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  • The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)
  • TV Movie | 55 min | Documentary, History
The Secret History of Eurovision (2011)
TV Movie | 55 min | Documentary, History

A decade after the end of the Second World War, Marcel Besançon, a Swiss exec working for the European Broadcasting Union, had a daring idea. He wanted to stage a live Pan-European singing competition to promote the nascent television ...See moreA decade after the end of the Second World War, Marcel Besançon, a Swiss exec working for the European Broadcasting Union, had a daring idea. He wanted to stage a live Pan-European singing competition to promote the nascent television services of Western Europe, and bring the divided nations of a war-torn Europe closer together in a shared celebration of music. The first Eurovision Song Contest took place in Lugano, Switzerland, on 24th May 1956. Just seven countries took part (six of whom, significantly, went on to sign the Treaty of Rome and lay the foundations of the European Community) but it was an instant hit and has become an unbroken annual fixture in the life of the continent. But it came to mean even more than that. During the Cold War, the glitz and glamour on the Eurovision stage was seen as a symbol of Western fun and freedom. Only a very few in the Eastern bloc were able or brave enough to risk their lives by tuning in to Finnish TV signals in secret. In recent decades, following the fall of the Iron Curtain and breakup of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, new nations have clamoured to take part, injecting new life into the contest and raising the political stakes yet further by seeing it as a rare opportunity to promote their national identity on an international stage. Today, the Eurovision Song Contest is one of the most-watched broadcast events in the world, attracting hundreds of millions of fans across Europe and as far afield as Australasia, Asia and Latin America. Some love it, some laugh at it, some are obsessed by it, but most think of the Eurovision Song Contest as just a great night's entertainment. And yet it has slowly become one of the great popular cultural festivals of our age, a carnival of fun and frivolity that can be taken -- in a certain light -- as a symbol of just how far Europe has travelled since Monsieur Bescancon had his brainwave. Written by Stephen Oliver See less
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Updated Apr 30, 2011

Release date
Apr 30, 2011 (Finland)

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Cast

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75 cast members
Name Known for
Linda Cropper
Narrator (voice) Narrator (voice)   See fewer
Lena Meyer-Landrut
Self (as Lena) Self (as Lena)   See fewer
Thomas Schreiber
Self - NDR Self - NDR   See fewer
Donald Sassoon
Self - Queen Mary University of London Self - Queen Mary University of London   See fewer
Brian Singleton
Self - Trinity College, Dublin Self - Trinity College, Dublin   See fewer
Alexis Petridis
Self - music critic, The Guardian Self - music critic, The Guardian   See fewer
Paul G. Sheridan
Self - Eurovision expert Self - Eurovision expert   See fewer
Domenico Modugno
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Katalin MiklĂ³ssy
Self - University of Helsinki Self - University of Helsinki   See fewer
Cliff Richard
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Francisco Franco
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Joan Manuel Serrat
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Massiel
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Julian Vignoles
Self - RTÉ Self - RTÉ   See fewer
Dana
Self Self   See fewer
Dana International
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ilanit
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Paul Jordan
Self - University of Glasgow Self - University of Glasgow   See fewer
ABBA
Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage)   See fewer
Svante Stockselius
Self - EBU Self - EBU   See fewer
Gigliola Cinquetti
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Paulo de Carvalho
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Mariza Koch
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ioannis Polychronakis
Self - University of Oxford Self - University of Oxford   See fewer
Jahn Teigen
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Timo Kojo
Self (as Kojo) Self (as Kojo)   See fewer
Eduard Hi
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Lech Walesa
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Sverre Kjelsberg
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Mattis Hætta
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Bucks Fizz
Themselves Themselves   See fewer
Ronald Reagan
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Margaret Thatcher
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Nicole Hohloch
Self (as Nicole) Self (as Nicole)   See fewer
Mikhail Gorbachev
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Bobbysocks
Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage)   See fewer
CĂ©line Dion
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Paddy O'Connell
Self - BBC Self - BBC   See fewer
Mart Laar
Self - former Prime Minister of Estonia Self - former Prime Minister of Estonia   See fewer
Toto Cutugno
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ketil Stokkan
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Dean Vuletic
Self - Institute for East European History Self - Institute for East European History   See fewer
AzĂºcar Moreno
Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage)   See fewer
Linda Martin
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Noel Duggan
Self - entrepreneur of Millstreet Town, Ireland Self - entrepreneur of Millstreet Town, Ireland   See fewer
Fazla
Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage)   See fewer
Catherine Baker
Self - University of Southampton Self - University of Southampton   See fewer
Sonia
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Alma Cardzic
Self (archive footage) (as Alma) Self (archive footage) (as Alma)   See fewer
Dejan Lazarevic
Self (archive footage) (as Dejan) Self (archive footage) (as Dejan)   See fewer
Paul Harrington
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Charlie McGettigan
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
John Kennedy O'Connor
Self - author of 'The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History' Self - author of 'The Eurovision Song Contest: The Official History'   See fewer
Jade Ewen
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Tanel Padar
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Sertab Erener
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Ruslana Lyzhicko
Self (as Ruslana) Self (as Ruslana)   See fewer
Pavel Hrytsak
Self - UTR (as Pavlo Grytsak) Self - UTR (as Pavlo Grytsak)   See fewer
Viktor Yushchenko
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Greenjolly
Themselves (archive footage) Themselves (archive footage)   See fewer
Helena Paparizou
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Mr. Lordi
Self (as Lordi) Self (as Lordi)   See fewer
Marija Serifovic
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Alistair Birch
Self - Australian Radio Self - Australian Radio   See fewer
Inga and Anush
Themselves (archive footage) (as Inga & Anush) Themselves (archive footage) (as Inga & Anush)   See fewer
Alexander Rybak
Self (archive footage) Self (archive footage)   See fewer
Stephane
Themselves (archive footage) (as Stephane & 3G) Themselves (archive footage) (as Stephane & 3G)   See fewer
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