In a year when I have seen hardly any films, it might seem odd that the second (or is it third) movie I saw this year was Mamma Mia. Not exactly adding to my cultural arthouse credentials. Only saw it after spending most of the evening cycling around West London trying to find a non-sing-a-long version - only to conclude at the end that it was such fun that we should have had a go at belting out SOS -- after all, could hardly be worse than Pierce Brosnan (OK I could be - but I am not co-starring in a musical -- know your limitations).
But why is Mamma Mia raking it in at the Box Office? The Abba songs? - but Abba Gold is on sale for less than the price of a ticket at the Coronet, let alone the overpriced Odeon High Street Kensington. The shots of Greek islands? - but you can get that watching A Place in the Sun or the travel channel.
I think the secret of Mamma Mia's success is first that the cast look, literally as though they are "having the time of their life" (that's a quote from Dancing Queen if you didn't spot it). But it is also almost unique in recent movie history - or maybe in all movie history - in showing a bunch of fifty to sixty year olds having a great time, pairing up and dominating a movie as the LOVE INTEREST? When did that last happen? and when did you last see a 50+ man ending up with a late fiftiesh woman - as opposed to be someone young enough to be his granddaughter.
So that is quite good for the thesis that fifty is the new thirty. Added to that the triumph of some older biddies in the Olympics - the forty-one year old swimmer (swimmers seem to be getting older by the year - a decade or so ago they were all under 22 -- now they seem to go on for ever). Gymnasts in their late 30s (and looking older). Cyclists coming back for more and more. I will start training for London 2012 now.
But then this upbeat thinking about age and lack of impact is completely shattered by an item on the Defra website trailing a new government website aimed at the over-50s, entitled "Full of Life" - check it out at http://campaigns.direct.gov.uk/fulloflife/. Aimed at older people (sic) it tells them handy stuff about how to use the internet (maybe it does tell you how to put hyperlinks into blogs); is full of inspiring stories about how wise they are... and shouldn't be written off yet. Did the people inventing this stuff try it on their Permanent Secretary first who might enjoy the handy hints on not being a totally useless member of the community at age 50+? And will we all get the day off on Oct 1st - now officially Older Person's Day. Party time on zimmerframes.
So I am now officially annoyed. The Mamma Mia effect has worn off and I'll stop thinking that some day my pierce will come. No option but to give up my Olympic ambitions and return to being Victor Meldrew and book that Saga cruise.
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1 comment:
Welcome back after the great summer blog drought... looking forward to enhanced Rutterance delivery from now on...
I have to agree about that Old-begins-at-50 website - it is truly dire ... one just cannot imagine what they are thinking of... but I guess it's just the sort of counter-productive, meddling, amateur do-gooding that HMG specialises in these days.
As for blog-enhancing idea of hyperlink insertion, you are probably in the demographic known as 'Dummy' (as in "[insert esoteric skill] For Dummies") rather than the 'Oldie', which is more about coping gracefully with advancing senescence.
The first three points of this Blogger help article are (almost) all you need to know. I would add that it is easier to copy and paste a URL into the dialogue box than to type it in.
Couldn't be easier! Your challenge in a future Rutterance is to attempt this feat of Internet bravado and report back on why even the simplest thing becomes absurdly complicated where computers are involved.
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