Bohemian Rhapsody
02/11/18 Filed in: Cinema
Bohemian Rhapsody charts the career of Freddie Mercury from an airport baggage handler through to Queen's epic performance at Live Aid in July 1985. I must confess to not knowing a great deal about the artist, other than his and the group's unforgettable songs, which make many of the efforts from today's groups sound very ordinary indeed. From this perspective the film was, for me, an education, even if some of the critics have diminished how the film covered his private life. A big surprise was his relationship with Mary Austin, portrayed as a deep and meaningful heterosexual union. If only that had been enough for him, history would undoubtedly have been written very differently. But it seems he was bisexual, always loving Mary but straying into a homosexual world that in the end was to be his end, when he died of an AIDS related illness in 1991.
It is perhaps a fair criticism of the film that to an extent it glosses over the darker side of his personal life. But that said, for me at least the story of his music and the emergence of Queen was more than enough to keep me interested, the 134 minutes fairly flying by, aided by some fantastic performances. Rami Malek is quite frankly brilliant as Freddie, while Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy and Joseph Mazzello are equally good at making you believe that you are actually watching Queen. A nice touch is Mike Myers playing Ray Foster, the agent who famously split with Queen over their avant garde ideas. "You won't get people head-banging to that", was particularly clever coming from Myers, who of course was part of the famous head-banging scene in Wayne's World where the gang sing Bohemian Rhapsody during a car journey.
Born Farrokh Bulsara to Asian parents in Tanzania, Freddie was an unlikely lead for a 1970s rock group. We are told that this arose after a fortuitous meeting with the group just after its lead singer had quit, and we see Freddie at his debut with the group, singing the wrong words after struggling to release the mic from its stand, eventually taking part of the stand with him, which was to become a trademark prop. He was different, very different, but his style soon became legend and Queen went from success to success. The film acknowledges the contribution from the other group members, and also the tensions that developed as Freddie became more and more celebrated. What is portrayed as a dirty trick leads eventually to Freddie taking a solo recording contract and leaving the group. However, without the group, and now without Mary, he loses his way and is on the path to his eventual demise.
His redemption, albeit arguably too late, is the chance for the group to reform and perform at Wembley for the 1985 Live Aid concert. This opens the film, and we return to it at the end, where we are treated to a very realistic re-enactment of an event carved into history, and a performance perhaps unparalleled to this day. Here's the real thing if you want to compare.
This film rocks ! Enjoy.
Born Farrokh Bulsara to Asian parents in Tanzania, Freddie was an unlikely lead for a 1970s rock group. We are told that this arose after a fortuitous meeting with the group just after its lead singer had quit, and we see Freddie at his debut with the group, singing the wrong words after struggling to release the mic from its stand, eventually taking part of the stand with him, which was to become a trademark prop. He was different, very different, but his style soon became legend and Queen went from success to success. The film acknowledges the contribution from the other group members, and also the tensions that developed as Freddie became more and more celebrated. What is portrayed as a dirty trick leads eventually to Freddie taking a solo recording contract and leaving the group. However, without the group, and now without Mary, he loses his way and is on the path to his eventual demise.
His redemption, albeit arguably too late, is the chance for the group to reform and perform at Wembley for the 1985 Live Aid concert. This opens the film, and we return to it at the end, where we are treated to a very realistic re-enactment of an event carved into history, and a performance perhaps unparalleled to this day. Here's the real thing if you want to compare.
This film rocks ! Enjoy.