So I finally saw Bohemian Rhapsody, a film I - and from chatting to people, the rest of the world - have been waiting for, seemingly forever.
There's so much riding on this film. Freddie is a beloved character, taken way too soon from this world at 45. I am older now than Freddie was when he passed. Imagine if he was around today, I think about that a lot.
And that voice, men's voices get better and better with age, imagine listening to him as he grew older, there would have been a LOT more opera I bet...what a loss.
Also a band, simply loved by all; the sensitive, odd, bohemian souls (of which I and most people I know are, and of which Freddie would love) to regular dudes and rednecks. Their music touched the entire world.
For me, as a young girl who spent way too much time in her bedroom singing along to records, I love those songs more than I can begin to say. They helped define my range vocally (true) and let me belt out a tune - most certainly out of tune back then, but boy I tried! Each and every one of their big songs are a gift to a singer and indeed to choral work.
I dreamed of performing in large choirs singing these songs and had sequences and movements and costumes and solos worked out in my head. I performed them over and over in my bedroom, me singing, and the rest taking place in the stadium of my mind. I was a strange kid, but it was all formative.
And yet, I would never have called myself a fan of Queen, no real reason, I just fangirled over other bands and singers. Although, really despite my absolute abandon to music all my life, I am not really a fangirl in the true sense of the word, I love music too much to limit myself to that.
Music was played liberally in our house, mostly by my Dad, who was quite the music guru back in the day, though I do not recall him playing Queen. But music shows were also allowed, and that is where I would have discovered them. Now I would have been 4 when Bohemian Rhapsody was released and I am sure I had no idea of it, but given Countdown was played weekly and it was number 1 forever and that clip is so very distinctive and I feel I have known it all my life (I know, that's a lot of ands!), I guess I must have discovered it then!?!
Who knows, memory is such a strange and distorted thing.
For me, their touchstone song was Somebody To Love, truly the soundtrack of my own life, the one song I really really relate to, it kills me!
The despair and the joy, both within and sometimes together.
I have sung the guts out of that song my entire life. Good, bad, or otherwise!!
About 18 months ago, I joined a choir, finally after years of searching, and behold last month we sung Somebody to Love at Town Hall in Newcastle, and it was glorious and I cried pretty much all the way through it. Because it was joyous and because, whilst it wasn't exactly what I played out in my head as a kid, it came really freaking close!!
So dreams can come true!!!!
And so back to the movie, you can see for me, someone who is not even a fan, I expected a lot.
Sheeze, anyone who really knows me, knows I do not please easily, lol!
So this film could have been a disaster, but I am pleased to say it was not.
{From now on Spoilers, so be aware if you have not seen the film}
I went by myself and was ready to be entertained and that I was. I had read and seen a fair bit prior and had been pretty much blown away.
I was also aware there was a lot of 'story' left out.
And here's the thing, with a story as grand as Freddie Mercury AND Queen, you cannot deliver it all in a film running time, stuff has to get cut. And is it a film about Freddie or a film about Queen. But of course any film about Queen, is about Freddie. Oh boy, such a dilemma.
So I think in terms of what they gave us, they got it right. It was about Queen, their formation, how they put some of their music together, their dynamics with Freddie. Which, of course, has to figure some of Freddie because...well, Freddie.
However, there were MANY inconsistencies, bleedingly obvious ones to the most casual observer and then many many more. I found this really annoying, sloppy, and doing a disservice to anyone coming to see this.
Everyone knows Radio Ga Ga was released a few months before Live Aid and they had been playing sold out gigs leading up to the Live Aid. Bob Geldof only had a few lesser bands on board when he read out his famous list of those participating, hoping to shame those that had not yet said yes to actually do so. And the biggie, quite manipulative, and I hate hate hate being manipulated, the whole Freddie had Aids before Live Aid, when that wasn't the case.
And there was much more than that.
These things were obvious to me watching and they certainly annoyed me but they didn't ruin the experience, thankfully!
A list of Queen songs within the film was pretty limited also, which is a shame.
And I just cannot help feeling cheated out of seeing David Bowie and Queen working on Under Pressure...but hey, that's just me.
The acting was really great, the three guys playing Brian, Roger, and John were uncanny, especially in the mid 80s scene, i had to blink to be sure it wasn't the actual guys!
The supporting cast of lesser players, were also great.
Rami Malek was really excellent as Freddie, he got his stance and walk down pat, performance style, on and off stage. Not a mimic but almost inhabiting him.
The Live Aid piece at the end was quite remarkable. I read that they asked the general public to record themselves singing various parts of the songs and to send them in and they used them all - thousands of separate voices - as an overdub, much like how they recorded Bohemian Rhapsody, the song. There were parts of this were you looked at Rami and only saw Freddie - that is not the case with the entire movie. He does so very well, but you know only Freddie can be Freddie.
I loved all the scenes were they were working on tunes and riffs etc, I hope they are close to the truth, cause I so want them to be. It reminded me of the Brian Wilson movie and the Pet Sounds experimentations.
I had completely forgotten how integral Kenny Everett was in their initial success. I was a huge fan of Everett as a kid, imagine listening to Kenny and Freddie chatter on the radio, blow your mind stuff indeed!!??
And I will admit this silly little thing, I just got the "They call me Mr Fahrenheit" link in Don't Stop Me Now...d'uh!!!
So overall, I loved this film, but was a little let down by the inconsistencies and things omitted. I'd still recommend it to anyone to go and see, and I know I will have that soundtrack in my head for some time...probably the rest of my life!!!
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