Thor -
I am sure your review will be better than this review from a distinguished journalist and university professor:
"He falls in love with a young woman and marries her. He is then attracted to men, lots of them. It breaks up the marriage. He can’t let his wife go, though, and has her move into a mansion next door to his mansion. One of his male lovers moves in with him and ruins his career by keeping him way from his friends and getting him to leave the band."
"The movie is a primer in music history of the ‘70s and ‘80s. You learn a great deal about how the music business worked then. I loved the story of the secret deal in which an American music company stole Freddie away from the band."
https://historynewsnetwork.org/article/170391
"Bruce Chadwick lectures on history and film at Rutgers University in New Jersey. He also teaches writing at New Jersey City University. He holds his PhD from Rutgers and was a former editor for the New York Daily News."
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I'd be interested in your opinion since I really missed all of Freddie's friends from the gay scene. Of course he had a lot of hangers on like any rock star but there were also some great personalities and loyal people around.
Looking forward to your thoughts Thor. I'm finally going today and am so excited.
Yeowch.. yeah. QZ makes it impossible to write a long post without it disappearing. Maybe write it up separately and paste it in here... I too, am curious as to your take on the film. The audience I saw it with seemed to eat it up and enjoy it. I thought it was kinda bizarre and a misstep. Full of potential but kinda weak for sucha tremendously bombastic band.
I am thinking about Freddie’s supposed words to Jim Beach....“You can do whatever you want with my music, but don’t make me boring” (or some variation of that).
No matter if you loved or hated the Bo-Rhap film or you fall somewhere in between, Freddie, without a doubt, is the most talked about musician in the entire world right now! For that I am glad.
Dear Freddie...you were many things...but boring...IMPOSSIBLE!!!
No matter if you loved or hated the Bo-Rhap film or you fall somewhere in between, Freddie, without a doubt, is the most talked about musician in the entire world right now! For that I am glad.
Dear Freddie...you were many things...but boring...IMPOSSIBLE!!!
HELLO DARLINGS!!!
WHAT THE HECK HAVE I MISSED??????
I WAS TRYING TO PM THOR RE; BOOK PROGRESS WHEN I DISCOVERED THE TROLL ATTACK!!!! Then again.....i guess I didn't really miss that much! Lol
I have kept in touch with Noorie's Aunt....apparantly Noorie is still offline but her Aunt will be visiting Noorie shortly...so I asked her to tell Noorie that I miss her terribly and to please make contact as soon as possible!! I will send a quick note to her Aunt telling her how much Noorie is missed on this forum, and from Thor!! Hopefully she will reemerge soon!!!!!!
Sooo good to see you all again!!
I saw the movie friday...3pm showing and there was maybe ten of us viewing....i swear I was the only one miming, stomping, clapping, crying!!!! I left determined to go back with a FULL HOUSE so that we can partake in the energy and emotions together!!! Plus my beloved little Queenie granddaughter wants to see it with me!! There are a million innacuracies in the story....but it's a movie, not a documentary....so I get it!!! All the actors were brilliant!! Rami, most brilliant of all. I stayed until the lights came on.....but only wanted more!!! I'm positive I will see it many more times....and CANNOT WAIT TO BUY THE DVD!!!!! ....And also can NOT wait til Thor and Lee's book arrives!!!!!!......
I also don't do facebook.....but I will to stay in touch with you all!!....Again....so Good to see you are all here!!!!
WHAT THE HECK HAVE I MISSED??????
I WAS TRYING TO PM THOR RE; BOOK PROGRESS WHEN I DISCOVERED THE TROLL ATTACK!!!! Then again.....i guess I didn't really miss that much! Lol
I have kept in touch with Noorie's Aunt....apparantly Noorie is still offline but her Aunt will be visiting Noorie shortly...so I asked her to tell Noorie that I miss her terribly and to please make contact as soon as possible!! I will send a quick note to her Aunt telling her how much Noorie is missed on this forum, and from Thor!! Hopefully she will reemerge soon!!!!!!
Sooo good to see you all again!!
I saw the movie friday...3pm showing and there was maybe ten of us viewing....i swear I was the only one miming, stomping, clapping, crying!!!! I left determined to go back with a FULL HOUSE so that we can partake in the energy and emotions together!!! Plus my beloved little Queenie granddaughter wants to see it with me!! There are a million innacuracies in the story....but it's a movie, not a documentary....so I get it!!! All the actors were brilliant!! Rami, most brilliant of all. I stayed until the lights came on.....but only wanted more!!! I'm positive I will see it many more times....and CANNOT WAIT TO BUY THE DVD!!!!! ....And also can NOT wait til Thor and Lee's book arrives!!!!!!......
I also don't do facebook.....but I will to stay in touch with you all!!....Again....so Good to see you are all here!!!!
Hello All,
I am going to give you my thoughts about “Bohemian Rhapsody” Anyone who disagrees with my review should feel free to comment as well and to present their differing views for all to read. My review is based on experiences with Freddie which were frequent from 1981 through 1983, very infrequent in 1984 through early 1985 and then again somewhat frequent from late 1985 through half of 1991. I did not know anything about Freddie prior to August 1980. I, therefore cannot make any first-hand comments on early Queen nor early Freddie. I can discuss much of Freddie’s long-lasting impressions on me, post-1980.
Overall, for those who did not know him other than what has been shown and read in the many books about him, “Bohemian Rhapsody” it is Spectacular! I saw a somewhat fair basic portrayal of Freddie (Originally I was afraid that Freddie's gay side would be seriously downplayed) but as I will explain it was his good nature that was mostly downplayed. The music as one would expect is glorious. The gay internal part of Freddie is mentioned, but the viewer was not let-in on the wonderful side of Freddie off of the stage and outside of the band. Not too long ago a friend of QZ gave some of us vital information on the Zoroastrian people and religion as well as many of their traits. As this was shared with me, I could finally pinpoint where many of these basic, good, loving and, wholesome character traits I admired in Freddie, came from.
This is where the movie goes wrong for me, Lee and even Brandon, who had only visited Freddie twice in 1986 and again in 1991. There is an obvious and sad lack of the consistent and deeply rooted, Freddie goodness, care, and happiness in this portrayal that Lee and I witnessed at every turn from 1980 until 1991 On the other hand, there was a bit too much portrayal of Freddie as the confused bi-sexual, being tempted and influenced by devious gays and who just could not, and never did, get over Mary. Believe me, in the eleven years that Lee and I knew him, he never once pined for Mary or any ladies at all. He actually LOVED being gay. He treated Mary very much like the ex-boyfriends, lovers, and very close friends (minus the hangers-on) that he loved and desired to keep in his life. He admired, quite lovingly, but perhaps with a dose of guilt, her long-term loyalty, her trustworthiness, her friendship, and then her first child. Yes, Richard was her over one-year-old baby boy when Freddie passed. Freddie was in fact, named the godfather by Mary, despite Freddie’s rapidly declining health. None the less, I know Freddie was very pleased with this and we watched him lovingly gaze at his godson playing on the swing Freddie had placed in a prominent place in the perfectly manicured greens, very near to the front door, at his beloved Garden Lodge. This was observed on the morning of our last day at Freddie’s house that June of 1991.
Freddie was really too happy and too busy making music, making new friends and lovers to be lingering in the dark, desperately flipping that damn lamp on and off. I’m very sure this happened but probably did not last beyond the time of their fateful and absolute break-up. Due to the movie’s portrayal of Freddie in this manner, it is not surprising at all that the New York Chapter of his life was entirely left out. Even Phoebe, his constant companion was not mentioned in the movie but was given a consultant listing in the credits. It would have been entirely inconsistent with the rather melancholy, lonely, lost without Mary, poor soul idea. He was NONE of these! Certainly, it would have shown up during his time from 1981 through 1983, when we were nearly in communication, if not face to face, four to five times per week. Post-1985 (with Munich the exception) the communication via telephone from London and trips to the Garden Lodge.
Now comes the interesting part of my review. On the first viewing with Lee and Brandon, we all felt similar but since we knew the real persona of Freddie we ignored the deviations and really enjoyed the movie. The next day I went with my young friend Andrew who barely knew of Freddie Mercury and only a small amount of familiarity with three hit Queen songs, including of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
During the movie, Andrew whispered to me, “God he is so bitchy” then later on, “He seems sooo unhappy.” Finally, he said, “wow he really loved Mary, and she really loved him. Why didn’t he go back to her even if he was gay? They could have made each other much happier. The gay guys in his life were all mean to him.”
Enough said. Andrew really turned on to the music, but not very much to the personality of Freddie Mercury.
This is all the more reason that OUR book needs to be read by the world.
Love to you all QZoners from me and Lee.
P.S. sorry this is so long.
I am going to give you my thoughts about “Bohemian Rhapsody” Anyone who disagrees with my review should feel free to comment as well and to present their differing views for all to read. My review is based on experiences with Freddie which were frequent from 1981 through 1983, very infrequent in 1984 through early 1985 and then again somewhat frequent from late 1985 through half of 1991. I did not know anything about Freddie prior to August 1980. I, therefore cannot make any first-hand comments on early Queen nor early Freddie. I can discuss much of Freddie’s long-lasting impressions on me, post-1980.
Overall, for those who did not know him other than what has been shown and read in the many books about him, “Bohemian Rhapsody” it is Spectacular! I saw a somewhat fair basic portrayal of Freddie (Originally I was afraid that Freddie's gay side would be seriously downplayed) but as I will explain it was his good nature that was mostly downplayed. The music as one would expect is glorious. The gay internal part of Freddie is mentioned, but the viewer was not let-in on the wonderful side of Freddie off of the stage and outside of the band. Not too long ago a friend of QZ gave some of us vital information on the Zoroastrian people and religion as well as many of their traits. As this was shared with me, I could finally pinpoint where many of these basic, good, loving and, wholesome character traits I admired in Freddie, came from.
This is where the movie goes wrong for me, Lee and even Brandon, who had only visited Freddie twice in 1986 and again in 1991. There is an obvious and sad lack of the consistent and deeply rooted, Freddie goodness, care, and happiness in this portrayal that Lee and I witnessed at every turn from 1980 until 1991 On the other hand, there was a bit too much portrayal of Freddie as the confused bi-sexual, being tempted and influenced by devious gays and who just could not, and never did, get over Mary. Believe me, in the eleven years that Lee and I knew him, he never once pined for Mary or any ladies at all. He actually LOVED being gay. He treated Mary very much like the ex-boyfriends, lovers, and very close friends (minus the hangers-on) that he loved and desired to keep in his life. He admired, quite lovingly, but perhaps with a dose of guilt, her long-term loyalty, her trustworthiness, her friendship, and then her first child. Yes, Richard was her over one-year-old baby boy when Freddie passed. Freddie was in fact, named the godfather by Mary, despite Freddie’s rapidly declining health. None the less, I know Freddie was very pleased with this and we watched him lovingly gaze at his godson playing on the swing Freddie had placed in a prominent place in the perfectly manicured greens, very near to the front door, at his beloved Garden Lodge. This was observed on the morning of our last day at Freddie’s house that June of 1991.
Freddie was really too happy and too busy making music, making new friends and lovers to be lingering in the dark, desperately flipping that damn lamp on and off. I’m very sure this happened but probably did not last beyond the time of their fateful and absolute break-up. Due to the movie’s portrayal of Freddie in this manner, it is not surprising at all that the New York Chapter of his life was entirely left out. Even Phoebe, his constant companion was not mentioned in the movie but was given a consultant listing in the credits. It would have been entirely inconsistent with the rather melancholy, lonely, lost without Mary, poor soul idea. He was NONE of these! Certainly, it would have shown up during his time from 1981 through 1983, when we were nearly in communication, if not face to face, four to five times per week. Post-1985 (with Munich the exception) the communication via telephone from London and trips to the Garden Lodge.
Now comes the interesting part of my review. On the first viewing with Lee and Brandon, we all felt similar but since we knew the real persona of Freddie we ignored the deviations and really enjoyed the movie. The next day I went with my young friend Andrew who barely knew of Freddie Mercury and only a small amount of familiarity with three hit Queen songs, including of course, “Bohemian Rhapsody.”
During the movie, Andrew whispered to me, “God he is so bitchy” then later on, “He seems sooo unhappy.” Finally, he said, “wow he really loved Mary, and she really loved him. Why didn’t he go back to her even if he was gay? They could have made each other much happier. The gay guys in his life were all mean to him.”
Enough said. Andrew really turned on to the music, but not very much to the personality of Freddie Mercury.
This is all the more reason that OUR book needs to be read by the world.
Love to you all QZoners from me and Lee.
P.S. sorry this is so long.
thundergod wrote:
Freddie as the confused bi-sexual, being tempted and influenced by devious gays
I was afraid that might be the portrayal ...
One more reason not to see the movie ...
Did Paul Prenter have a curly handlebar mustache with a constant malicious sneer and an evil laugh?
Ha,ha St. Jiub...yes and everything wrong was blamed on him and once rejected, all could be happy again! The End.
Go for the music that is REAL.
Go for the music that is REAL.
Thanks Thor, I am very happy to get a little insight from your side of Freddie's life. As always, very valuable for those of us who a like to get a deeper look at how Freddie really was. I almost want to reply with a thank you each time you post here.
One thing I liked in the movie is Freddie always hinting that Roger sleeps around much more than he does. It points to the annoying double standard for gay vs. hetero rock star. It is perfectly fine for them to sleep with a lot of girls while sleeping with guys is somehow much worse.
One thing I liked in the movie is Freddie always hinting that Roger sleeps around much more than he does. It points to the annoying double standard for gay vs. hetero rock star. It is perfectly fine for them to sleep with a lot of girls while sleeping with guys is somehow much worse.
I agree with you completely oligneisti...and Thank YOU too.
This is the short summary of the movie I sent to a QZ friend:
In short, I think the theme of the movie was "Redemption." Freddie does Mary wrong, does his band wrong, apologizes to
both of them, throws off the evil gays, and has the greatest concert ever! Only then, does Mary, the Band, and Freddie
himself become extremely happy like never before..,. I think this theme is better used in fictional books and movies.
In short, I think the theme of the movie was "Redemption." Freddie does Mary wrong, does his band wrong, apologizes to
both of them, throws off the evil gays, and has the greatest concert ever! Only then, does Mary, the Band, and Freddie
himself become extremely happy like never before..,. I think this theme is better used in fictional books and movies.
Thor, I asked Lee yesterday what he thought about it and he gave me quick rundown but this was so much more detailed and I have to say I am absolutely relieved to see that I wasn't the only one that viewed it that way. I only trust firsthand accounts of the man (Peter Freestone, Crystal Taylor, Jim Hutton) people who were there and have proof of being there- and from everything I've read about him via those trusted sources, that movie just wasn't Freddie. It was 'Disney Freddie'. The web is blowing up with joy over him being shown as a bisexual when the man was actually just gay and I do believe the movie attempted to show that, but screwed it up by making him seem jealous of Mary's boyfriend and leading the audience to believe their sex life before the breakup was great. (According to Mary and using common sense- it wasn't).
The movie was a swing and a miss, imo. As always, your words are appreciated. More so than most as you were close to the man and your opinion holds real weight. You knew him. I really wish the world got to see a glimpse of the real Freddie in that film. They missed a great opportunity there.
PS friends Mike Moran and Crystal Taylor gave the same review you did. Everyone who knew Freddie agreed. That's not the friend they knew and loved.
Just had to pop back in to thank you for the review <3
The movie was a swing and a miss, imo. As always, your words are appreciated. More so than most as you were close to the man and your opinion holds real weight. You knew him. I really wish the world got to see a glimpse of the real Freddie in that film. They missed a great opportunity there.
PS friends Mike Moran and Crystal Taylor gave the same review you did. Everyone who knew Freddie agreed. That's not the friend they knew and loved.
Just had to pop back in to thank you for the review <3
Are the opinions of Moran and Crystal available online? I found tje film dreadful. Revisionist history and Maylor bigging themselves up while backstabbing Freddie. Most of the movie shows a sad drugged up unreliable Freddie who breaks up Queen. And I agree also that his lifestyle was sugarcoated and stigmatized. Hard to believe that everybody seems to rave about the Film
I'm so, so happy and relieved to see that a lot of you seem to share my exact same opinion about the movie. I think the world lost a great opportunity to celebrate Freddie's life, work and genius.
Thank you, Thor, for your honest and candid review.
Thank you, Thor, for your honest and candid review.