ABBA THE MOVIE - September re-release with extra footage

I agree with iiwftn.

The DJ is Robert Hughes. He was imprisoned in 2014 for sexual offences and released in 2020. Presumably deported to the UK where the hitherto Australian born citizen had revoked his citizenship of that country but kept his UK dual national citizenship.

In an age of Cancel Culture for having the "wrong" by some opinion but totally legal opinion and "right" by others, some ABBA fans cannot condemn Mr Hughes. He is a Sex Offender.

Rather than adding bits to The Movie - they should be editing bits out. Namely, Robert Hughes.

The BBC is right when they re-show old episodes of TOTP without sex offenders Jimmy Savile and DLT.
Getting excited about an UNEDITED (even added on) The Movie is nothing to be proud of.

And yes, I agree with Cancel Culture on the grounds of criminal activity including sex offences of whatever kind and violence generally.

I don't think we can casually ignore Robert Hughes because he was a centre piece of ABBA's only movie.

Just playing devil advocate here...

Firstly I agree with comments above...regarding the actor...

However do you really think they would go to the expense of removing him , I doubt it very much, let's also be honest here, apart from " us" more dedicated fans, will the general public know ? After all it's a nearly 50 year old film.. a whole new generation has been born and grown up .... apart from the odd few who will research.

How many will actually see the film a few hundred at most.. so I can't see it being cut....after all it's an integral part of the story...alas

You actually make a fairly compelling argument for editing the film, Michel ! The 1979 special is poorly lit, unflattering and (IMO) pretty unspecial. By contrast, the 1977 concert footage is glorious. In fact, I think there's a case to be made for reusing all of the musical scenes from The Movie as the basis for an ABBA 1977 tour special. Take out the enervating pop vox and "acting" footage - replace it with interviews (old and new) and behind the scenes footage. You'd end up with a pretty brilliant new product (and new title). Hughes would be consigned to the bin and nothing would be wasted. Given how ABBA look at this point in their careers, I think you'd also end up with a kind-of ad for Voyage too. 40-odd years after its original release, absolutely no investment would have been lost.

I'm thinking that if TNOTG had been filmed for Voyage, clips of the ABBAtars could be intercut with the dream sequence (guess who'd hit the cutting room floor) to show how well Voyage has nailed ABBA in their prime.

Again playing devils advocate...sorry...

Re above... who are we actually aiming this at .. a few hundred at most... Abba Live has not gone down that well in the past with public, so again is it just wishful thinking of only a handful of " us"

I'd love to proved wrong and we get something fantastic... realistically though.......

I agree with Hometime - which I do, sometimes. 😃

It's best just to pull the whole thing. Given the low numbers likely attending it simply isn't practical to edit. The PR would just look so bad. Because it would be bad.

I can't help thinking of Kevin Spacey, edited out of a film because of allegations, serious allegations but nothing proved at the time. He has since been found Not Guilty on both sides of the Pond. A mix of (Social) Media Mob and Homophobia.

Yet, Robert Hughes, a convicted and imprisoned sex offender can appear again in The Movie. It doesn't seem fair - because it isn't.

Cancel culture is just a new nickname for the kinds of boycotts and accountability that society has engaged in for donkeys' years. I have to chuckle that many of "cancel culture's" most virulent opponents are now exploding in spittle-flecked fury as they shoot cans of beer and get hysterical over a movie about a doll. But of course it's not cancel culture when they do it.... 

Hughes was cast for The Movie in good faith. The release was a hit, everyone involved earned their fees, royalties and residuals over a 45-year period. ABBA - The Movie is out there on DVD to be bought by anyone who wants it. I don't think anyone is suggesting that it should be withdrawn and destroyed or anything.

In the UK, sex offenders like Jimmy Saville, Dave Lee Travis, Rolf Harris, Gary Glitter, etc., are routinely and rightly edited out of repeats of historic broadcasts. Entire episodes of Top Of The Pops have been pulled, denying any guests on those episodes royalties/residuals. As regrettable as it may be for those artists, I've never heard one of them complain. In many cases, artists have even removed clips and photos (all shot in good faith) from their own websites and socials, rather than poison their reputation and brand by association with these creeps. And that's where my head is when it comes to ABBA and this well-intentioned fan event. Agnetha and Frida all but dry-hump the guy in the dream sequence soundtracked by The Name Of The Game. Yes, yes, yes - those scenes were written and cast in good faith. I get all that. But knowing what we know now, it's creepy AF. The scenes where he's interviewing little kids are even worse now. Perhaps some might suggest that people who are recovering from abuse should avoid these screenings. But it seems wrong that victims should be excluded. Just because they might not have been Hughes's victims, his presence on screen could be very triggering.

I'm not alone in suggesting that the movie and related footage be entirely reengineered to make something new and positive. There might even be a way of incorporating the non-criminal cast members so that they make a little something from it.

We don't have to agree but you've recognised that the general public would abhor any suggestion that shows with the offending presenters be broadcast.

Anyway, this entire discussion is moot. There's zero indication that anyone is listening to those who are raising concerns.

I stand corrected: it seems to have been confirmed that The Movie event will not take place in Australia (as per Roxanne on FB, as it happens).

Someone on You Tube kindly did a playlist of just the songs from The Movie.

Apparently, Everyman, Odeon and Vue cinemas are involved with this. There’s an Odeon near me so I’m hoping that one is participating.

I booked for Sunday 17 September as well (4 PM). The closest cinema where it's playing here is about a 40 minute drive from where I live.

I was surprised that this fan event is taking place in my country too. So many cinemas, even in small towns are screening it. So I'm going on 17th. Hopefully I won't be the only person in the cinema As for Robert Hughes, I understand that screening the film in Australia may feel problematic. But most people around the world don't recognize him, have never heard of him and his crimes and so will probably not notice. If it's right or wrong is a question but I thing that banning ABBA The Movie once and for all is not fair.

It’s quite a good idea that they’re doing this. It ties in nicely with Voyage in that, in The Movie, ABBA pretty much look like the ABBATar versions. It’s perhaps aimed at those that have seen the show and might want to see the real ABBA in their prime looking similar.

Or, more cynically, those that haven’t seen the show yet and aren’t sure about it. The built-in Voyage extras are surely there to advertise and entice.