Freddie Mercury - The Great Pretender

I don't remember when I was the last time bored watching a Queen-related documentary. The only interesting bits were from the "Made In Heaven" interview. The rest ? I got the feeling that I'm reading wikipedia, and not WATCHING a documentary.

The strangest thing is that despite its name it's not a documentary about "The Great Pretender" nor about Freddie Mercury. It's a "making of Mr. Bad Guy and Barcelona" type of documentary. After watching the documentary I have the feeling that Freddie was in some band, I think it was called Queen or something, then he suddenly realized he's gay and started to fuck guys, made a crap album which he knew was crap, fell in love with Montserrat Caballe and wanted to do an album with her, he hated Queen members and especially Brian, made the Barcelona album and then he probably died or something.

I don't know why, but I start to have "negative thoughts" about Paul "everybody is my best friend" Gambaccini and Jim "I can do anything with Freddie's music" Beach.

The biggest part of this documentary is about the Barcelona album, why wasn't this documentary released as a bonus disc on the "deluxe" release of Barcelona ? If this documentary was done for the fans, why did they left out all interesting, or used just a few seconds of it ? (Like the audience footage from Queen from 1979, the David Wigg interview, the 1976 interviews, the Rod Stewart/MJ demos ...) If this documentary was made for the "average Joe", why didn't they at least mention WHO Freddie was or at least the fact that he died because of AIDS ?


After watching the "Days of our lives" documentary I downloaded it as DVD (from BBC broadcast) and watched it again. Then I downloaded a HD capture of the BBC broadcast and watched it again. And later again and again and again. And then I bought the BluRay and watched it again, again and again and ....

After downloading the leaked copy of The Great Pretender I watched it once and deleted it. I didn't like it but I thought it's because I got it as crappy low-res flv files and that I'm definitely going to like it on BD. Now I bought the BD. It took me 3 days (!) to watch it till the end and I really don't believe I will watch it again.

I'm sorry to be so negative, but I am seriously disappointed with this release

[QUOTE] [b]pittrek wrote:[/b]

I'm sorry to be so negative, but I am seriously disappointed with this release[/QUOTE]

I totally agree with you Peter, this is a movie that the only goal is to promote the new Barcelona album.

Another thing, where is the promised full Royal Ballet?

Interesting that someone mentions that it's like a barcelona docu. Interesting, because, didn't Rhys say it started out as just that, but, was expanded into a Freddie docu?

Anyway, little hesitant on buying it now. Hmm...

Adam.

It definitely is focused primarily on his two solo albums. I suppose it's good in the sense that earlier things have usually skimmed over that. His solo works don't really interest me, what I've heard of Mr. Bad Guy I didn't like, and the opera thing seems a little inaccessible, even though it's probably not. It'd be interesting to see what a solo product from the 70's would've sounded like, before his musical interests went downhill.

Oh the fans...

> The rest ? I got the feeling that I'm reading wikipedia, and not WATCHING a documentary.

You are asking a hight grade history documentary, when as hardly as it is for us to understand, fans, that Queen is just a pop/rock band
and don't have a beatlesque recognition yet in the popular culture.

However theres many new bits in this documentary that hardly could be called "Boring".

> It's a "making of Mr. Bad Guy and Barcelona" type of documentary.

what's the problem with that ? really..?

Do you really wanted another "untold story" with long boring segments about Freddie's childhood, the same myths retold again
and a revisionist approach to the mary austin affair, to make freddie more straight than gay ?

Sometimes it seems that fans want to see only what they believe was Queen and Freddie.

>"After watching the documentary I have the feeling that Freddie was in some band, I think it was called Queen or something, then he suddenly realized he's gay and started to fuck guys, made a crap album which he knew was crap, fell in love with Montserrat Caballe and wanted to do an album with her, he hated Queen members and especially Brian, made the Barcelona album and then he probably died or something."

Well, most of that is true.

> Jim "I can do anything with Freddie's music" Beach.

Whether you like it or not, Freddie gave him the control.


>The biggest part of this documentary is about the Barcelona album, why wasn't this documentary released as a bonus disc on the "deluxe" release of Barcelona ?

That whole part was indeed released in the "deluxe" release of Barcelona


>If this documentary was done for the fans, why did they left out all interesting, or used just a few seconds of it ? (Like the audience footage from Queen from 1979, the David Wigg interview, the 1976 interviews, the Rod Stewart/MJ demos ...)

From a director's perspective, why release unedited complete footage in the first place ? you are telling a history, so you edit the footage to make a whole new creation.

I Have the impression that The Rod Stewart demo is a poor snippet anyway so they did a quick mix to put it in the documentary. I doubt there's a whole thing waiting to see the light. The MJ demos are being worked with the MJ estate, so why this release should spoil the proper release of the songs?


I think some fans would be happy only if they manage to travel in time to re-live all those years and they will never be happy with any Queen release.

There's been a decade of crappy Queen related releases, and finally we are getting something fresh, without the whole brian approach of we will rock you musical/badger/stereo/orbs/all song are in my credit thing, and we complain...

People!

"I think some fans would be happy only if they manage to travel in time to re-live all those years."

That is exactly why i am serious about the biopic being upto standard.

I bought it, I enjoyed it.

[QUOTE] [b]bootLuca wrote:[/b]
[QUOTE] [b]pittrek wrote:[/b]
I'm sorry to be so negative, but I am seriously disappointed with this release[/QUOTE]
I totally agree with you Peter, this is a movie that the only goal is to promote the new Barcelona album.
Another thing, where is the promised full Royal Ballet?
[/QUOTE]

Finally watched it yesterday after receiving my BR copy from Amazon and must say I agree with you guys. As much as I enjoyed Days Of Our Lives, this time ... well, it was nice seeing rare stuff and so on, but ... I don´t know how to express it. Overall, the docu left me cold. Don´t think I´ll be watching it again soon, as I did with Days Of Our Lives. Hey, the only bit that made me rewind and watch it over and over again was the One Vision video outtake, that made me laugh a lot, really ! As for the rest ... to be honest, nothing that exciting.

Read an interview with Rhys last night that said the cut down docu is on this coming week and the UNCUT version will be shown around Xmas time on BBC4.

Might be worth knowing for those of us unsure about buying.

Adam.

Just posted the new screening date in the other forum
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ngwqj
Is the dvd and the tv program kinda the same thing????

not got the dvd yet

[QUOTE] [b]plumrach wrote:[/b]
Just posted the new screening date in the other forum
http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/b01ngwqj
Is the dvd and the tv program kinda the same thing????
not got the dvd yet[/QUOTE]

Next tuesday broadcast will be one hour cut version. X-max one is going to be full (as DVD film) I think....

I couldn't see it yet. Argentinian TV didn't broadcast it (of course), I didn't see it in any store neither. Also, I can't find a link or a torrent to download it or watch it online.

[QUOTE] [b]Bo Alex wrote:[/b]
I couldn't see it yet. Argentinian TV didn't broadcast it (of course), I didn't see it in any store neither. Also, I can't find a link or a torrent to download it or watch it online. [/QUOTE]

A certain Russian torrent site has it. I'm not sure if it's against the rules to post the link.

I'd imagine it is, considering it's an official release which is readily available from legitimate sources.

I can´t buy it, because is not available in spain. Why???.
And of course, i can´t see it on BBC1 next tuesday...