Peter Viney's Blog

Eurovision Song Contest: The Story of Fire Saga

2020

Directed by David Dobkin
Produced by Will Ferrell, Jessica Elbaum, Chris Henchy
Written by Will Ferrell & Andrew Steele
Music by Atti Ovarsson

CAST

Will Ferrell – Lars Erickssong
Rachel McAdams – Sigrit Ericksdottir
Dan Stevens – Alexander Lemtov, Rus, orsian singer
Melissanthi Mahut – Mita Xenakis, Greek contestant
Mikael Persbrandt – Viktor, Governor of the Central Bank of Iceland
Olafur Darri Olafsson – Neils, president of RUV
Graham Norton – himself
Demi Lovato – Katiana Lindsdottir, winner of Icelandic contest
Pierce Brosnan – Erick Erickssong, Lars’ father
Jamie Demetriou – Kevin Swain

The film was destined for release alongside the May 2020 Eurovision Song Contest, but that was cancelled, so it was straight to Netflix, streaming from 26 June 2020.

Advice before I begin. The first couple of minutes are Icelandic with English subtitles. This is an important part of the path you’re going to follow. This is a full production American-British film in English. You are lured for just a very short time to think you’ve landed in a Danish crime TV series or the wonderful “future politics” of the Norwegian series Occupied. That seems feasible … Scandinavian actors seem to have perfect English as well. The Norwegian comedy about politically-correct Vikings, Norsemen, is shot scene by scene in Norwegian, then done again in English. The reason I begin with this is a friend saying they’d switched off after two minutes – so easy to do on Netflix, where you haven’t travelled to the cinema, or paid for a DVD or download. Stick with it. It’s one of the most entertaining films I’ve seen in ages.

Eurovision: the background

European readers might skip this. About half the readers here are not European so may not be familiar with the annual Eurovision Song Contest. It is eventually catching on elsewhere … my son in the USA records it and holds a Eurovision party for friends.

The first Eurovision Song Contest took place at Lugano, Switzerland on 24 May 1956, with seven countries competing. Each country had one entry, a new song. By 1960, there were thirteen countries competing. Britain, like many countries, had an internal competition to choose its entrant. Usually, as the focus was on the song, so one singer would be chosen to sing all six competing entries (to even up the competition). Then there would be a public vote.

In the early 60s they’d then release an EP of all of them, or a 45 single of the winner and second, and an EP of the four “losers.” Often the singer was shocked at the public choice. Sandie Shaw got stuck with Puppet On A String for years, and Lulu hated her winner, Boom-Bang-A-Bang. This had the ultimate European title – meaning the same (or nothing) in every language. Other winners were La La La (Spain), Ding-Dong (Netherlands), Diggy-Loo, Diggy-Lay (Sweden).

By 1981, British domination was clear. Four winners. Ten second placed.  Britain did well up to its last winner, Love Shine A Light by Katrina and the Waves in 1997.

The 1990s was Ireland’s decade. They won in 1992, 1993, 1994 and 1996. This is important for the story of the film because the winner has to hold the next year’s contest, and this ate up a huge proportion of Ireland’s TV budget. I’ll come back to this. Ireland had the advantage of singing in English as native speakers, but NOT being British. The rest of Europe was beginning to see the contest as a bastion against the massive domination of British and American popular music, and also to realize that to the British it had become a kind of comedy kitsch festival. For years, the British commentary was done by Terry Wogan with a lovely sense of ironic humour. Graham Norton took over in the same jokey style … and has the role as himself in this film. As the Russian character Alexander Lemtov says in the film:

Nobody like UK.

Voting from the film. United Kingdom is on no points, which is about normal. We take pride in getting the fewest points nowadays.

No country can vote for itself but all the immigrant families and workers residing away from home naturally voted for their own native land, and neighbouring countries registered high scores for each other even though historically they didn’t like each other much or at all. The neighbouring vote problem can be traced back thirty years earlier, with the Scandinavians preferring other Scandinavian entries; French-speakers (Belgium, Switzerland, Monaco and the other one) voting for records in French; Austria, Switzerland and Germany voting for each other. New blocs and alliances favoured the former Soviet Union and the former Yugoslavia, now finding they were half a dozen different countries. There is an Orthodox church voting bloc. For years Terry Wogan had conducted the commentary with tongue-in-cheek, and many of us were known to avoid the actual songs, and just tune in for the laughs at the voting. But the cross-voting got too much even for Wogan.

The scoring was announced in English and French. There was a running joke about Norway registering Norvege – nul points year after year. In 2011, they finished last for the eleventh time. In the late 80s, I was giving a talk in Grenoble and met an old friend who lived locally for dinner. We were roaring with laughter about the cross voting between Scandinavian countries. As we finished, two guys at the next table stopped on their way out. ‘By the way,’ one said, ‘I should tell you that we are Swedish.’  That shut us up, but we offered them a drink and it all ended convivially.

The trouble was, the competition was expanding fast. Israel, Turkey, then Azerbajan became European for the contest. Australia got squeezed in too because it was popular there. The newer countries took it very seriously, looking back to 1974 and Abba’s launch into the stratosphere with Waterloo … which inspires the story in the film. They all thought (wrongly) that they could emulate Abba, and permit me, but I’d say Abba were clearly the most able and talented winners in the history of the contest … and I think Waterloo was just about their worst song. The cross-voting reached ludicrous proportions in former-USSR countries  who started winning. They had to introduce semi-finals. The event became huge, except for the British who sneered on the bylines. (Though I don’t think Italy took it any more seriously). By 2017 it was “The Celebration of Diversity.”   This was gender and sexual orientation diversity rather than ethnicity. The rainbow flag flew high. Forty countries were competing

The film … I’m avoiding plot spoilers and joke giveaways.

The film is Will Ferrell’s brainchild. He got interested in Eurovision via his Swedish wife, and he produced, co-wrote and starred as Lars Erickssong. He must have followed the BBC broadcasts, thus casting Graham Norton. He has been on the Graham Norton show discussing Eurovision in the past.

For us, the pleasure was enhanced by knowing absolutely nothing about it. We just put on Netflix, saw it at the top of CURRENT and gave it a go. Therefore we did not even notice ‘starring Will Ferrell and Rachel McAdams.’ So we did not recognize any of the famous cast, and assumed for at least half the film that the two leads were genuinely Scandinavian (rather than the actuality, American and Canadian). No, we didn’t recognize Will Ferrell. When the Russian contest favourite, Alexander Lemtov appeared, we were laughing happily away until we thought, ‘He looks a bit like Dan Stevens in Downton Abbey … no, it can’t be.’ But it was.

Pierre Bronsnan and Will Ferrell as father and son

Then we thought the hero’s dad looked a bit like Pierce Brosnan, and it took to the credits for us to say, ‘Ah! That’s why he looked like Pierce Brosnan, what with him being Pierce Brosnan.’  Yes, the Pierce Brosnan who sang along to Waterloo in the film Mama Mia. We should have sussed that the characters had Icelandic accents. Real Scandinavian actors would have been near accentless.

Graham Norton (as Graham Norton) in the film

It was the presence of the real Graham Norton that started bells ringing, then in the Sing-Along-Song party, we realized it was full of genuine ex-Eurovision winners.

It starts in 1974 with two kids, Erick and Sigrit enthralled by Abba’s performance on TV at the contest. That’s the Icelandic bit.

We flash forward to the present day to find they’re a singing duo, Fire Saga, with a band playing local bars. The band has a young kid on drums and an ancient on accordion. Erick’s dream is Eurovision. Sigrit’s dream is Erick. The issue in their long relationship as a duo is they might possibly be step-siblings … Lars Erickssong and Sigrit Ericksdottir. Whenever they play in the bar, the punters ask for Ja Ja Ding Dong which Erick hates, the audience loves,  and ironically the title and tune are perfect Eurovision fodder.

Erick at work. Sigrit watches.

Erick’s day job is as the parking warden … the town has a population of 2,300 so he knows every miscreant.

Sigrit believes in the power of elves to help them. There is a touch of magic realism – when bemoaning their boring small town, two whales leap majestically out of the harbour. Not worthy of remark. The best bit of magic realism will not be revealed here.

Sigrit takes gifts for the elves

I’m not laughing about the elves and Sigrit’s visits to lay gifts in front of  their houses. This picture is from our garden at the foot of a large old beech tree:

Our garden with fairy door and seat- the grandkids love it. We have four or five fairy doors.

Fire Saga enter the Icelandic contest by default (another plot spoiler avoided) and after an on-stage disaster, come last. The story here is probably inspired by an episode of the TV series Father Ted. Go back to Ireland’s string of 1990s wins nearly bankrupting Irish TV because they then had to present the next year’s contest. In the Father Ted episode A Song For Europe, Father Ted and Father Dougal get into the contest with their ditty My Lovely Horse because Ireland is desperate to lose. (Graham Norton also featured in some Father Ted episodes). These were the competitors in the sitcom (always worth repeating):

1. “The Miracle is Mine” by Fr. Dick Byrne and Fr. Cyril McDuff
2. “My Lovely Horse” by Fr. Ted Crilly and Fr. Dougal McGuire (winner)
3. “If I Could Wear My Hat Like My Heart” by The Grand Girls
4. “You Dirty English Bastards” by The Hairy Bowsies
5. “The Drums of Africa Are Calling Me Home” by Sean O’Brien
6. “Sha la la la la la la la la la la la la” by Death Pigs

In this film, so are the Icelandic bankers scared of winning, for the same reason.

Erick and Sigrit are not invited to the celebration party, which takes place on a boat, and after a massive explosion, they are the only surviving contestants, so now they will represent Iceland.

Sigrit and Erick arrive in Edinburgh

The contest is in Edinburgh (it could be pointed out that means the UK won the previous year … highly unlikely!). Enter the favourite to win, Russian billionaire singer Alexander Lemtov, and the sex siren Greek contestant, Mita. That mixes things up, as Alexander fancies Sigrit … as a singing partner …  and Mita is after Erick. Alexander Lemtov, played as he is by Dan Stevens is a comic performance of the year … and even so, manages to be a sympathetic character.  He likes plaiting girls’ hair and has Greek statues made in his own image. I’ll drop in just one line, when asked if he’s gay:

There are no gays in Russia.

His party is the one where past real Eurovision winners appear. The sing Along Song sequence features fast cutting between the greats of Eurovision yesteryear, sung by the assembled company.

The Sing A Longa Song section with previous real winners … Conchita Wurst (Austria, 2014)

Throw in four hapless American tourists, continually berated and insulted by Erick even when they’re helping him. Bigger disasters. A return to Iceland. As I said, any plot spoilers might stop you watching it, and you must.

To anyone who hasn’t seen Eurovision, the acts will appear ridiculously over the top, but no, that’s exactly what it’s like.  Columns of flame. Sci fi costumes.

Dan Stevens as Alexander Lemtov

Even Alexander’s Lion of Love is no more bizarre than the reality. The Belarus grotesque Moon Fang entry is based on the Finnish entry in 2006 by Lordi … it’s all really happened several times.

Is the the Belarus entry? 

The Swede, Johnny John John, as an American rapper? Entirely possible. The street singer in Edinburgh is Salvador Sobral, the wiunner in 2017 for Portugal.

Double Trouble: Sigrit and Erick

When Erick appears in a giant hamster wheel in the semi-final, he’s doing what the Ukraine entry did in the song Tick Tock in 2014. Even Fire Saga’s disastrous entries are possible. Volcano Man is the virtual single alongside the film.

It’s a happy ending, due to magic intervention.

Best rock send up since Spinal Tap. Will definitely buy the blu-ray.

*****

Karen was most annoyed at the distressed baby in the final scene though.

SINGING

Dan Stevens

Dan Stevens has sung in musicals, and was Beast in Beauty & The Beast in 2017, and only didn’t sing because Lockdown came before final sound. What we hear is Erik Mjones:

Dan Stevens: We stuck with the original track, which is sung by an amazing Swedish baritone. I love the quality of his voice, and I think it’s brilliant and very, very funny. The style of it is so, so funny and it fits Lemtov’s character so well. I don’t know if I could ever have sung it as well as Erik anyway.

Rachel McAdams voice was Molly Sanden, and in some parts they blended the two vocals.

LINKS TO REVIEWS ON THIS BLOG:

DAN STEVENS
Summer in February2013