Mamma Mia now biggest ever UK movie at UK box-office

With box-office reaching £66,995,244 (€84,758,880 or $104,590,000), "Mamma Mia!" is the second highest-grossing film of all time in the UK behind Titanic and the biggest ever UK movie at the UK box office. The celebration of Abba was directed by Phylida Lloyd on a script by Catherine Johnson.

Quoted by Screen International, David Kosse, president of Universal Pictures International said, "We think it still has some life in it. The sing-along version has been a great success and will continue to give it a bump, and we now have Christmas party bookings coming in from across the UK. One driver is the multiple viewings with people going back to see it again and again. It really is happening on a scale that we haven't seen before."

It's easy to knock this film, but both it and the underlying stage play touch a very deep chord in audiences worldwide. The inherent silliness is not a problem, as from having seen it, one can only salute the power of Abba's songs. Like the music it is based on, "Mamma Mia!" will not win any creative awards. It doesn't have to; it connects with the audience in a way most other films can only vaguely dream of.

RIP: Luigi Comencini

Luigi Comencini, one of the fathers of Italy's "commedia italiana" style died on April 6 in Rome. Along with Ettore Scola, Dino Risi and an incredible wave of actors, the commedia italiana was the dominant genre throughout the sixties. Comencini's best known films include Pane, amore e fantasia (Bread, Love and Dreams, 1953), Tutti a casa (Everybody Go Home, 1960), Lo scopone scientifico (The Scientific Game, 1972), episodes of Don Camillo as well as La donna della domenica (The Sunday Woman, 1975) and Quelle strane occasioni (Strange Occasion, 1976). Comencini was 90.

RIP: Gerard Oury, king of comedy

One of cinema's greatest comedy writers and directors, Gérard Oury, died peacefully on Thursday morning at his home in St. Tropez. Oury was the director and writer of some of Europe's zaniest and most popular comedies, such as "La grande vadrouille", "Le Corniaud/The Sucker" and "Le cerveau". Aged 87, his last film was "Le schpuntz" in 1999.

Oury is survived notably by his daughter Daniele Thompson, the well-respected comedy director.

"Tanguy" a rip-off? Yes and no

The French movie world is still debating the strange verdict given in the case of the film "Tanguy" on July 5. Three scriptwriters claim that the film is based on their script "Cherche parents désepèrement", as the premise and a number of key details are identical. The French court decided that "Tanguy" was not a copy of their script despite the similarities, but that the producer Téléma broke confidentiality by getting the director Etienne Chatiliez to read and (apparently) use elements of it.

This verdict bothers me. Either "Tanguy" is based on an original idea by the three writers, or it isn't. The judgment should stop there. It would seem impractical for a production company NOT to let a director read the script. How else could they determine if someone wants to shoot the thing?

There will most likely be an appeal.

Jewish comedy from Germany picks up script award

In a blitz that echoes that of Fatih Akin's "Head On" last year, Dani Levy's decidedly non-PC Jewish comedy "Go For Zucker! (Alles Auf Zucker)" picked up an armful of awards at this year's German Film Awards in Berlin's Philharmonie, held on July 8. The six Golden Lolas were for Best Film, Best Direction, Best Lead Actor (Henry Huebchen), Best Costume Design (Lucie Bates), Best Score (Niki Reiser) and last but not least Best Screenplay (Holger Franke and Dani Levy).

The film was produced by the "creative pool" X-filme, best known as the creators of "Goodbye Lenin" and "Run, Lola Run". Other winners on the night include "The Edukators" and "Sophie Scholl - The Final Days".

"Goodbye Lenin" on Amazon UK

Run, Lola Run on Amazon UK
Goodbye Lenin on Amazon US

Dutch director questions sequel following Van Gogh murder

In a sad sequel to the murder of Theo Van Gogh in the Netherlands, Albert ter Heerdt the producer/director/writer of charming hit comedy “Shouf Shouf Habib” is considering postponing the follow-up, according to Screen International. During a debate on self-censorship in Amsterdam organised by film magazine De Filmkrant and film theatre Het Ketelhuis, he said he had been advised against it by Muslim friends claiming it was “dangerous”. “Shouf” follows the tribulations of a Moroccan family trying to integrate into Amsterdam. Its release caused some commotion, despite the feelgood nature of the work. Given the current tense situation in the Netherlands, Ter Heert feels a sequel “might be interpreted the wrong way”. He also said he feared the potential consequences.

Shouf Shouf Habib on IMDB

EDIT: Nov 29. Screenplay Europe has just read that Van Gogh's video diaries will be put online by provider Tiscali. For details, see here.

UK comedy writing workshop

Comedyworks is run by a number of professional TV writers with credits on BBC, Channel 4 and Channel 5. One-day intensive workshops are held in Highgate, London N8. There are currently places available on a number of courses including Comedy Writing for Television, Writing Television Sitcom and Writing & Performing Stand-Up Comedy.

To view full details of all the workshops, visit Comedyworks.