I'm really not quite clear on why you think I'm referring to "undermine" as if people don't know he's gay, or will be offended. I'm quite literally saying is that there is more real estate dedicated to gay sex in this screenplay than there is to music, which is stupid when writing about a musician. Besides, everyone in the world knows he's gay. I'm not saying the fact that he's gay will overshadow the film. I'm say that this movie is not about Freddie Mercury: Singer, it's about Freddie Mercury: Gay Man.
And I strongly feel that focusing on Freddie's sexual past is exploitative for exactly the reason you stated -- it's quite hip right now. And I'm even someone who liked VG.
What disturbs me is that in this script, I have no idea of Freddie's passions in life, no idea of his dreams, his wants, what he gets really excited about, why he loves music, how he writes music, and ESPECIALLY how he connects that music to an audience. I mean, for all the scenes with Mary/"Christine" in this script, she's placed as the bad guy who won't let go. So we don't get Love of My Life, one of his deeply personal songs. We don't get Show Must Go On, Days of our Lives ... songs that have a real emotional punch.
All of this is thrown out the window in favor of one debauched party after another. I don't have a problem making this story non-linear, I don't even have a problem doing what was originally intended, a week-in-the-life-of.
I mean, right now the second to last scene is him in '90, while Jim and Mary spat and she has her toddler there to spite them. How much more emotional would it be to see, say, the filming of the TATDOOL video, with the other band members and crew getting all emotional? Even as a non Queen fan, one clearly trumps the other.
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There's no Show Must Go On? No vodka-swigging in Switzerland?
Of course you're not homophobic. I do think worrying about a homosexual theme being played up, as opposed others, is a little iffy--if it's hip, it's hip. Queen never worried about such things, which is why they aren't, like, Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Of course you're not homophobic. I do think worrying about a homosexual theme being played up, as opposed others, is a little iffy--if it's hip, it's hip. Queen never worried about such things, which is why they aren't, like, Frankie Goes to Hollywood.
Just to be clear, I'm not talking thematically. I'm talking that in the first 50 pages of the script, 5 of those pages are about the fact that he's a singer, and 45 are about him having random gay sex with strangers.
I think it should be about Freddie, the gay musician, no? I mean: his sexuality was as much a part of his personality as his gender, family background and other features. Surely, he would have been another person had he been straight and probably he would have written other music being that other person. Therefore, it should be a topic of the movie that he was gay but it should not be tabloid-type, kiss-and-tell-type seady stuff. He was gay and enjoyed it, period.
Years ago I saw the movie "The Doors" with Val Kilmer. Drugs played a big part in that movie but it was not to portray Jim Morrison as a useless junkie, he was shown as a person burning the candle at both ends and someone who was living on the edge and had "tragedy" written all over his life. I remember a drug scene which ended up in the song "The End" and it was obvious how drug induced hallucinations influenced the song writing and music of Jim Morrison. The movie respected the artist and did not denounce him. A life is not a stereotype, it has many aspects.
Years ago I saw the movie "The Doors" with Val Kilmer. Drugs played a big part in that movie but it was not to portray Jim Morrison as a useless junkie, he was shown as a person burning the candle at both ends and someone who was living on the edge and had "tragedy" written all over his life. I remember a drug scene which ended up in the song "The End" and it was obvious how drug induced hallucinations influenced the song writing and music of Jim Morrison. The movie respected the artist and did not denounce him. A life is not a stereotype, it has many aspects.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]YourValentine wrote: [/QUOTENAME]
Years ago I saw the movie "The Doors" with Val Kilmer. Drugs played a big part in that movie but it was not to portray Jim Morrison as a useless junkie, he was shown as a person burning the candle at both ends and someone who was living on the edge and had "tragedy" written all over his life. I remember a drug scene which ended up in the song "The End" and it was obvious how drug induced hallucinations influenced the song writing and music of Jim Morrison. The movie respected the artist and did not denounce him. A life is not a stereotype, it has many aspects. [/QUOTE]
That's exactly what this film should be ... but instead it shows him as nothing more than a big slut :)
Years ago I saw the movie "The Doors" with Val Kilmer. Drugs played a big part in that movie but it was not to portray Jim Morrison as a useless junkie, he was shown as a person burning the candle at both ends and someone who was living on the edge and had "tragedy" written all over his life. I remember a drug scene which ended up in the song "The End" and it was obvious how drug induced hallucinations influenced the song writing and music of Jim Morrison. The movie respected the artist and did not denounce him. A life is not a stereotype, it has many aspects. [/QUOTE]
That's exactly what this film should be ... but instead it shows him as nothing more than a big slut :)
How gullible are you people!!!!
You'd believe anything!
So someone tell me how the hell this guy has got his hands on this film script. Oh, I know, he has a contact of some sort. Of course.
What a load of complete bollocks!
You'd believe anything!
So someone tell me how the hell this guy has got his hands on this film script. Oh, I know, he has a contact of some sort. Of course.
What a load of complete bollocks!
I think everyone has a point here. :-)
He was not gay and enjoyed, period. He was gay, very promiscuous and hedonist, and enjoyed, period. That, yes, I think Queen fans don't want to see on screen, but it's true. It's up to the spectator to judge - because human beings do judge. Directors may try to avoid it, and I think it's the best approach, but the viewer inevitably judges the character, the movie and the real person the movie tries to portray.
It's actually how he defined himself. The guy was very serious in the interview he says he likes buying things, being kind of isolated and that he wanted to be buried with all his stuff, without giving a penny away. He says himself - interview from 1987, end of his career! - that he had been, until he found Jim Hutton, very, very irresponsible with regards to his sexual behavior.
So, if it shows that he liked to...make sex a lot and go shopping, well, it's true, isn't it? He didn't like to read books, for instance. He couldn't stand being quite. So, go shopping! Make sex! The guy has to do something. lol
Life of celebrities do sometimes resemble stereothypes because they more or less fall into it.
------
On the other hand...
I'm sure if the director did some research, he'd find out some good drama to be explored, like Freddie being actually very shy, very sensitive, a bit insecure even with regard to other aspects of his life.
That's what happens if we exclude the music. Because the music portrays him and his life much better than the other way around: and it's a much more sophisticated, beautiful and intelligent way to approach the character of a musician, I think. If by reading Mozart's biographies I could understand why Mozart was Mozart, it'd be great; but the sad thing is that music talent and music in general is a bit hard to rationalize and to justify in biographical terms - knowing about Liszt's life, all of it, doesn't help me a bit understading his music. A bit. Like, it shouldn't even figure in a paper about his music, except as a curiosity or a reference (this piece was dedicated to...-> which says nothing about the piece itself).
My problem is not the "gay" adjective. It's the total lack of interest in the "musician" adjective.
But that's the times we're living in. And in the times we're living in, THE ONLY possible movie about Freddie which can be done is about the "gay Freddie Mercury, who happened to be a talented musician". And then, yes, the movie will try to explain how being gay and so on influenced his music - music being the less interesting part.
These are the times, and I'm pretty much ok with it, I don't get angry because I think differently. It's the way things are.
He was not gay and enjoyed, period. He was gay, very promiscuous and hedonist, and enjoyed, period. That, yes, I think Queen fans don't want to see on screen, but it's true. It's up to the spectator to judge - because human beings do judge. Directors may try to avoid it, and I think it's the best approach, but the viewer inevitably judges the character, the movie and the real person the movie tries to portray.
It's actually how he defined himself. The guy was very serious in the interview he says he likes buying things, being kind of isolated and that he wanted to be buried with all his stuff, without giving a penny away. He says himself - interview from 1987, end of his career! - that he had been, until he found Jim Hutton, very, very irresponsible with regards to his sexual behavior.
So, if it shows that he liked to...make sex a lot and go shopping, well, it's true, isn't it? He didn't like to read books, for instance. He couldn't stand being quite. So, go shopping! Make sex! The guy has to do something. lol
Life of celebrities do sometimes resemble stereothypes because they more or less fall into it.
------
On the other hand...
I'm sure if the director did some research, he'd find out some good drama to be explored, like Freddie being actually very shy, very sensitive, a bit insecure even with regard to other aspects of his life.
That's what happens if we exclude the music. Because the music portrays him and his life much better than the other way around: and it's a much more sophisticated, beautiful and intelligent way to approach the character of a musician, I think. If by reading Mozart's biographies I could understand why Mozart was Mozart, it'd be great; but the sad thing is that music talent and music in general is a bit hard to rationalize and to justify in biographical terms - knowing about Liszt's life, all of it, doesn't help me a bit understading his music. A bit. Like, it shouldn't even figure in a paper about his music, except as a curiosity or a reference (this piece was dedicated to...-> which says nothing about the piece itself).
My problem is not the "gay" adjective. It's the total lack of interest in the "musician" adjective.
But that's the times we're living in. And in the times we're living in, THE ONLY possible movie about Freddie which can be done is about the "gay Freddie Mercury, who happened to be a talented musician". And then, yes, the movie will try to explain how being gay and so on influenced his music - music being the less interesting part.
These are the times, and I'm pretty much ok with it, I don't get angry because I think differently. It's the way things are.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Under Pressure wrote: [/QUOTENAME](rehearsing Ga Ga)
He stops again
ROGER
What's wrong this time?
FREDDIE
No soul. Girls playing jacks sing like this.
ROGER
How about we go on to "Hammer?"
FREDDIE
No. "Ga-Ga" still sounds like crap.
Clearly Roger, Brian, and John are becoming exhausted.
BRIAN
This isn't like you, Freddie.
JOHN
It's just--
Freddie finishes the phrase along with him. Clearly this has been said before.
JOHN AND FREDDIE (IN UNISON)
--a benefit.
ROGER
There's more than a dozen other bands.
-----and it goes on and on-----
[/QUOTE]
That reads like dialogue written by a high school drama student. I should know; I was one, and I wrote dialogue about on par with that.
Frankly, UP, I hope you're full of it and that's not the script. That said, I sincerely doubt that's the case, and I hope this movie, in its current form, is never made.
I'd like to see what Robert Mandel could do with it. He did a nice job with Def Leppard in the VH1 biopic of them. Goes without saying that I'd love to see James Anderson (I believe that's his name; the guy who directed Walk the Line) take a stab at it as well.
He stops again
ROGER
What's wrong this time?
FREDDIE
No soul. Girls playing jacks sing like this.
ROGER
How about we go on to "Hammer?"
FREDDIE
No. "Ga-Ga" still sounds like crap.
Clearly Roger, Brian, and John are becoming exhausted.
BRIAN
This isn't like you, Freddie.
JOHN
It's just--
Freddie finishes the phrase along with him. Clearly this has been said before.
JOHN AND FREDDIE (IN UNISON)
--a benefit.
ROGER
There's more than a dozen other bands.
-----and it goes on and on-----
[/QUOTE]
That reads like dialogue written by a high school drama student. I should know; I was one, and I wrote dialogue about on par with that.
Frankly, UP, I hope you're full of it and that's not the script. That said, I sincerely doubt that's the case, and I hope this movie, in its current form, is never made.
I'd like to see what Robert Mandel could do with it. He did a nice job with Def Leppard in the VH1 biopic of them. Goes without saying that I'd love to see James Anderson (I believe that's his name; the guy who directed Walk the Line) take a stab at it as well.
Ok, wait a minute.
Freddie was gay?
Freddie was gay?
There was a biopic of Def Leppard? Awesome. Love to see it.
Yeah, it doesn't surprise me that some people think this is bollocks but on the other hand there are probably some long-timers (like YV) who remember me from back in the day and can vouch that I'm not full of shit. :)
Actually taking a look at Cunningham's project, he's apparently working on a Dusty Springfield biopic, and considering how odd it would be for him to be working on two projects about British singers from the same time period, chances are his script for Freddie was shitcanned. Which is good. Although some how it got on the script Black List for '07 ... though with only 2 votes.
Actually taking a look at Cunningham's project, he's apparently working on a Dusty Springfield biopic, and considering how odd it would be for him to be working on two projects about British singers from the same time period, chances are his script for Freddie was shitcanned. Which is good. Although some how it got on the script Black List for '07 ... though with only 2 votes.
[QUOTE][QUOTENAME]Thunderbolt
[/QUOTENAME] That reads like dialogue written by a high school drama student. I should know; I was one, and I wrote dialogue about on par with that. Frankly, UP, I hope you're full of it and that's not the script. That said, I sincerely doubt that's the case, and I hope this movie, in its current form, is never made. I'd like to see what Robert Mandel could do with it. He did a nice job with Def Leppard in the VH1 biopic of them. Goes without saying that I'd love to see James Anderson (I believe that's his name; the guy who directed Walk the Line) take a stab at it as well.[/QUOTE] Yeah, I agree. Back when I was in 10th grade I wrote a story about Roger locking himself in the closet for my English final, and even that was better than this. It's like cookie cutter bullshit, and what's ridiculous is even from a few interviews it's very clear how different Brian, Roger, and John are, personality wise.
[/QUOTENAME] That reads like dialogue written by a high school drama student. I should know; I was one, and I wrote dialogue about on par with that. Frankly, UP, I hope you're full of it and that's not the script. That said, I sincerely doubt that's the case, and I hope this movie, in its current form, is never made. I'd like to see what Robert Mandel could do with it. He did a nice job with Def Leppard in the VH1 biopic of them. Goes without saying that I'd love to see James Anderson (I believe that's his name; the guy who directed Walk the Line) take a stab at it as well.[/QUOTE] Yeah, I agree. Back when I was in 10th grade I wrote a story about Roger locking himself in the closet for my English final, and even that was better than this. It's like cookie cutter bullshit, and what's ridiculous is even from a few interviews it's very clear how different Brian, Roger, and John are, personality wise.
@ jackunion: don't worry, UP is for real - and a woman, btw, not a guy.
@ Yara: I don't think that Queen fans have any problem with Freddie's lifestyle - or his drug use. I think, however, that Queen fans do not want a cheap tabloid-like movie that exclusivley deals with his lifestyle. It would be boring, too. Who wants to watch a movie about a series of one-night stands when Freddie Mercury's life was obviously so much more interesting.
I don't plead for 100% historical accuracy, either - I plead for an honest quality film, that's all. I did enjoy Amadeus although I know that Salieri was not the person who ordered the Requiem and he was not the person who worked on it after Mozart's death. It was a good story, although it's probably not advisable to make up such stories about Queen considering that three members are still alive.
@ Yara: I don't think that Queen fans have any problem with Freddie's lifestyle - or his drug use. I think, however, that Queen fans do not want a cheap tabloid-like movie that exclusivley deals with his lifestyle. It would be boring, too. Who wants to watch a movie about a series of one-night stands when Freddie Mercury's life was obviously so much more interesting.
I don't plead for 100% historical accuracy, either - I plead for an honest quality film, that's all. I did enjoy Amadeus although I know that Salieri was not the person who ordered the Requiem and he was not the person who worked on it after Mozart's death. It was a good story, although it's probably not advisable to make up such stories about Queen considering that three members are still alive.
@YourValentine, that's my point. I wouldn't like to see such a movie either - I'd find it boring, even though I know that a big part of Freddie's life was about party, sex and drugs. He was not, well, reading books, taking part in academic seminars, writing reflections about other countries or the places he knew, and stuf...he was pretty much about having fun, he said so, anyway.
So, I agree with you, absolutely. There are also interesting things about Freddie life which would make for a good drama: his friendships, his own inner demons, his taste for other kinds of things besides sex and parties.
But, in the end, and I obviously talk only about myself and my taste here, very subjective, I know I'll find it boring if music doesn't factor in the movie as a very important part, not as an acessory to an interesting gay personality and artist, you see?
Is there potential for a good movie? In my humble opinion, yes, when his legacy gets more respected over time - his talent is quite underrated as compared to other artists, besides the huge Queen fan base.
If the movie is about a gay personality, an interesting one, who happened to do music and was a good performer overall, well, I find it sad.
Any movie about him, in my humble opinion, should be a witness to his musical genius, just like other movies about other musicians (some, in my opinion, less talented than Freddie).
I agree with you, in fact.
It's just that, as it was described, the movie would have absolutely zero appeal to me as a movie-goer - I'm not even talking as a Queen fan.
Down in the dungeons just my poor taste and me. ;-)))
Take care,
Hugs*
So, I agree with you, absolutely. There are also interesting things about Freddie life which would make for a good drama: his friendships, his own inner demons, his taste for other kinds of things besides sex and parties.
But, in the end, and I obviously talk only about myself and my taste here, very subjective, I know I'll find it boring if music doesn't factor in the movie as a very important part, not as an acessory to an interesting gay personality and artist, you see?
Is there potential for a good movie? In my humble opinion, yes, when his legacy gets more respected over time - his talent is quite underrated as compared to other artists, besides the huge Queen fan base.
If the movie is about a gay personality, an interesting one, who happened to do music and was a good performer overall, well, I find it sad.
Any movie about him, in my humble opinion, should be a witness to his musical genius, just like other movies about other musicians (some, in my opinion, less talented than Freddie).
I agree with you, in fact.
It's just that, as it was described, the movie would have absolutely zero appeal to me as a movie-goer - I'm not even talking as a Queen fan.
Down in the dungeons just my poor taste and me. ;-)))
Take care,
Hugs*
If our friend UP is correct about the screenplay, than all Michael Cunningham has been able to produce so far is a below average tv movie of the week script.Your run of the mill soap opera writer could have written the same thing if not something better. I hope it is just a rough first draft or even a fake that is just to throw the hounds off the scent of the real script. Hollywood is very gaycentric, so what UP has told us should probably not be a surprise. For our friend Thunderbolt, Walk The Line was directed by James Mangold. He has directed such films as Heavy, Copland and Girl, Interrupted.