Mamma Mia Paper

The pullulate mom Mia (Lloyd, 2008) is based on the extremely popular and successful Broadway musical theater which open in 1999 in London. Since then, this Broadway production has be let a global pheno manpoweron which has entertained countless earr individuallys, and dummy up h white-haireds on strong as peerless of the close to enjoyed and sure musicals of this generation (Shenton, 2009). And so it is assumed that the motion draft adaptation of milliampere Mia would be just as popular and it was, expanding into one of the highest-grossing demands of 2008 as well as receiving two Golden Globe nominations along with umpteen otherwise awards ( mummy Mia 1990-2009). The celluloid portrays a five-year-old cleaning woman named Sophie, contend by Amanda Seyfried, on the eve of her wedding, who is convert that in order to shade complete she must(prenominal) find her father. After reading her mothers diary and revealing that she has three potential fathers, she produ ction to secretly invite all three of them to her wedding. very much of the basiss and elements that encompass the film ar typical of a spotless Hollywood musical such(prenominal)(prenominal) as the presence of utopia and spontaneousness, the emotional society between the fibers and their author, and the never-ending premise of nostalgia.However, Director, Phyllida Lloyd, uses these melodic themes and elements, as well as newfound techniques in soundtrack development, to make mammary gland Mia laughable. She successfully manipulates the conventions of the classical musical and pieces together an updated version that speaks directly to its coeval earshot. Musicals were originally introduced in contemporary cinema by Hollywood in an attempt to create an get d suffer for batch during periods of economic and social instability. People who recognized during eras such as the Great Depression, and other times of recession, had check tangs of exhaustion, dreariness, an d hopelessness.Musicals, with their utopian sensibility, served as a retreat from the documentary innovation and brought recoverings of delight, vivification, and energy to these people, veritable(a) if it was only for a short time. The way in which musicals achieve this is by posing this idea that the characters in the film are real people, and their problems and resolutions to those problems are as well real. When the audience suspends their belief, they forget that what they are watching is an accredited construction and get swept up in the expansive experience that encompasses the film (McMillin, 2006, p. 55).This utopian feel is a key aspect concerning the construction of a musical, since its main focus is to distract its audience from each hardships that whitethorn be occuring in their lives. The idea of a utopia refers to the imagined or wished for versions of the human condition which are envisaged as truly happening in the world. (Parker, 2002, p. 11). So if the audience can actually envision and believe that the even appearts winning go under in mama Mia can actually happen, it keeps that hope alive within the individual watching the film that this happiness could besides come to them. Mamma Mia llustrates this utopia through the beauty of the films setting, the spontaneousness of its musical come, and its happy ending which wraps up nicely with all characters finding their place in the world and true happiness. Mamma Mia is set on a remote Greek island called Kalchuri and is filled with vivid shots of the wonderful beaches and a vast mountain side. Total quietus and happiness is the type of environment that this island paradise presents to its viewers. To gain ground the islands appeal, Sophie mentions in the film that it was once the situation of Aphrodites fountain, the goddess of love.If you drank the water you were supposed to find true love and perfect happiness. This mythical fountain ads a mysterious element to the island making it even more appealing to the audience, and dealwise serves as a fiction foreshadowing the status of absolute utopia that is in conclusion restored towards the terminus of the film. The audience can easily envision themselves in this type of setting, removing them from their harsh reality into this blissful place where al around anything can happen.Therefore, the events which take place in the film seem 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 near musicals and is prominent in Mamma Mia winning form throughout the film in random events such as an arbitrary burst of gag by a group of Greek people for no reason in particular, or a piano placed in the most clumsy position on a dock with a man play the exact cords in time with the song during the move Queen scene.Spontaneity is also exposed in most of the musical builds where the ch aracters have a tendency to just reveal into song at any given moment, even when the audience is least expecting it. The musical, technically the most come to type of film produced in Hollywood, paradoxically has of all time been the genre which attempts to give the greatest illusion of spontaneity and effortless. (Cohan, 2002, pp. 34-35). The character Harry Bright, played by Colin Firth, even goes as far as to articulate the record book several times throughout the film referring to his own spontaneity, or lack thereof.By the end of the film, Harrys character breaks through his shell of insecurity and reveals to everyone that he has found true love in the marrow squash of a nonher man. This detail comes as a hurt and surprise to everyone, including the audience, furthering the development of his character 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, played by Meryl Streep, and long time love involution Sam, played by Pierce Brosnan, are finally reunited.Her daughter Sophie and fiance Sky, played by Dominic Cooper, finalize not to get married, and to leave the island and see the world, which is what they both originally wanted. Another unlikely pair is accounting and Rosie, played by Stellan Skarsgard and Julie Walters, who also find each other and are expected to also live happily ever after. To top it all eat up Aphrodites fountain, mentioned above, is finally find bursting through a crack in the courtyard and raining land on everyone symbolizing that ultimate utopia has finally been restored on the island.The way in which the film is wrapped up, is phonation of its utopian nature. Many issues presented at the start of the film are no longer important such as the impending question which the whole patch is based on, who is Sophies father? The audience does not worry about this minor detail because utopia is reinstated and this happiness allows the aud ience to overlook the some loose ends that may be present at the end of the film. The feeling of utopia is closely tied 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 picture of the audience to extend the fourth wall and puddle a high level of emotional investment funds from the audience. matchless 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 tremendously popular musical group from the 70s and 80s named ABBA.Since these songs are so classic, most of the audience, which mainly consists of younger to middle-aged women, already know the words to most of the songs and become involved with the film by apprisal along with the characters. This also allows for the audience to become particularly attached to the characters, perchance even putting themselves in the characters shoes. The strongest level of this audience to character relation is most evident during the various musical flecks taking place in the film. Musical numbers are woven into the narrative structure, motivated by character psychology and/or plot development and expressive of the emotions, opinions, or state 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 noggin of her old goat house. She has convinced herself that that part of her life was over however, seeing them again after so many years has made her realize that it still 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 disunite Donna is. As she sings these lyrics she is stumbling around, shocked and confused as to just now 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 head is presentment 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 same feelings.The mise-en-scene during this scene is interesting she is alone for most of the scene, alone is joined near the end by a group of islanders. This group of people benefactor her in deciding whether or not to demonstrate the three men. The 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 down to her knightly throughout the musical number as all those deep feelings of longing which she has check for so long. The sight of these men makes Donna incredibly nostalgic, which introduces another(prenominal) main theme from the film.Nostalgia is a prominent theme in the film, the feeling of longing for the past is brought up several times. The plot itself deals with the idea of bringing Donna face to face with her past and the characters themselves are continuously referencing the good old days. Many musical numbers in the film such as Our Last summertime and Slipping Through My Fingers deal with this issue. One number in particular that references this idea directly is the Dancing Queen scene. At the commencement of this scene Donnas best friend Tanya, played by Christine Baranski, says, any(prenominal) happened to our Donna?Life and soul of the party, el rock shuttlecock supremo? Donna then replies with, I grew up and Tanya says, Well bewilder back down again Tanya is reminiscing about the past when Donna was a free soul and encourages her to find that inner(a) youthfulness 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 freewheeling girl 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. Young and old women come together to channel their inner nostalgia and bring back the youthfulness that is trapped inside each one of them. The responsibility and obligation associated with recruiting old is like a burden over the women keeping them from unleashing their suppressed feelings. This is illustrated in the scene by an older woman who is carrying a computer software of wood on her back.As Donna and the other women pass her singing and dancing, she proceeds to lift the bundle off her back and throw it aside, w hile singing Oh Yeah in time with the song and connector the rest of the women. The bundle of wood is a simile for the burden which is inflicted on all women as they nurture 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. Throughout Mamma Mia the main aspects of a musical are truly seen and even challenged.Audiences appreciate musicals because the military service them escape the, at times, bleak realities of the lives and represent a utopia that they feel is attainable through the extreme emotions denotative 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 the decisions they have made in the past. Mamma Mia follows the classic structure of a musical but combines an intriguing plot and an extremely popular musical soundtrack creating an appea ling 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 March 11, 2009, from The Internet Movie Database http//www. imdb. com/ patronage/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