A-HA, THE MOVIE, a doco by THOMAS ROBSAHM

 |   |  1 min read

A-HA, THE MOVIE, a doco by THOMAS ROBSAHM

When the Norwegian band A-ha topped the charts in the mid 80s they arrived on the wings of their soaring synth-pop single Take on Me, its animated sketch-pad video and the Bowie-like cheekbones of singer Morten Harket.

If only that hit, its follow-up The Sun Always Shines on TVand a couple of early albums made an impact here, the band were always feted in Europe (a series of number one albums in Norway) and until they retired in 2009 were playing stadia.

Inspired by dramatic but melodic 60s rock and the darker side of Velvet Underground and Joy Division, the musicians who became the three-piece existed in the musical backwater of Oslo but possessed ambition, endured a few missteps (the idea of a harp player seemed perverse in post-punk London) and with style-conscious Harket out front signed to Warner Music in 83.

Then came Take on Me– the first version doing nothing outside Norway – but which, when re-recorded, became one of synth-pop's most enduring songs.

Fame – focused on Harket – took its toll and we get the career arc of internal tensions and differences, side projects and the inevitable reunions which weren't exactly joyous.

With archive footage and photos, current interviews as they record again and the early narrative filled in with animation like Take on Me, here we see a professional, disciplined and determined band which, as with Abba, had darker undercurrents in their relationships and lyrics.

.

This film screens in the DocEdge Festival which runs in various cinemas from June 1 to July 10.

For details of the full programme and bookings go here.

Screen_Shot_2022_06_03_at_9.14.43_AM


Share It

Your Comments

post a comment

More from this section   Film at Elsewhere articles index

THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE FILMMAKER QUESTIONNAIRE: F. Theodore Elliott

THE FAMOUS ELSEWHERE FILMMAKER QUESTIONNAIRE: F. Theodore Elliott

Auckland-born filmmaler F. Theodore Elliott's independent debut feature Baseball has an interesting vignette quality about it. Characters, ideas and images appear and are gone, some to return,... > Read more

VINCENT VAN GOGH; PAINTED WITH WORDS, a film by ANDREW HUTTON

VINCENT VAN GOGH; PAINTED WITH WORDS, a film by ANDREW HUTTON

When Van Gogh's famous painting Sunflowers sold in 1987 for the then-record sum of US$39.9 million -- or as Robert Hughes noted, "in real money some 5.8 billion yen" -- it was read as yet... > Read more

Elsewhere at Elsewhere

The Drab Doo-Riffs; Home Surgery (Liberation)

The Drab Doo-Riffs; Home Surgery (Liberation)

Because Elsewhere has had to adopt a policy of not reviewing EPs (just so many full albums without inviting that particular landslide) Auckland's Drab Doo-Riffs -- three EPs and the vinyl-only... > Read more

Lee Harvey: Crawfish for Elvis (1991)

Lee Harvey: Crawfish for Elvis (1991)

Lee Harvey was, if I am not mistaken, Chris McKibbin who was briefly on New Zealand's Flying Nun label. So briefly I believe he only did the one EP entitled Security 198 and I seem to recall he... > Read more