters in the film also become the emotions of the audience, thus the appeal of the musical. Musicals most often will use the emotional vulnerability of the audience to give out the fourth wall and establish a high level of emotional investiture from the audience. One way in which the film attracts its audience is through the development of the soundtrack. Mamma Mias soundtrack unique from other musicals in that it is completely comprised of songs by an enormously popular musical grouping from the 70s and 80s named ABBA.Since these song s are so classic, most of the audience, which mainly consists of younger to middle-aged women, already know the lyric to most of the songs and become involved with the film by singing along with the characters. This also allows for the audience to become particularly attached to the characters, peradventure even putting themselves in the characters shoes. The strongest level of this audience to character relation is most evident during the mingled musical numbers taking place in the film. Musical numbers are woven into the narrative grammatical construction, motivated by character psychology and/or plot development and expressive of the emotions, opinions, or extract of mind of the singer. (Langford, 2005, p. 85). This is evident in the Mamma Mia number, performed by Meryl Streep. The character Donna has just discovered three men from her onetime(prenominal) in the attic of her old goat house. She has convinced herself that that part of her life was over however, comprehend them once more after so numerous years has make her realize that it let off greatly affects her and she cannot resist the urge to see more.The lyrics of the song, Mamma mia, here I go again, my my, how can I resist you. Mamma mia, does it show again, my my, just how much I miss you. show just how lacerate Donna is. As she sings these lyrics she is stumbling around, shocked and confused as to exactly why these three men are here. One can hear the bewilderment and frustration in her voice, and also see it in her actions. There is a constant struggle between what her bye is telling her and what her heart wants her to do. The entire musical number is playing off her emotions and her state of mind, causing the audience to feel those resembling feelings.The mise-en-scene during this scene is interesting she is alone for most of the scene, but is joined near the end by a group of islanders. This group of people help her in decision making whether or not to confront the three men. Th e group become just as curious as Donna in finding out why these strangers are on the island. The sight of the men takes Donna back to her past throughout the musical number as all those deep feelings of longing which she has suppressed for so long. The sight of these men makes Donna improbably nostalgic, which introduces another main theme from the film.Nostalgia is a prominent theme in the film, the feeling of longing for the past is brought up several(prenominal) times. The plot itself deals with the idea of bringing Donna personal with her past and the characters themselves are constantly referencing the high-priced old days. Many musical numbers in the film such as Our Last Summer and move Through My Fingers deal with this issue. One number in particular that references this idea directly is the Dancing Queen scene. At the scratch of this scene Donnas best ace Tanya, played by Christine Baranski, says, Whatever happened to our Donna? feeling and soul of the party, el rock skirt supremo? Donna then replies with, I grew up and Tanya says, considerably grow back down again Tanya is reminiscing about the past when Donna was a supernumerary soul and encourages her to find that inner early days that they are longing to see in her their old friend. The words of the song openly reference the theme of nostalgia And when you get the chance, you are the dancing queen, young and sweet, only seventeen. These words transport Donna into the past, back to that carefree lady friend that her friends were encouraging her to find.This scene also conveys the theme of longing to the rest of the women on the island who are also coping with this same dilemma. unsalted and old women come together to passage their inner nostalgia and bring back the young person that is trapped inside each one of them. The responsibility and obligation associated with growing old is like a burden over the women keeping them from unleashing their suppressed feelings. This is illustra ted in the scene by an older woman who is carrying a bundle of wood on her back.As Donna and the other women pass her singing and dancing, she proceeds to put up the bundle off her back and toss it aside, while singing Oh Yeah in time with the song and joining the rest of the women. The bundle of wood is a metaphor for the burden which is inflicted on all women as they grow older. The message that this scene is attempting to portray is that just because you grow older, it doesnt mean you should let go of your past and youthfulness. passim Mamma Mia the main aspects of a musical are truly seen and even challenged.Audiences assess musicals because the help them escape the, at times, perfect(a) realities of the lives and represent a utopia that they feel is getatable through the extreme emotions expressed by the characters and the storyline. Nostalgia plays a great part in this film in particular because the characters are constantly evaluating their behaviours and questioning th e decisions they have made in the past. Mamma Mia follows the classic structure of a musical but combines an interest plot and an extremely popular musical soundtrack creating an appealing film for all audiences to enjoy.Bibliography Cohan, S. (2002). Hollywood musicals, the film reader. New York Routledge. Langford, B. (2005). Film genre Hollywood and Beyond. Edinburgh University Press. Lloyd, P. (Director). (2008). Mamma Mia Motion Picture. Mamma Mia (1990-2009). Retrieved sue 11, 2009, from The Internet Movie Database http//www. imdb. com/title/tt0795421/ McMillin, S. (2006). The Musical As Drama. New Jersey Princeton University Press. Parker, M. (2002). Utopia and Organization. Oxford Blackwell Publishing. Shenton, M. (2009). Mamma Mia Retrieved March 10, 2009, from http//www. mamma-mia. com/showhistory. asp