September 5, 1946 was not a date like any other. On that day he was born in Zanzibar who for many music lovers has rightfully entered the Olympus of the best singers of all time. Farrokh Bulsara, the real name of Freddie Mercury, he was a predestined, a boy destined to do great things. 20th Century Fox presents us at the cinema the biopic dedicated to the sacred monster we all know, a story that starts from his work at the airport, up to the legendary concert of the Live Aid held in 1985. Bohemian Rhapsody it is not just a film dedicated to him and to Queen, it is a tribute, it is a sincere letter of affection towards an iconic character, telling all the sides best known by the public and the media, but also those darker colors of his psyche that have marked him during his eventful life. Retracing such a winding road was a decidedly demanding challenge, even defined by many as impossible, a failure announced right from the start, as if the mere thought coincided with the desecration of a sanctuary. But yet, the Miracle happened.
Smile, Love of My Life ...
The story takes root from the three-member band called "Smile", A group of three students who is left by the lead vocal for another band," because the current one would not have had a future ". Freddie (a majestic Rami Malek in one of the best interpretations of his career) replaces him, and shortly after the group formed by him, the two members already present Roger taylor to the battery (Ben Hardy), Brian May on lead guitar (Gwilym Lee) and the latest arrival John Deacon at the bottom (Joseph mazzello), will take the name of Queen. The rest is history, but in the sense that everything these four men created has become THE History. The film tells the evolution of the band, from the first recordings in the hall, to the record deals, up to the global success with world tours and the climb of the charts of all countries. Other well-known faces such as Ray foster in the role of Mike Myers, Aidan Screaming in the role of John Reid is Allen Leech in the role of Paul Prenter. The focal point of the biopic, however, is clearly the figure of Freddie Mercury, a controversial character who during his growth had to deal with many ghosts, including the acceptance of his sexuality, which also led him to the separation with his wife Mary Austin (a beautiful and charismatic Lucy Boynton). Without going into specifics about the events that were reproduced in the film, know that the fidelity is really impressive, with the same Brian May (the real one) who declared that he felt "joy, sadness and pain" at the same time watching the filming .
The emotions are in fact contrasting: in the twinkling of an eye you pass from decidedly emotionally touching scenes, to deliberately shot and edited sequences to laugh and entertain, and all without "forcing" due to the cinematic destination (we also mention the nice cameo dedicated to the publication - and recording - of the single Bohemian Rhapsody, too long to pass on the radio). The sex scenes were deliberately omitted, masked and hinted at by simple glances or particular situations, not only so as not to “break the magic” that is created scene after scene, but also because it would have been a useless forcing.
The Miracle
Unfortunately the song mentioned in the paragraph title is not present in the film, as well as many others of the majestic Queen discography, and as they have unfortunately been omitted (especially for reasons of timing, given that the film alone exceeds the 120 minutes) some interesting cameos related to Freddie's private and professional life (such as the one who saw the talent originally from Zanzibar in the creation of Under Pressure in the company of none other than David Bowie, three years before Live Aid). It would have been impossible to do so, two full films would not have been enough, and the work done by the two directors who succeeded each other was crucial. What is missing, for better or for worse, is above all a scene concerning the disappearance of the singer: the film closes in fact with the aforementioned concert of the Live Aid at Wembley Stadium.
The miracle is the whole. The miracle is the montage of the scenes with perfect tempos, the miracle is the choice of historical pieces at the right time, the miracle is the superimposition of the audio with perfect synchrony to give the worthy voice to the body of Rami Malek, where the latter in the moves almost looks like Freddie reincarnated, and the miracle is where the concert of 13 July 1985 was recreated and turned over in full version with all the gestures of the performers reproduced, and the peculiarities of the stage brought to new life: from the moves and kisses of Freddie, up to the glasses of Pepsi on the piano and the unlikely shirts of John Deacon. It does not matter if a slightly less conspicuous dental prosthesis is not included in the miracle, it does not matter if the more "thrusting scenes" have been omitted, or if we deliberately did not accompany him to his deathbed. The connection that this film manages to create with the performers is unique, genuine, it does not require forced tear-jerking scenes. The concept of family, of blood and choice, will be overbearing throughout the film, the emotions will be real, empathically transmitted without mincing words, with a superlative Rami Malek.
"Who Wants To Live Forever?" The legend of Freddie has succeeded, and will continue to do so.
