"Bohemian Rhapsody" is my favorite movie recently. However, I will tell you: "Don't watch "Bohemian Rhapsody", if you don't want to accidentally fall into the Queen's pit"! If you are curious why I say this, please listen to me slowly.
1. The movie "Bohemian Rhapsody": A good-looking mediocre work?
(1) At first, I saw the poster of this movie in the office building: On the purple background, it was a face of an unfamiliar man with a square face and a moustache. His face was also covered by big sunglasses. Eyes and expressions, the English title is Bohemian Rhapsody, I don't know the second English word, so I have no interest in reading it.
Later, a friend recommended this movie to me, and I checked it online and found out that it was about the Queen’s movie, the male starring was the lead singer Freddie Mercury. Queen? Seems to have heard of it. What song have you sung? I do not know. Don’t know, it’s okay, just ask Google. So I found the video of their performance at the Live Aid concert in 1985. Wow, the song seems pretty good, only We Will Rock You and We Are the Champions must have heard it, but I’m not sure if it’s a cover. Well, the lead singer with a generous face, buck teeth, and a mustache is not very good-looking. I still told my literary and artistic friends like this.
After listening to it, the melody of some songs lingered, so I went to watch a movie. very nice. very touching. However, if you follow the ideas of film critics to evaluate how deep the story, how novel the technique, and what revolutionary breakthroughs there are, there will be none. The story is basically flat and straightforward. It talks about the encounter and fame of members of the Queen (I think Queen should be translated as Queen, but it should be called by convention) like a running account. Their wonderful performance at the Live Aid concert is the climax and the end. The focus is undoubtedly the lead singer Freddie Mercury, who talked about the process of joining the band and composing the famous song "Bohemian Rhapsody", the friendship and conflict with the band members, and his girlfriend Mary Austin and boyfriend Jim Hutton (yes, he has both girlfriends) There is also the love of boyfriend), and the loss and return after becoming famous. His mental journey of accepting himself as a homosexual, as well as the fact that he was unfortunately contracted with AIDS, have all manifested, but did not dig deep. This is also a main reason for professional film critics to criticize the film.
(2) Why is such a movie that sounds unremarkable? Why with an investment of more than 50 million U.S. dollars, the global box office was able to collect more than 800 million U.S. dollars, becoming the highest-grossing biographical movie in history? Why is it that when professional film critics give very low scores, global movie audiences give high scores and use practical actions (that is, buy tickets to the cinema, and many viewers say they watched it more than once)?
I think:
First of all, American actor Rami Malek, who starred in Egyptian origin, is simply owned by Freddie Mercury. Rami Malek and Freddie don’t look alike. It is an actor who plays the other three members of the band, and looks very similar to the deity. However, Rami Malek impressed Freddie's passion, self-confidence, domineering, charming, madness, loss, and loneliness.
The first shot of the movie is the Queen’s performance at the Live Aid concert at the end, which is a god-like restoration. Bohemian Rhapsody, Radio Ga Ga, Hammer to Fall, Crazy Little Thing Called Love, We Will Rock You, We Are the Champions, the performance of several songs, let the audience watch the blood boiling, the stage charm of Freddie played by Rami Malek is deep Shocked. In the interview, Rami said half-jokingly, starting with the ending Live Aid, the purpose is that if he doesn't perform well in this period, the film doesn't have to be filmed, 50 million dollars will be saved, and everyone can go home separately. In the end, he acted really well.
This sequence of shooting may inadvertently help the actor's performance, because after filming the Live Aid performance, presumably Rami Malek and the other three band members' actors have found the feeling of being a rock star. Because of his outstanding performance in this film, Rami Malek has won the Golden Globe Award, the Screen Actors Guild, and the British "Oscar" (BAFTA) three important film awards for Best Actor. , And has been nominated for Best Actor Oscar. In addition to the leading role, the actors of the other three members of the band, and even other supporting roles, also performed very well. Rami has worked hard to play Freddie, studying Freddie's concerts, learning to imitate his accent, movements, singing and playing the piano. In addition to doing "homework", the success of the performance is more attributable to Rami's spirituality. To perform such a thing, presumably working hard is only a necessary but not sufficient condition. Playing Freddie is not as simple as an imitation show. Rami's performance has a soul.
Secondly, the rhythm of storytelling in movies is very good. The two-hour movie is full of British humor, with constant laughter, and there is no time for boredom. For example, at first Freddie volunteered to be the lead singer of the Smile band. Drummer Roger Taylor said: "Not with these teeth!" Because Freddie grew up with four big buck teeth that people couldn’t ignore. (Actor Rami Malek wore a set of false teeth. Starred in), and Roger is a student of dentistry. When recording "Bohemian Rhapsody" by Freddy, drummer Roger was responsible for singing the word "galileo" many times, and Freddie asked to sing very high notes. Roger sang higher and higher over and over again, saying that he should be higher, only the dogs could hear it. And I sang it many times before remembering to ask: "who is even this Galileo?" Also, the record company owner doesn't like "Bohemian Rhapsody". One of the reasons is that the song is 6 minutes long, and the general song must Within 3 minutes, the radio station at the time was broadcast. Freddie said: I pity your wife if you think 6 minutes is forever. There are many more. I say this, maybe you don't feel it, it's funny in the movie. It's not the kind of funny by exaggeration, but it's easy and natural. These lines have become the "connection code" for the audience who loves this movie, which is what we call "stem". In addition, many of the Queen’s hits throughout the movie are accompanied by performance scenes, which are really nice and nice.
Third, this film did not explore Freddie Mercury's complicated character, did not show more of his chaotic private life, and did not make it into an unconcerned restricted film. Taste it carefully, but the movie has an obvious theme: love. Freddie’s passion and love for music and life, his love for Mary and his subsequent trust and friendship, the love between him and the band members as family members, the collision of talents, and the uselessness between him and his parents The affection expressed in words is very natural. The audience seemed to be watching his life, sharing the joys and sorrows of him and other band members, and feeling their love for music and the inseparable friendship between them.
A movie about rock stars, there is no dark, no fierce conflict, but very loving, it is a little refreshing, and it sounds a bit unusual. Maybe this has something to do with the original idea of the movie. In September 2010, the band’s guitarist Brian May began planning to make a movie about Queens. Due to creative differences and other accidents, it went through many twists and turns, including changing actors and directors in the final stage. It can be said that this movie It's a disaster-prone project. Brian May and Roger Taylor (drummers) were involved in the filming of the film as art consultants. In the eyes of Brian and Roger, Freddie is not the same person described by the media. He is their lovely, passionate, and humorous good friend. Just a week after Freddie died of pneumonia caused by AIDS on November 24, 1991, Brian and Roger gave a TV interview in sadness to clarify the unbearable and false reports of him at the time. Roger said in the interview that we must stand up and speak for Freddie, because he can no longer speak for himself. After so many years, there are two people who are 70 years old and still maintain their best friend Freddie as always.
Freddie Mercury is a very complicated genius, maybe no one really knows him, maybe it will be more profound to tell his story from another angle. However, it is also a wonderful angle to interpret his life from the perspective of love, as this movie proves.
Fourth, the story of the Queen itself is very exciting. I'm actually not sure if this is the fourth or it should be the first at all. This is because this movie, which many critics call "Although it is good-looking, but very mediocre", is more like a medium. It has caused a lot of audiences who didn’t know the Queen, or even though they knew it, did not know them. They (especially Freddie Mercury) learned about their interests, and then fell deeply in love with them and fell in love with their music. For example, I am one of them.
After Rami Malek won the Golden Globe Award, his first reaction was to embrace Brian May and Roger Taylor who were present, and paid tribute to Freddie Mercury in his award speech. I think he understands the Queen very well and also knows the key to the success of the film.
2. The Queen: Please "get into the pit"
I think Freddie Mercury and the other three members of the band (guitarist Brian May, drummer Roger Taylor, and bassist John Deacon) are just samples of beautiful human beings. They use their lives to show them to the world, devoting themselves to doing what they love to do, becoming the person they are destined to be, and their lives can bloom to the utmost extent.
One of the most famous rock bands in this history (I don't know much about rock bands in general, so I have to add "one"), from the UK. They were most active in the 1970s to the 1980s, so many young people did not know them. For example, I don't understand those who are not young. They seem to be dazzling gems sinking into the sea, and gradually forgotten by people as time goes by. They surfaced and reappeared through this movie.
(1) Freddie Mercury, God of Rock and Roll
Interestingly, Freddie Mercury, the legendary lead singer of the British rock band, is actually Asian. He was born in 1946 in Tanzania, then known as Zanzibar. His parents were Indians of Persian origin. He grew up in India and moved to the UK with his parents when he was a teenager. His family is very conservative and has nothing to do with rock music. When God assigns geniuses, he seems quite casual.
Freddie is recognized as the "Rock God" (Rock God). He has a clear voice and a wide range, can sing songs of different styles freely, and has extraordinary creative talents. The Bohemian Rhapsody (the song with the same name as the movie), which he composed in 1974, is called the Divine Comedy. I can't tell how nice and special this song is. You need to listen to it yourself. However, I still can't help but say a few words. The song began, as if mumbling to himself "Is this the real life? Is this just fantasy? …" Then, there was a clear and beautiful piano solo, and Freddy's very pure voice sang "Mama, just killed a man/Put a gun against his head/Pulled my trigger, now he's dead..." Especially the sentence "Carry on, carry on, as if nothing really matters" is affectionate and tactful. Next, "Mama, I don't want to die/Sometimes wish I'd never been born at all", emotionally excited. Then, there are two unexpected opera arias with strange lyrics "I see a little silhouetto of a man/Scaramouch, Scaramouch will you do the Fandango/Thunderbolt and lightning very very frightening me/Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo, Gallileo , figaro,
Looking at the data, after the release of this song, it has achieved great commercial success: it has topped the UK singles chart for nine consecutive weeks, and sold more than 1 million copies in the UK as of January 1976, setting a record for the highest-selling single in the history of the UK at that time. ; After the death of Freddie in 1991, he reached the top again for five consecutive weeks and eventually became the third best-selling single in British history. The film shows Freddie's creation and the process of recording this song with Virgo's perfectionism that can drive others crazy.
In addition to rare talent and unique good voice, despite the buck-tooth (Freddie is known as "Uncle Buck-tooth") and square face, Freddie is still a super beautiful man. The more he looks, the better he looks. Especially the eyes, there is passion and brilliance in the eyes, both domineering and charming, very beautiful. Rami's eyes are very similar to his. He studied art and design in college. He has excellent taste and can hold all kinds of peculiar styles: wearing shiny tights; wearing military-style uniforms; wearing a beard and wearing enchanting women's clothing; barefoot and half naked. Wear a pair of tight white sports shorts; put on a cloak and a crown of props; wear a big T-shirt with a Mickey Mouse pattern; wear simple jeans and a white vest. All kinds of looks are good-looking, and the body is also very good. His concert scene, just by holding a microphone with a long handle, walking up and down on the stage to sing, can arouse the emotions of thousands or even tens of thousands of spectators, and the whole audience can sing in a great chorus! The most wonderful thing is that his singing and typhoon seem to be indifferent, casual, and willful. It can only be said that people are geniuses!
Above is the photo of Freddie in various styles. Of course, it's far from all.
Freddie is loyal to himself, loves life and music, and has an unusually great energy. The information that can be seen is that after he was diagnosed with AIDS, he did not feel depressed, complained and pity, but accepted the reality and devoted the remaining limited time to work. In the MTV of I'm Going Slightly Mad, which was recorded by him in March 1991, he was already very sick, and he still had a penguin with his band partner (yes, the living real penguin, still sitting in them I went to a toilet on my leather sofa) together to be funny and humorous. In May 1991, he was wearing a vest printed with a cat pattern (he is a cat slave), and recorded his last MTV for These Are the Days of Our Lives. After saying the last sentence I Still Love You, Freddie cast the camera full of affection. His gaze then faded out of the screen, like a last word left to the world. He was originally very strong, now he was so thin that he was obviously dead soon, but there was still light in his eyes, and his voice was still very powerful.
Perhaps it is difficult for a genius of this level to escape the fate of dying young. On November 24, 1991, he left this world forever at the age of 45. This was only one day before he confirmed to the outside world that he was diagnosed with AIDS.
Freddie left most of his huge inheritance, including the mansion in London, to his beloved early girlfriend Mary Austin, and asked her to sprinkle his ashes in a secret place, never tell the world. Freddie's music career has attracted much attention, but he most wants to sleep in peace. His boyfriend (or husband, although same-sex marriage was not legal in the UK at the time) Jim Hutton stayed by his side for the last few years of his life. According to reports, Mary Austin still lives in the house left to her by Freddie, and has kept the secret promise to this day. Jim Hutton died of cancer on January 1, 2010 (61 years old). He was criticized by many Freddie fans for writing a book about Freddie and his private life.
Nowadays, all right and wrong, true and false, and bewildered, no one can say clearly. The genius has fallen, leaving behind a lot of audiovisual materials and legends. Some people are alive, but have already died; some people are dead, but still alive-living in the hearts of the world until the unknown forever.
Freddie's untimely death is of course a sad and regrettable thing. However, his life is not a tragedy. He lived and loved very enthusiastically, did what he loved to do, fulfilled the mission given by God, burned all of himself, and burst into brilliant fireworks of life. Like a golden breeze and jade dew, it is better than countless in the world.
(2) Rock and roll together
Freddie is undoubtedly the most dazzling member of Queen. But the other three members are also rare geniuses. As said in the movie, they are all legends.
Guitarist Dr. Brian May:
The band’s guitarist Brian May, born in 1947, is Cancer. Brian is a top-notch guitarist. When he was young, he was a classically beautiful man. Now he still has long silver and white curly hair of the rock style (a British man with so much hair at this age, it is a miracle, God is partial), he is handsome, Stylish uncle. In interviews, Brian always speaks softly, courteously, and very organized. Probably he is the most rational member of the band. His university studied physics and mathematics at Imperial College London. By the way, Queens is a band composed entirely of highly educated members, both talented and intelligent. He was a PhD in Physics (Astrophysics) from 1970 to 1974, playing guitar in his spare time, and playing in bands. Because of the Queen's great success in 1974, he suspended his studies and devoted himself to the field of music. Until October 2006, he resumed his studies, and in September 2007, he obtained a doctorate in astrophysics. Therefore, the guitarist is also an astrophysicist Dr. Brian May.
Brian sings very well by himself. If he is in a normal band, he can be the lead singer. At the star tribute concert after Freddie's death, he played the piano (yes, not the guitar, it was the piano!) and sang Too Much Love Will Kill You written by himself. The voice was clean, soothing, and the tone was bleak and sad. Can really make people cry. Coupled with a handsome face, melancholy eyes, and long fluttering hair, he is definitely a big dazzling male god.
In addition to being still active in the music world, forming the Queen and Adam Lambert band with Roger Taylor and Adam Lambert (lead singer). In addition to touring, Dr. Brian May also writes books with others, conducts scientific projects, pays attention to animal protection, plays selfies, and accompanies others. His wife performed (his second wife Anita is a well-known British stage actor) and is a very energetic cross-border uncle.
Angel drummer Roger Taylor:
Roger Taylor, the band's drummer, was born in 1949 and is a Leo. Roger is a top drummer and he can sing very well. He has the kind of hoarse heavy metal voice that is very distinctive. He sings high-pitched false voices very well. When Freddie sang, Roger often played the drums while doing high-pitched false voice accompaniment, or sang some parts directly. In the song Somebody to Love, there is a section of Solo where he plays the drums. It is really a very powerful rhythm, and it makes people excited. He has formed the band Cross himself, as a guitarist (yes, this time is a guitarist, not a drummer!) and vocalist, and has achieved very good results.
When Roger was young, he had soft golden long curly hair, big blue eyes, slender figure, innocent expression, as beautiful as a little angel in a classical oil painting. When playing drums and singing, he is wild and unrestrained, and his image is very charming. Coincidentally, Ben Hardy, who played him in the movie, also played an angel in the movie "X-Men: Apocalypse". I am not alone in saying that he is like an angel. Many English materials on the Internet say that he has an angel-like baby face.
This mortal angel does not just have a pretty face. Roger studied dentistry in medical school, and later transferred to a student. There are also jokes in the movie about his background as a dental student. If he had not become a rock star, he might have become a handsome dentist or pharmacist. Although he is a beautiful man, Roger is not the cool one, but he is often funny, especially with Freddie. From the many videos left, it seems that he and Freddie are the two who love to play. Like children, they do weird moves together, soaring high notes, and happily wearing women's clothing to shoot MTV. In the MTV of the song "I Want to Break Free", Roger's women's appearance is said to be prettier than most girls, and he also received a feminine nickname Rogerina.
After getting older, Roger is no longer slender, he has a beard, his hair is cut short, and his beard and hair are all white, much like Santa Claus. There is a song Journey' s End that he composed and sang, which is very nice and very sad. In the MTV of this song, it is Roger, who is now graceful and old. He is still handsome, but deep. There are many stories in his eyes, which is very different from the beautiful Roger who was easy and funny when he was young. Can't help feeling that the dance is always blown away by the rain and the wind! Of course, the 70-year-old is in good condition now, still loves music, often participates in performances, and is very energetic.
Quiet genius bassist John Deacon:
The band’s bassist John Deacon, is the youngest one, born in 1951 and also a Leo. So the four of them have one Virgo, one Cancer, and two Leo. The band logo designed by Freddie has the patterns of these three constellations. John joined the band later. After interviewing six bassists, the band found John. Roger said in the interview that the bass they had interviewed either played the bass well but had a disagreement with the other members, or had a good personality, but did not play well, until he found "that" (pointing to John next to him) , John was smiling shyly on the side, looking very happy.
John is also a handsome guy, very gentle, not like a rock star, but like a scholar. He is an introvert in the band, doesn't speak much, always laughs. His song Another One Bites the Dust won an award. He said modestly that he never expected to win an award, and bowed deeply to thank him. It's a gentleman. During the interview, other band members often encouraged him to talk more. However, it is said that if John occasionally makes a joke, he can make people unbearably happy.
John Deacon has a cute nickname called "Disco Deaky" because he often plays bass and jumps around on stage, and the songs he writes are still disco-style. John is a student of electronic engineering. During the band rehearsal, he took the exam and got his degree. He used his knowledge of electronic engineering to design a music device with scientist Brian, which is said to be very powerful. A rock star who studies science is really unwilling to make a gizmo or something by accident. John married in 1975, has lived with the same wife and has six children. After Freddie's death, he has faded out of public view for many years.
Friendship of Rock Friends:
These four partners can be regarded as acquaintances in Weishi. Freddie and Roger used to be roommates in the 1960s. They also jointly opened a stall selling art and antique clothing at Kensington Market in London to earn a living. In the interview video, Freddie joked that they can sell anything to anyone. And Brian once said that neither of them knew where to buy the junk from. Real friends, hehe! And Roger and Brian were originally members of the band Smile together. After the lead singer of Smile left, Freddy joined as the new lead singer in 1970 and changed the band's name to a higher-profile Queen. Bassist John Deacon joined the band in 1971. The four of them have different personalities, but they can stimulate each other's greatest potential, which can be said to be the rare best combination.
Each of them is not only a singer or instrumentalist, but also a songwriter, and has written many hit songs. For example, Freddie created Bohemian Rhapsody, Love of My Life (for his girlfriend Mary Austin), Crazy Little Thing Called Love, Killer Queen, We Are the Champions, Don't Stop Me Now, I Was Born to Love You; Roger created Radio Ga Ga (very nice and popular, Lady Gaga gave herself the stage name because she likes this song), I Am In Love With My Car (this song is on the Queen’s album, it’s Roger himself) Sing, Freddie has not sung), These Are the Days of Our Lives; Brian May’s We Will Rock You, Too Much Love Will Kill You, the Show Must Go On, I Want It All, Hammer to Fall (all very nice ); Another One Bites the Dust by John Deacon (The song written by Quiet John is very unquiet, dynamic, and a hit song), I Want to Break Free (again, very unquiet song), You Are My Best Friend, Spread Your Wings and Fly. Most of their songs (I haven't listened to all of their songs yet, so I say "most") are very nice, changeable in style, and never tire of listening. The MTV they shot for the song, after so many years, is still very creative now. Such a multi-faceted talent should be very rare!
Unlike the fictional bands in the movie that created conflicts, they once disintegrated. Since its founding in 1970, in reality, although members of the Queen’s band have released separate albums and performed in bands with others, they have never disintegrated. Before the Live Aid performance in 1985, they had just completed a tour together. It was not like in the movie that Freddie went solo after being lost and asked the other members to forgive and regroup the performance. In their careers of performing, creating, accepting interviews, and having legendary wild parties, they, along with their families and close friends, left a lot of video materials. Their interactions in it always seem to be very loving, often joking, pranking, and making fun of each other. Everyone seems to be a very frank and lovely person. They also said that sometimes because of work, they can also be quarrelsome, but in the end, no one can do without anyone, and they think that being together is the best.
Freddie's death changed many things. John Deacon completely withdrew from the music scene after finishing the last Freddy's posthumous album with Roger and Brian in 1997, and disappeared from the public eye. He did not participate in the production of this film at all. It is said that he has been unable to get out of the shock of Freddie's death, thinking that the Queen without Freddie can no longer be the same as before, and also hopes to spend more time with his family, so he chose to retreat completely. Brian May and Roger Taylor chose to continue because of "the show must go on" (the name of a Queen song). They continue to perform in the name of Queen, continue to promote and maintain the artistic heritage of Queen and Freddy to the world, including contributing to the production of this movie. Their choices are all understandable. I checked, 72-year-old Brian and 70-year-old Roger had many performances in the United States in the second half of 2019. I wish they would come to Asia to perform, I must buy a ticket to see the legend.
If you have the patience to read the above content, you also disagree with my opinion: "Queen is a'big pit' that can't get out after falling in"? "If you dare to take risks, then see you in the "pit"! Bye-bye!
(over)
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