The musical biopic Bohemian Rhapsody, directed by Brian Singer and starring Rami Marek, was screened on the National Arts Federation on March 22. The film is based on the lead singer Freddie Mercury of "Queen", telling the rock legend of "Queen" from its inception to the glory, and Rami Marek, who played Freddie Mercury, also won the 91st Academy Award for Best Actor.
To make the biopic more authentic and accurate, Brian May and Roger Taylor, real members of Queen, spent eight years as producers making the biopic, and even the type of socks worn by band member John Deacon was realistic. However, due to the length and creative considerations, some of the plots in the film are still somewhat different from reality. For example, did Freddie and his girlfriend Mary meet the night he joined the band "Smile"? Is Freddie's relationship with the band members strained because of money? These questions will be lifted here.
How did Queen come about?
The left and right are group photos of the members of the "Queen Band" in reality and the movie.
★ Movies
In the film, Freddie Mercury inadvertently sees a performance by Smile in 1970, and after the performance, Freddie meets up with the band's guitarist Brian May and drummer Roger Taylor to join the band. Coincidentally, "Smile" bassist and singer Tim Stafell had just quit the band. At first, Brian May and Roger Taylor were skeptical of Freddie, but finally convinced the two when Freddie improvised his ultra-wide vocal range spanning four octaves to sing their band's song "Doing Alright." After that, Freddie suggested changing the band's name to "Queen."
★ Reality
For the initial construction of "Queen", the film has done a lot of simplification, and the reality is much more complicated. Freddie was studying at the Ealing School of Art in London, where he met Smile's bassist Tim Stafer and two other members of the band, Brian May, who was studying for a PhD in astrophysics at Imperial College London, and Roger Taylor, a dental student who wanted to become a dentist. According to Brian May, Freddie tried to persuade him to join the band, but they both refused until Tim Staffer left the band in 1970.
When did Freddie and his girlfriend meet?
Freddie and his girlfriend Mary in the movie.
In the film, Freddie and his girlfriend Mary Austen met the night he joined the band "Smile," after which the two began dating to establish a relationship.
In reality, Freddie and his girlfriend Mary were once engaged.
In fact, guitarist Brian May had a brief date with Mary Austin. Freddie didn't become interested in the band until she became the lead singer of the band, and the two were engaged for a few years together. Mary was the most trusted person in Freddie's life, and after Freddie's death in 1991, most of the property (the house and more than $10 million worth of royalties) was given to her.
Is there really someone else for a record company executive?
Queen took the recorded album to EMI Records executive Ray Foster (Mike Myers) and wanted to release one of the songs, "Bohemian Rhapsody," as a single. Foster, on the other hand, didn't think the radio would broadcast the 6-minute song.
Mike Myers plays Emile Records executive Ray Foster in the film.
The character of EMI Records executive Ray Foster is fictional, and he was at best based on EMI Records CEO Roy Featherstone, a huge fan of Queen. However, he did complain that their song "Bohemian Rhapsody" was too long to be released as a single. That's the only similarity.
Did Queen disband?
In the film, Columbia signed a $4 million personal contract with Freddie to produce a solo album for him, which caused great dissatisfaction among the band members, and Freddie and the band members have been strained ever since.
The truth is far less dramatic. After 10 years on tour, the band members were tired in 1983 and wanted to take a break and focus on their personal careers, but they kept in touch and began writing again later that year.
Is the final concert a reunion premiere?
In the film, after Freddie "flew alone", the crowd defected, and after learning that London Wembley Stadium was going to hold a "live aid" large-scale charity rock concert, he took the initiative to find other members of "Queen" and said that they would participate in this rock concert together. The last 15 minutes of the film directly present the performance of "Queen" at the concert.
The pictures above and below are the reality and the "live aid" rock concert in the film.
The "Live Aid" rock concert, which took place in 1985, was not actually the premiere of "Queen" after Freddie's "solo flight". They released their album The Works in early 1984 and toured the world. Before the "live aid" performance, they had rehearsed very well.
Beijing News reporter Teng Chao Editor Huang Jialing Proofreader Zhao Lin Picture from the Network