'Bohemian Rhapsody' movie reviews & impressions

@mike hunt
First, I love Queen music long time ago.

It really doesn't matter to me did Freddie was gay, bi or straight and I have mentioned it several times in other topics.

I think all this story about Mary and Freddie is exaggerated and looks more like a fairy tale than something real.
What I wanted to say was that in this movie Jim didn't get the space he deserves.

About the song, let's say it's true that Love Of My Life was written for Mary. Ok, but when was that? After that, he had other loves. He had other friends. But in the movie looks like that existed only Mary.

Interviews where he talked about her on way you mentioned were before or after Jim? Before.

We saw Freddie's photos with her from some events where Jim is behind them. Same as photos with Barbara Valentin and Winnie behind them. Photos made for public.

Of course, none of us know the real truth about this, but each of us can have his own opinion.

Grandcdn:

Didn't Jim build a house in Ireland before Freddie died? IIRC, he had originally gotten a bank loan and Freddie had insisted on giving him the money. Jim then compromised on a loan which was docked from his gardener's pay. Freddie knew Jim had a place to live, and he did leave him a substantial amount of money.

The whole Mary thing, well, she had simply been around longer and maybe he had an element guilt.

Mike Hunt: I don't recall ever seeing Freddie say he and Mary had gotten married.

She's like my Common Law wife he said In the 80's...No one could replace her...

Hi all. In my opinion , there is no point getting too deeply into the details shown in this movie. It's all about money (read: audience) How can we(alias the production) entertain the largest number of people and sell them the updated and revised Freddie's legend ? The market to be captured was wide: first of all, the States where Queen were never durably well-established in the '70s and '80s. What could work better than a life long relationship with an always sympathetic blonde fairy? Then we have another important target to reach: people coming (or living)from a very far world who may become enormously successful . I read very little in your comments about how the presence of freddie's family as depicted in the movie is totally fictionalized.Let's add to the recipe, the whole band engaged to keep Freddie and themself safe form his dangerous lifestyle... The result is: at least $250 grossed in a month, most of them in the States!!!

Anyone think he spoke way too slow? Every clip I've seen of Freddie, whether home movies or interviews, he spoke much faster.

Hi all! I'm anna, long time lurker, finally took the plunge to start posting.

I'm so ambivalent about the movie. I loved seeing it in IMAX - the sound was unbelievable, and I dare say it's the closest I'll ever come to seeing Queen with Freddie live. The music was of course incredible. And I love that the movie is exposing Queen to a new generation of fans. I hate, though, that this new generation will take the narrative of the movie as "gospel." That was was portrayed in the film is what they will think actually happened.

Some of the inaccuracies were shrug worthy for me. I didn't mind the timeline inaccuracies when it came to certain song releases, for example. And even the AIDs reveal immediately pre-LiveAid I could deal with. It was all about giving the movie a "hero ending," so to speak.

My biggest gripe though is just the fact that the movie portrays Freddie in a certain way that I believe is wholly wrong. I've seen the argument that it's not a documentary, blah blah. Okay. Sure. It's not a documentary. But it is portraying a real person in a (what I believe to be) completely inaccurate way. And said person is no longer around to give his version of events. That's what I take most issue with when it comes to the movie.

Also - one other huge WTF moment for me during the film was Roger's portrayal. Especially when it came to his interaction with Freddie. By all accounts, it's always seemed as if Roger & Freddie got along very well, were very close, and Roger seemed to be very supportive of Freddie, both personally & professionally.

I couldn't help but wonder if Roger had ANY input into his characterization whatsoever. Because that relationship especially just seemed to portrayed completely wrong as well, IMO. Freddie & John's relationship too. Granted, my knowledge is only from interviews/documentaries/books. But. Yeah. That had to have been one of the biggest WTF moments for me.

Okay. Imma shuddup now. Sorry for the novel-length reply. Took me awhile to get the nerve up to post. :)

I don't call it incredible or anything, but I loved the film myself anyway. I found it really poignant somehow - I think as I felt it respectful to Freddie.

When I had heard about the film being made I was very concerned that it wouldn't include young Freddie and that it'd just be all the most-known-by-most-people 80's era of the band. And I was concerned it'd be frivolous or sensational. Or, you know "We Will Rock You" on film. So I was very relieved to be proven wrong on those accounts.

I was moved to think of new people discovering Queen's music (I was sat net to kids watching who were going "They did THAT song too?!?!?! All the time and were air guitaring) & I thought Rami was particularly great in the live scenes... and I loved that there was loads of Queens music - and actual Freddie singing (another fear.)

I thought the film conveyed a sweetness of Freddie which I have felt a part of his nature, which I found touching and another relief. Of course there are more sides to him than the film delves into and really the rest of the band are mere cardboard cut-outs. The more you think on it, the more irritating it seems that Brian May is portrayed as a literal saint in the film, but hey - if you were making a film with you in, wouldn't you want to look good?? And it irritated me as an afterthought, not at the time.

I just think it's fun and moving and I can't imagine anyone doing a better job than Rami. Someone says Rami doesn't speak fast enough - well, I think he doesn't imbue Freddie with the wit and intelligence had, but if he spoke too fast, practically it wouldn't be the best dramatically for the world to follow the film.

The film has some skin crawlingly bad dialogue at times, but I found it moving and enough.

I think the most disingenuous part of the film was probably how they approached Freddie's family and him revealing his sexuality to them and them accepting it. I know his Mum loved Freddie no matter what, but to speak of such to his parents was SO far from what Freddie would ever have done. I guess they wanted to 2018 it up. But that is the opposite to what a film should be about - reflective of the times it depicts.

I found it moving that the film was respectful towards Freddie.... Though part of me wishes there had been something about, say the Innuendo sessions, later in Freddie's life - to show his grit, because I think Rami could have gone there and done it justice and most of all because someone will make the film that goes there one day and it'll likely not have Rami to portray Freddie.

Of course the film is flawed, but it moved me. And I've loved Queen since I was a kid, but to be honest I guess it got me to rediscover the depth of my love. I used to internet post about the band in my earliest, kid internet days. But I guess I wouldn't have been bothered to post on here, but for the film and for it leading me back to Queen rather than for just the film in itself.

But yeah, great music and I think Rami in particular captured something true of Freddie.

The thing I really don't get is why they even changed the order Queen songs were written!!!??!?! What's the need for that?!

I loved how the film handled Freddie and Mary's connection myself and it would have been nice if Jim were in the film for longer, but despite his relatively small screen time I thought that was done nicely enough too.

The actors playing the other band members were great too - you could believe Brian and John were actual Brian and John at times. I mean, less so Roger, but you know!

[QUOTE] [b]Petalouda8 wrote:[/b]

I couldn't help but wonder if Roger had ANY input into his characterization whatsoever. [/QUOTE]

Well, I just listened to an interview with Graham King, the producer, where went on getting Freddie right, praised Malek and mentioned how important it was also to get the character of Brian May right. Curiously, RT and JD weren't mentioned.

After the movie makers were pleased with the characters of FM and BM, they apparently got tired and decided to go with the stereotypes of the dumb drummer and the silent bass player.

According to Roger (in this months Batterie mag), the way Freddie meets BM and RT in the film was a 'artistic choice' of the director. Wonder what the initial script said!

Roger also marvelled at the horrible clothes his character wore in the film. He also said that he wasn't always consulted for drum kit choices, hence Sonor Hilite at Smile gig and noted that sometimes microphones were placed in the wrong way around the kit. (He also had some rather lovely things to say about John).

So, the film has just made $600 million on a $50 million budget. Even if marketing accounted for another $50 million, there's no denying it's a massive success. It can still make some more millions, and then there's the home media release on top of the popularity push for the music.

Here's hoping this will translate into new audio releases within the next few years.

And new coat of Rustins for the Ol' Lady

Quite a few thing annoyed me:

-Treating him being gay as something dirty

- Paul Prenter being seen as turning him gay and forcing him into orgies (people on youtube actually have said that) and having a relationship with Freddie

- Freddie being portrayed as this little child, alone at Garden Lodge waiting for Mary to flicker on a damn light. again, this has led many people to believe that it was true, while we know he had very close friends, two of whom we are lucky enough to have posting here

- The fake meet cute with Jim. Honestly the way they met in real life was cuter, I think, considering Jim told him to fuck right off

- Adding to the item above, they focused a lot on Mary and not enough on Jim.

- The band seeing him as this party animal who showed up late and didn't give a shit.

Quite a few thing annoyed me:

-Treating him being gay as something dirty

- Paul Prenter being seen as turning him gay and forcing him into orgies (people on youtube actually have said that) and having a relationship with Freddie

- Freddie being portrayed as this little child, alone at Garden Lodge waiting for Mary to flicker on a damn light. again, this has led many people to believe that it was true, while we know he had very close friends, two of whom we are lucky enough to have posting here

- The fake meet cute with Jim. Honestly the way they met in real life was cuter, I think, considering Jim told him to fuck right off

- Adding to the item above, they focused a lot on Mary and not enough on Jim.

- The band seeing him as this party animal who showed up late and didn't give a shit.

Quite a few thing annoyed me:

-Treating him being gay as something dirty

- Paul Prenter being seen as turning him gay and forcing him into orgies (people on youtube actually have said that) and having a relationship with Freddie

- Freddie being portrayed as this little child, alone at Garden Lodge waiting for Mary to flicker on a damn light. again, this has led many people to believe that it was true, while we know he had very close friends, two of whom we are lucky enough to have posting here

- The fake meet cute with Jim. Honestly the way they met in real life was cuter, I think, considering Jim told him to fuck right off

- Adding to the item above, they focused a lot on Mary and not enough on Jim.

- The band seeing him as this party animal who showed up late and didn't give a shit.