BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY
UK, 2018, 135 minutes, Colour.
Rami Malek, Lucy Baynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joseph Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Allen Leach, Tom Hollander, Mike Myers.
Directed by Bryan Singer.
As the film ends, and, especially in retrospect, many audiences will be very glad that they have seen Bohemian Rhapsody – even if they are not familiar with Freddie Mercury and Queen or their music. There is a verve and vitality in the storytelling, music and performance, and some touching human elements. (Some critics and experts have quibbled about aspects of the chronology, action – but it is not a documentary and, as the final notice always says, some characters and events have been fictionalised for dramatic purposes.)
The film begins with Freddie Mercury walking towards the stage for Queen’s performance at the Live Aid concert, Wembley, July 13, 1985. Then there is flashback introducing Farrok Busara, often mistaken (and at his work as a porter at Heathrow) for a’ Paki, but who comes from a Zoroastrian Parsi family who had taken refuge in Zanzibar but forced from there in the revolution of 1964 to settle in England.
Farrok is rather defiant of his father, goes to clubs, enjoys the music, encounters a group called Smile (including Brian May and Roger Taylor who share producer credits for this film). They lose their lead singer and, unabashed, Farouk promotes himself. He excels as the lead singer, the atmosphere of the 70s, long hair, flamboyant clothes, dramatic strutting and rock ‘n’ roll. He is also into promotion, gets Roger to sell his beloved van to pay for a recording session, gets the interest of an agent, John Reid (Aidan Gillan), gets a lawyer, Jim (Miami) Beach (Tom Hollander) as well as the interest of entrepreneur Ray Foster (the final credits remind us that he is played by Mike Myers whom we might not have recognised during those scenes).
The group is almost immediately successful, Farouk becoming Freddie and adding the surname Mercury by deed poll, an extensive tour of the United States where audiences respond vigorously. Freddie also has a camp manner but becomes infatuated with a young woman he sees, Mary Austin (Lucy Boynton), proposes to her, lives with her, introduces her to his family along with the band, but the screenplay begins to insinuate Freddie’s homosexual orientation, his telling Mary that he thought he was bisexual and her telling him that he was gay. He has composed a love song to her, they live near each other with phone calls at night on his part, and they remain friends.
The song that Ray Foster found difficult to appreciate and to financially back was Bohemian Rhapsody, with the film giving some glimpses into Freddie’s inspirations and composition, falsetto Galileo’s from Roger, taking risks, eccentricities.
The screenplay also brings Brian May (an empathetic performance by Gwilym Lee) and Roger Taylor (Ben Hardy) to life, the former and astrophysicist who later became Vice Chancellor at University, the latter a dentist. They are also joined in the band by John Deacon (Joseph Mazello). All four members of the band contributed to creating the songs and the lyrics, and dramatic moments - as Brian May suggests footstomping and clapping which leads to heightened audience participation, We Will Rock You…
Freddie is moody, creative, but the group is able to stay together, ups and downs, for more than a decade. If there is a villain in the piece, it is the PR man, Paul Penter (Allen Leach), with a touch of the predatory and then possessiveness of Freddie as a person, his lifestyle, his career. Which means a decline in Freddie’s life, drug taking, alienations.
The chance for redemption comes with Live Aid, Freddie wanting to reconcile with the band, their forgiveness, the opportunity to perform to such an enormous audience, and for a good cause, not from moneymaking. There is certainly enormous vitality in this reproducing of the performance (reminding us that those thousands at Wembley and the millions who watched on television, if they were even 20 in 1985 are no in their 50s, meaning that there are thousands, millions of fans, potential for seeing this film.)
Rami Malek excels as Freddie Mercury. The impersonation is most telling, the mannerisms and voice synching the songs are compelling, and he brings a humanity to his character, even when we are disliking him, with some very emotional moments at the end, admitting what he has done wrong, reconciling with his family and with the band, telling them he has contracted AIDS.
It seems that he had some peace in his life after U Aid, a companion, knowing that he had become what he was meant to be – and sadly dying at the age of 45 in 1991.
1. Queen, their fame, music, plans? Music phenomenon on in the 20th century? Appreciation in the 21st-century?
2. The film as biography, portrait – with the warning that some aspects have been fictionalised for drama? Altering facts and dates? An interpretation?
3. Audience knowledge of Queen, Freddie Mercury? The music, songs, performance?
4. Freddie Mercury, his reputation, music, creativity, performance, his life?
5. The Live Aid opening, Freddie about to go on stage? The main drama in flashback? Returning to Live Aid, a culmination of Queen and performance? The re-creation of the performances, the audience response?
6. Freddie Mercury, his family, his real name, a Parsi family, Zoroastrian background, moving to Zanzibar, the Zanzibar Revolution and their having to move to London in the 1960s? His mother and father, his sister, the family gatherings, the traditions, the father’s expectations? Freddie, modern, defying his parents, going out?
7. Freddie and the music, the clubs, Smile and their performance, the introduction to the band, his enjoying the music? The background of his jobs, working at Heathrow, mistaken for being Pakistani?
8. Brian May and Roger Taylor and Smile, the walk out, Freddie promoting himself, impromptu singing, his making the offer, their acceptance, the performance, the problem with the microphone, broken and his using it as a prop? Audience response?
9. Freddie and his appearance, his teeth, long hair, gaunt? His camp manner, speech? His seeing Mary, talking with her, going out, the bond between them, the relationship, taking her to meet his parents, offering the ring, wanting it there forever?
10. Roger, the van, selling it, Freddie arranging the studio time, John Reid seeing them, interest, taking them to Ray Foster? Jim Beach and his nickname, Miami? The discussions, the possibilities? Leading to the American tours, the collage of the tours, the enthusiastic responses?
11. The contact with Mary – and the screenplay beginning to suggest more about his sexual orientation, eyeing the man while on tour?
12. The idea for Bohemian Rhapsody, Ray Foster unpersuaded, its later success, Kenny Everett playing it on the radio? Its becoming a classic?
13. Freddie’s character, his role as a leader, creation of the music, enjoying the music? Brian May as an astrophysicist, serious, his talent in playing, genial personality? Roger, the girls, marrying and bringing up a family? The arrival of John Deacon? The different personalities, the ups and downs?
14. Freddie, talking with Mary, mentioning bisexuality, Mary asserting that he was gay? The parting, yet remaining neighbours, the phone calls and toasts during the night? Later, distance growing? Mary and her boyfriend? pregnant? Freddie’s devotion to her, the presence of the Live Aid concert?
15. Paul as manager, from Northern Ireland, sexual? Kissing Freddie? Part of the tours, insinuating himself into Freddie’s life? Their long relationship? His idea for Freddie to go solo, putting it to John Reid, John Reid and his eagerness as an agent, in the car, the proposal, Freddie’s negative reaction, firing Reid? Paul lying? The change in Freddie’s lifestyle, the parties and the crowds, parading as King? The drugs, the effect?
16. The clash with the members of Queen, upset about not being consulted about firing Reid? The break?
17. Freddie going to Munich, trying to compose, failing? Mary trying to find him and Paul blocking this? Beach ringing about Live Aid, Paul ignoring it? Meeting Mary, discovering the truth, the instant firing of Paul?
18. The reconciliation with the members of Queen, the discussion about forgiving him? The rehearsals for Live Aid? His telling them that he had AIDS?
19. His father finally acknowledging him?
20. Going to the clinic, the discussions with the doctor, the boy recognising him?
21. The character of Jim Hutton, meeting at the party, Hutton resisting him, but explaining, urging him to get to know himself and forgive himself? Freddie searching in the phonebook, seeking him out, finding him, inviting him to Live Aid? The years together until Freddie’s death?
22. The climax with the live aid performance?
23. The credits, the scenes of Freddie Mercury himself, highlighting the talent in Rami Malek’s lip synching, performance? The further information about Freddie Mercury’s status as a 20th-century musician?
