Bohemian Rhapsody (film)
Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical musical drama film that focuses on the life of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of the British rock band Queen, from the formation of the band in 1970 to their 1985 Live Aid performance at the original Wembley Stadium. It was directed by Bryan Singer[a] from a screenplay by Anthony McCarten, and produced by Graham King and Queen manager Jim Beach. It stars Rami Malek as Mercury, with Lucy Boynton, Gwilym Lee, Ben Hardy, Joe Mazzello, Aidan Gillen, Tom Hollander, and Mike Myers in supporting roles. Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor also served as consultants. A British-American venture, it was produced by Regency Enterprises, GK Films and Queen Films, and was distributed by 20th Century Fox.
For the song, see Bohemian Rhapsody.Bohemian Rhapsody
- Anthony McCarten
- Peter Morgan
- 20th Century Fox[1]
- Regency Enterprises[1]
- GK Films[1]
- Queen Films[1]
20th Century Fox[1]
- 23 October 2018 (Wembley Arena)
- 24 October 2018 (United Kingdom)
- 2 November 2018 (United States)
135 minutes[2]
English
$910.8 million[6]
Bohemian Rhapsody was announced in 2010, with Sacha Baron Cohen set to play Mercury. After he left the project in 2013 following creative differences with producers, the project languished for several years before Malek was cast in November 2016. Singer served as director through most of principal photography, which began in London in September 2017, but was fired in December 2017 due to frequent absences and clashes with the cast and crew. Dexter Fletcher, who was originally set to direct when the project was early in development, was hired to complete the film; Singer retained sole director credit as per Directors Guild of America guidelines, while Fletcher received an executive producer credit. Filming concluded in January 2018.
The film was released in the United Kingdom on 24 October 2018 and in the United States on 2 November 2018, to mixed reviews. While the musical sequences and Malek's performance were particularly praised,[8] Singer's direction, the film's portrayal of Mercury and other personnel,[9][10] and its use of creative licence[11][12] were criticized. However, it was well received by audiences and became a major box office success, grossing over $910.8 million worldwide on a production budget of about $50 million, becoming the sixth-highest-grossing film of 2018 worldwide and setting the all-time box office records for the biographical[b] and drama genres.[15] Bohemian Rhapsody received numerous accolades, including a leading four wins at the 91st Academy Awards for Best Actor (Malek), Best Film Editing, Best Sound Editing and Best Sound Mixing; it was also nominated for Best Picture. The film also won Best Motion Picture – Drama at the 76th Golden Globe Awards, and was nominated for the Producers Guild of America Award for Best Theatrical Motion Picture and BAFTA Award for Best British Film, while Malek won the Golden Globe, Screen Actors Guild and BAFTA for Best Actor.
Plot[edit]
In 1985, Queen wait backstage to perform at Live Aid. Fifteen years earlier, in 1970, Farrokh Bulsara works as a baggage handler at Heathrow Airport and lives with his parents and sister. He goes to a pub to see the band Smile perform. Seeking them out after the show, he meets and is attracted to Mary Austin, who works at the boutique Biba. He finds drummer Roger Taylor and guitarist Brian May and learns that their lead singer and bassist, Tim Staffell, has just quit to join Humpy Bong. Farrokh offers himself as a replacement singer and impresses them with his vocal ability. Farrokh seeks out Mary at Biba and they start dating. The band plays gigs across Britain with Farrokh as the lead singer and new bassist John Deacon. Farrokh pushes them to think bigger and sells their van to finance a record album. An A&R rep from EMI asks engineer Roy Thomas Baker for demos.
Farrokh changes his name to Freddie Mercury and renames the band Queen. They sign with John Reid, who books an American tour. Paul Prenter, who is attracted to Freddie, manages their daily schedule. An appearance on Top of the Pops gives Queen their first hit, "Killer Queen". Freddie proposes to Mary but begins questioning his sexuality. In 1975, Queen record their fourth studio album, A Night at the Opera, placing extensive effort into recording Freddie's magnum opus, "Bohemian Rhapsody". However, they quit EMI when executive Ray Foster refuses to release it as the album's lead single. Freddie conspires with radio DJ Kenny Everett to debut the song on his program. Despite critical pans, "Bohemian Rhapsody" becomes a global hit, launching Queen to international superstardom. Following a world tour, Freddie begins an affair with Paul and comes out to Mary as bisexual. She counters that he is gay and they call off the engagement but remain close friends.
The band's success continues into the 1980s with the songs "We Will Rock You" and "Another One Bites the Dust", but tensions arise over Paul's influence on Freddie. At a lavish party at his home, Freddie is attracted to a waiter, Jim Hutton, who tells Freddie to find him when he learns self-acceptance. Paul encourages Reid to persuade Freddie to go solo, but when the idea offends Freddie, Paul feigns ignorance and Freddie fires Reid without consulting the band. Freddie's relationship with the band further deteriorates after the campy music video for "I Want to Break Free", where the band appears in drag, backfires and he signs a $4-million solo deal with CBS Records, effectively breaking up the band. He records his 1984 solo album Mr. Bad Guy in Munich and engages in drugs and gay orgies with Paul, but starts to feel unwell. Mary, now married and pregnant, visits unexpectedly and urges him to return to Queen and participate in the benefit concert Live Aid. Realizing that Paul withheld news of Live Aid from him and has been a corrosive influence, Freddie fires him. In retaliation, Paul goes public about Freddie's sexual escapades.
Freddie returns to London to reconcile with the band and persuade them to play at Live Aid as a last-minute addition. He learns that he has AIDS and reveals his condition to the band, but brushes off their sympathy, wishing to focus on performing and making music for however long he has left. The band embraces in solidarity. On the day of Live Aid, Freddie reconnects with Jim Hutton, Mary, and his family, and heeds his father's Zoroastrian maxim, "Good thoughts, good words, good deeds". Freddie and the band are in top form at Live Aid, performing several hits including "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Ga Ga", and "We Are the Champions", and helping to increase donations.
A series of intertitles recount Freddie's final years with Mary and Jim, his death in 1991 at age 45, and the establishment of the Mercury Phoenix Trust by the band and their lawyer-turned-manager Jim "Miami" Beach.
Production[edit]
Development[edit]
Plans for a film about Queen were revealed in September 2010 by the band's guitarist Brian May. Covering the period up to Live Aid in 1985, the film was to feature Sacha Baron Cohen as Freddie Mercury, with Graham King to co-produce, and Peter Morgan to write the screenplay.[25] May confirmed in April 2011 that the production was moving forward. He approved of Baron Cohen as Mercury but had reservations about the project's possible direction. The band's concerns focused on avoiding any harm to Mercury's legacy.[26]
In July 2013, Baron Cohen left the project due to creative differences. Allegedly, he had wanted a "gritty R-rated tell-all" focused on Mercury, while the band hoped for a PG-rated film about the band.[27] May said later in 2013 that Baron Cohen had left the project on good terms. Comments by May and Roger Taylor suggested that Baron Cohen was too well known as a comedian and prankster (due largely to his fictional personae Ali G and Borat), and that his presence in the film would be distracting.[28] In March 2016, Baron Cohen spoke about misunderstandings with Queen about the subject and events of the film, in particular, whether the story ought to continue past Mercury's 1991 death. He also mentioned artistic disagreements with the band over the composition of the production team, referring specifically to Cohen recruiting Morgan, David Fincher, and Tom Hooper.[29][30]
Following Baron Cohen's departure, in December 2013, Ben Whishaw was mentioned as a possible replacement to play Mercury. Also at this time, Dexter Fletcher was selected as the film's director.[31] Fletcher removed himself from the project early the following year, amid reports of creative disagreements with King.[32] In August 2014, Whishaw suggested that the film was not progressing well and that there had been scripting problems.[33] Whishaw left the project seven months later.[34] Rumours followed in 2015 that Baron Cohen had rejoined the project,[34] or that Whishaw might return.[35]
In November 2015, screenwriter Anthony McCarten became attached to the project, which now had the working title of Bohemian Rhapsody after Queen's song of the same name.[35] Developing a fresh take on the story from his interviews with May and Taylor, he delivered his first draft in February 2016. A year later, Bryan Singer was in talks to take over as director, Rami Malek was cast as Mercury, and the film was fast-tracked by 20th Century Fox and New Regency.[36] It was reported in 2015 that Johnny Flynn was due to play Roger Taylor and that Gemma Arterton would play Mercury's partner Mary Austin.[37]
In May 2017, Malek confirmed that he had conducted recordings at Abbey Road Studios and had consulted Taylor and May.[38] The same month, Entertainment Weekly reported that Taylor and May were serving as music producers.[38] In August 2017, Justin Haythe was revealed to have penned another draft of the script.[39]
Casting[edit]
On 4 November 2016, it was announced that Rami Malek would star as Freddie Mercury,[40] after the producers saw his work in Mr. Robot.[41] He had to make a pre-recording at Abbey Road Studios, which was sent to Queen members for approval.[42] On 21 August 2017, additional cast members were announced: Ben Hardy as drummer Roger Taylor, Gwilym Lee as lead guitarist Brian May, and Joseph Mazzello as bass guitarist John Deacon.[18] On 30 August 2017, it was reported that Allen Leech had been cast in the film to play Mercury's personal manager, Paul Prenter, who worked for him from 1977 to 1987, when he was fired for betraying Mercury by selling his personal information to UK newspapers.[20]
On 6 September 2017, Lucy Boynton was cast to play Mercury's long-term girlfriend, Mary Austin. Lindsey Stirling, Bryce Dallas Howard, Maria Bello and Ashley Johnson were also considered.[17] On 11 September 2017, Mike Myers joined the cast to play EMI executive Ray Foster,[21] and on 22 September 2017, Aaron McCusker was added to play Mercury's long-term boyfriend Jim Hutton.[22] On 26 September 2017, it was announced that Aidan Gillen had been cast as John Reid, Queen's second manager, from 1975 to 1978, who took over from Norman Sheffield of Trident Studios; while Tom Hollander was set to play Jim Beach, Queen's third manager, who took over from John Reid in 1978.[43] The film includes cameos by current Queen vocalist Adam Lambert as a truck driver and the film's editor John Ottman as a live TV director. Luke Deacon, son of John Deacon, also makes a cameo appearance as a college student, attending the pub where Smile plays.[44][45]
Filming[edit]
Pre-production began in July 2017 in the United Kingdom, with principal photography commencing in London in September 2017.[46] Queen archivist Greg Brooks was instrumental in helping recreate each scene to make it as true to life as possible. He worked daily with Fox for months from the beginning, providing answers to questions.[47] There were about a hundred extras, who were all individually scanned 360° and digitally replicated to imitate a larger crowd.[45] The entire Live Aid performance was filmed on a giant set at the former airfield RAF Bovingdon, but in the final cut "We Will Rock You" and "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" were cut out.[45]
When Malek was contacted about playing Mercury, he had only a casual knowledge of Queen. To embody Mercury, Malek had to work many intense sessions with a movement coach (as well as learn to talk with prosthetic teeth).[48] Malek's protruding teeth were crafted by artist Chris Lyons.[49] Besides examining Mercury's movements, they also watched footage of Liza Minnelli, who was an inspiration to Mercury's stage moves.[50] Malek took singing and piano lessons and had an accent coach.[50] He said, "I had to re-create things he did on the fly, onstage. There were many days I said to myself, 'This is a lost cause.'" After finishing the film, Malek said that he became a "Queen super-fan", specifying, "I see Freddie as the best performer of all time... I never ceased to be astonished by this man."[48] While Malek sang some parts in the film, producers inserted vocal stems from Queen songs as well as filling in parts with Canadian vocalist Marc Martel, a winner of the Queen Extravaganza Live Tour auditions.[48][51]
Reception[edit]
Box office[edit]
Bohemian Rhapsody grossed $216.7 million in the United States and Canada, and $694.1 million in other territories, for a total worldwide gross of $910.8 million, against a production budget of about $52 million.[6]
On 11 November, it surpassed Straight Outta Compton ($201.6 million) to become the highest-grossing musical biopic of all-time.[97] Bohemian Rhapsody went on to set box office records for the highest-grossing biographical film until Oppenheimer,[73][98][99] and the highest-grossing LGBT film.[100] It also set the record for the highest-grossing conventional drama film (it was surpassed by Joker one year later).[101] It is Fox's fourth highest-grossing film, and their fifth highest outside of North America.[102]
Deadline Hollywood calculated the net profit of the film to be $350.8 million, when factoring together all expenses and revenue, making it the fourth most profitable release of 2018.[95] However, in November 2021, after McCarten sued producer Graham King over lack of payments, it was revealed 20th Century Fox wrote down the film as a $51 million loss, an act attributed to Hollywood accounting.[103]