On 6 April 1999, the stage play "Mamma Mia" premiered at the Prince Edward Theatre in London's West End, and after the performance, the audience was ecstatic and gave a standing ovation. At the time, there were comments that such scenes would not happen again.
Nearly 20 years later, the stage play "Mamma Mia" has already gone from London's West End to Broadway, and then into more city theaters, making more than 60 million people feel the ecstasy of the first audience.
Ten years ago, the summer, the movie version of "Mamma Mia" was released. Meryl Streep, Colin Firth, Pierce Brosnan, Stranster Skarsgaard, Julie Waters, Kristen Barensky and other big names, as well as Amanda Seyfried and Dominique Cooper, who were in their early twenties, bathed in the Greek sun, singing indulgently and dancing boldly.
The film eventually grossed more than $600 million worldwide and is still ranked seventh in the North American music film box office charts.
The movie version of "Mamma Mia" gathers a group of big-name casts
This year, it's summer again, and "Mamma Mia 2", which fans have been waiting for for a decade, has finally arrived. What's even more rare is that all the kashi in the previous game have all returned. Even Colin Firth, who was initially hesitant, decided to join the cast after hearing that other actors would be cast.
And "Mamma Mia 2" did not disappoint everyone. After the film was drawn in North America, rotten tomatoes had a freshness rating of 79% and an imdb score of 7.3, which was overall better than the previous game - in this sequel is always in the world of "diving", it is a clear stream.
"Mamma Mia 2" has a higher Rotten Tomatoes freshness and imdb score than the previous game
The original Bankas is still there, abba's golden song is still there, and the story still takes place on that beautiful Greek island like paradise, so how did "Mamma Mia 2" find another way?
In "Mamma Mia", 20-year-old Sophie (Amanda Seyfried) is about to enter the marriage hall with her lover Skye (Dominique Cooper). But growing up with her mother Donna (Meryl Streep), she didn't know who her father was.
To this end, she invites Harry (Colin Firth), Sam (Pierce Brosnan), and Bill (Stranskasgard), who may be her father, to the wedding, hoping to find out the real father.
In "Mamma Mia", Sophie and her three fathers
After a series of mistakes and chicken-to-duck talks, Sophie doesn't find the real father, because even Donna doesn't know who the father is.
Almost all of the characters in the film do not play cards according to common sense, and at the end of the film, the bride-to-be Sophie even runs away with the bride-to-be Skye, and the real marriage is Donna and Sophie's "one-third father" Sam.
Sophie's three fathers, Harry, Sam, and Bill, are middle-aged, but still grumpy and cute
"Mamma Mia" is a typical film with a "Dionysian spirit", full of happiness, enthusiasm, optimism, and you can easily be infected by the love and freedom conveyed by the movie. After watching the movie, you will understand that the love of twenty-year-olds is very beautiful, and the love of middle-aged people can still be passionate.
Not to mention how healing abba's songs are, and how amazing the singing skills of the main actors are. The "Aunt May" version of the winner takes it all sung in the studio, and even abba member Benny Anderson finds it incredible, shouting "She's a miracle."
If you want to describe the relationship between "Mamma Mia" and "Mamma Mia 2" in one sentence, it can be said that it is both a prequel and a sequel.
Compared to the story in "Mamma Mia" that unfolds in the same time and space, the story of "Mamma Mia 2" takes place five years after 1979 and the end of the previous story (about 2005).
In this film, 25-year-old Sophie is pregnant. She didn't have much confidence in being a good mom, but after learning about Donna's experience as a single mother when she was younger, she had different ideas.
In Mamma Mia 2, Donna's old friends Rosie and Tanya are still so hot, while Sophie (center) is clearly mature
Naturally, there are two Donnas in "Mamma Mia 2", one of which is of course the middle-aged Donna played by Aunt May, and the other is the young Donna played by Lily James. As a result, Sophie's three dads also have younger versions, with Jeremy Evan, Hugh Skinner, and Josh Dylan playing the younger Sam, Harry, and Bill respectively.
The middle-aged version of Donna (above) and the young Donna (bottom) are played by Aunt May and Lily James, respectively, and they are also related by several layers
Lily James, who is a distant relative of "Aunt May", has her first reaction when she knows that she will play the young Donna: scared and excited. Playing the same role as "the strongest actress in the universe" Meryl Streep is already a challenge in itself, and how to play the role of Donna is an even bigger challenge.
After all, Donna in "Mamma Mia" is not only a charming woman who makes three men unforgettable, but also a great female character who makes the audience love it to the point of not being able to do it. Donna's charm does not come from her appearance, in the film she always likes to wear a pair of overalls, long hair is loose and untrimmed. But when Donna laughed and began to sing, no one would not be hit by her.
Donna's most classic cargo pants style has been maintained for more than twenty years
In the previous game, Donna runs a homestay on the island alone and raises her daughter. She had to worry about bills every day and hadn't taken a vacation for more than a decade, but Donna had never complained about anything. She is strong, brave, optimistic, and gives her daughter enough love and protection, but does not interfere too much in her choices.
Donna's charm comes from her inner strength and her independence. As for the emotional entanglement between her and the three men, everyone only had a crazy past of youth at that time, and no one would "slut shame" Donna because of it.
In fact, the female characters in "Mamma Mia" have a bold and direct attitude towards love. Whether it's Donna, Tanya (Kristen Barensky), who has been married and divorced several times, or Rosie (Julie Waters), a successful food writer, they have neither given up their pursuit of love because of their years, nor have they waited to be saved. They take the initiative to pursue love, dare to take responsibility, know how to enjoy the moment, and deeply understand the true transmission of the "Dionysian spirit".
Special mention should be made of the three main creators of the "Mamma Mia" stage play and film: director Felida Lloyd, producer Judy Kramer and screenwriter Catherine Johnson. The three creators are all women, and they created a real female character Donna from a female perspective. In reality, women aspire to be Donna, and men will always be attracted to Donna.
The creative director of the Mamma Mia stage play and film, Felida Lloyd (left), producer Judy Kramer (center), and screenwriter Catherine John
Even more inspirational, judy Kramer and Catherine Johnson were both bankrupt when they first decided to do the stage play, and after Mamma Mia, they had become "two of the richest women in England".
Speaking of the young version of Donna played by Lily James in "Mamma Mia 2", half of the film is to trace the emotional entanglement between the young Donna and Sophie's "three fathers".
In "Mamma Mia 2", Sophie's three fathers
Donna in 1979, like her mother, loves to sing and dance, and has a beautiful smile. After graduating from Oxford, she bids farewell to her friends Tania and Rosie and travels alone, where she meets Harry (Hugh Skinner), Bill (Josh Dylan) and Sam (Jeremy Evan).
Just as Donna hadn't started to burn out the bills at that time, Harry was still a rock 'n' roll youth as a young man; Bill, who later became a seafarer, was still a blonde youth with a touching hairline; and Sam was still a shy warm man.
As a young man, Donna and Harry danced to the song of waterloo
When Donna met Bill, he was already "a famous european ruffian". The creator of "Mamma Mia" once revealed that Sophie's biological father is the Swede Bill: this means that she, like the abba band, has roots in Sweden.
Donna and Sam spent the most intimate and romantic time together, and the two even almost settled on the island together
Donna regards this graduation trip as a good memory for herself, and naturally does not refuse the three high-quality young men she met during the trip. All three relationships are sweet, cute and full of joy, which is also the tone of the "Mamma Mia" series of movies.
According to the setting of the story, Donna was born around 1956. Referring to historical events, as a woman who witnessed the "May Storm" and the women's liberation movement in adolescence, the open-minded and uninhibited Donna is destined not to become an ordinary housewife.
In Donna's three brief relationships with Harry, Bill, and Sam, Donna is not passively pursued, and she even relentlessly satirizes Bill's less clever flirting skills. Compared with the rhetorical romance, Donna cares more about the gentleness and cuteness of the other party, and cannot accept deception and lies.
It is also in her three relationships that Donna confronts her own desires and is not shy because of expressing them. After she became pregnant, she also took on the responsibility of childbearing and nurturing alone. She found the joy and freedom she longed for on the island, settled down, and built a new home with her hands.
During her pregnancy, Donna did not complain about herself, but felt that the island had made her happy
Lily James, who plays Donna, was once the Cinderella in "Cinderella". In the classic fairy tale from that male perspective, the weak Cinderella relies on her appearance to attract the attention of the prince and waits for the prince's rescue.
Lily James's waist in Cinderella is surprisingly thin
And in Mamma Mia 2, Lily James's thin waist is gone. Her skin was sunburned to a wheat color, her body was healthy, and she sang and danced tirelessly on the stage like a generator, with infinite charm. The film's "makeover" of Lily James is so obvious, and I prefer this lily who laughs wildly.
She is not a vase, and she does not have to wait for someone to save her, she can decide for herself what kind of life she wants to live.
Donna and her friends Tania and Rosie perform energetically in the tavern
As for young Donna's singing voice, "Aunt May" said that Lily James's singing was "amazing" to be able to lift the roof. In addition to Lily James, the appearance of the musical diva Cher makes the musical part of "Mamma Mia 2" more exciting.
In fact, as early as the filming of "Mamma Mia", Xue'er had received an invitation to play the role of Tannia, but at that time, because of the concert arrangement, she had to give up this opportunity. In "Mamma Mia 2", Xue'er, who is only three years older than "Aunt Mei", actually played Donna's mother and Sophie's grandmother.
As soon as Cher appeared, she held everyone's attention
In the movie, Ruby, played by Cher, sings fernando and recognizes her long-lost lover (Andy Garcia), and the superstar charm is all over the audience. It was also after participating in "Mamma Mia 2" that Cher decided to launch a new abba solo cover album.
"Mamma Mia 2" not only traces the emotional experience of young Donna, but also shows the struggle and efforts of Sophie, who is about to become a mother.
In order to run Donna's homestay, Sophie had to choose between her partner Skye and her own business. And after she learned she was pregnant, she said: "I feel like I'm a little closer to her [Donna]. ”
Donna and Sophie's mother and daughter in "Mamma Mia"
Chinese love to say "the adopter knows the parents' kindness", the so-called "knowing the grace", in fact, is to understand the parents better, more understand the parents' love for their children and their expression.
Therefore, when Sophie's children are baptized in the church at the end of the film, her chorus my love with Donna's mother and daughter duo, and the bridge of my life will be so touching. The continuation of life, the untamed love and involvement between mother and child make this song and this passage the best in the "Mamma Mia" series.
Donna and Sophie's mother and daughter in Mamma Mia 2
Today, "Mamma Mia 2" was officially opened in the mainland, but the first day of the film schedule was even lower than "I am not a medicine god" that was released for a month, and the fate of this "happy movie" was worrying, and it is recommended that all people who want to have a good mood on the weekend go to see it as soon as possible.
The reality is so complicated, first hide in the movie for two hours. Summer is so hot, don't go to the video site to see what circles to find yourself unhappy.