It was the ’70s movie about one of the biggest bands in the world.
But these days movie raters aren’t taking any chances with Abba: The Movie because of the references to Agnetha Faltskog’s butt.
The singer was described as “the sexiest butt in pop” when the film was made in 1977.
But the British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has changed the film’s rating from U to PG due to its “mild sexual references” and “language”.
It has also developed new parental guidelines for the film, 47 years after its release.
Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad photographed in Abba The Movie performing in 1977
Movie raters aren’t taking any chances with Abba: The Movie these days over references to Agnetha Faltskog’s butt
The film, which was directed by acclaimed Swedish director Lasse Hallstrom, is a comedy-drama ‘mockumentary’ about the band’s sold-out tour of Australia.
It follows a fictional radio DJ who tries to get an interview with the quartet, which also includes Bjorn Ulvaeus, Benny Andersson and Anni-Frid Lyngstad.
Among the scenes highlighted by the BBFC are two sequences in which the band members express “sad amusement” at the press’ concern about Ms Faltskog’s “bottom”, just two years after she won the award. to the “back of the year.” The board said some people might find the language “discriminatory.”
He has also drawn attention to the use of the words ‘bloody’, ‘God’ and ‘Hell’ as well as an extract from the Swedish band’s song When I Kissed The Teacher. The board also highlighted a conversation between band members when they referred to press reports about them asking for a “perverted velvet bed.”
When one of them asks what “pervert” means, another answers that it relates to “sexual perversion.”
Parents are also alerted about smoking in the film and in a conversation in which the band members tell a journalist that they do not use drugs.
Australian novelist Kathy Lette, who has vivid memories of the band’s tour of Australia, said last night she was nervous about anything that might discourage children from seeing the film.
She said: “Young girls need all the positive role models they can get, so I also don’t want to make the film harder for them to watch.”
The British Board of Film Classification (BBFC) has changed the film’s rating from U to PG due to its “mild sexual references” and “language”.
Among the scenes highlighted by the BBFC are two sequences in which the band members express “sad amusement” at the press’ concern about Ms Faltskog’s “bottom”.
The decision to regrade the film from U to PG was made last year when it was resubmitted to the BBFC ahead of its theatrical release to mark the band’s 50th anniversary.
Joking that Ms Faltskog’s butt was bigger than the iconic Uluru monolith in the media at the time, he added: “This kind of sexism is past its sell-by date, but let’s not censor it or sanitize it.”
“(It) could be a better launching pad to talk to our kids about why that kind of sexism is inappropriate and to illustrate that the world is gradually getting better for women.”
The decision to regrade the film from U to PG was made last year when it was resubmitted to the BBFC ahead of its theatrical release to mark the band’s 50th anniversary.
The BBFC said: “The film was rated PG for mild sexual references, language and our expanded content advice.”
‘By 2023 standards, this material exceeds the U’s permissions, but it is within the framework of a PG that allows a certain amount of innuendo and crude humor.
“We know from our research that some parents are concerned about introducing sexual material or concepts to their children at too young an age and therefore our rating and content advice provides guidance to help them make an informed decision.”
The film was resubmitted to the board in 2008, but the decision was to retain the U certificate.