HISTORIC: The journey of the rock and roll band, Queen, was immortalized in the 2018 film, Bohemian Rhapsody.
By Tanner Rowland, Staff Writer
Queen was not lying when they sang the famous lyric, ¨we will rock you.¨ In fact, Queen did more than just rock the world, leaving a legacy for themselves as one of the most successful and influential rock and roll bands of all time. Releasing their debut album Queen in 1973, the group was able to deliver their first hit single, ¨Seven Seas of Rhye.¨ From that time forward, the band has shown the public time and time again that there’s no one that can rock like they can. After leaving such an impact on the music industry, 20th Century Fox, New Regency, and GK Films decided to come together and create a movie in order to honor the imprint Queen left on the music world today. Released on October 23, Bohemian Rhapsody fulfills and exceeds that purpose.
Bohemian Rhapsody includes some of Queen’s top hits, incorporating songs ¨Another One Bites The Dust,¨ ¨Somebody to Love,¨ ¨Killer Queen¨ and more into the film. With all of the songs written and produced by Queen, director Bryan Singer was able to show the behind the scenes of how their music arose to the surface. Using only a simple strum of a guitar, creating the beat of ¨Another One Bites the Dust¨ and a couple experimental stomps and claps from friends and family, introducing the hit ¨We Will Rock You,¨ the movie was able to show how Queen’s most successful music was made. The film not only reveals how the band created their top songs but also gives the audience an idea of what life was like for the members of Queen off stage, especially Freddie Mercury. Although Mercury made it clear that he was not the face of the band, and that he was only the lead singer, the movie revolves around his life and how fame defined it. The film portrays Mercury’s failed engagement, a realization of sexuality, change in character and more. With the release of Bohemian Rhapsody, the public was further introduced to the real lives of the members of Queen, revealing secrets from their highest peak that may never have been revealed.
With good music comes thrilling performances, which Queen provided during their years of rock and roll. The film depicted performances from Rio, Madison Square Garden, and their biggest concert ever, Live Aid. Throughout the movie, the audience is able to recognize the growth in Queen, growing in popularity, musical abilities, and confidence on stage. With Mercury stealing each show with his remarkable vocal range, along with the performances by Brian May (keyboard), Roger Taylor (drums) and John Deacon (guitar), attending one of Queen’s shows was like unlike the ordinary. The rock and roll band was known for their intensity on stage, which dedicated actors and producers replicated in Bohemian Rhapsody.
In the film, Ben Hardy played Roger, Gwilym Lee played Brian, Joseph Mazzello played John and Rami Malek played Freddie. During a Jimmy Fallon interview, Malek discussed what shooting Bohemian Rhapsody was like while playing such an influential singer in the music industry. He stated that ¨I have these teeth that I wear and the first time I put them in my mouth, I was incredibly insecure and then I found myself compensating. I just started sitting up straight and being more elegant. He had the best posture, and you just start to think ‘oh, these are the reasons he is who he is,¨ Malek commented. For Malek, transforming into Mercury was not a simple task; it took a lot of self-confidence and reliability. All of the actors and actresses portrayed the life of Queen in a very realistic form, making the film that much more fascinating and engaging.
The film Bohemian Rhapsody was able to take the legacy of Queen and adapt it into a movie that generations can watch for years to come. It has had the ability to bring back some of the top chart tunes, and introduce it to generations that were not around during the 1970’s and 80’s rock and roll time period. The release of Bohemian Rhapsody shows the world the journey of Queen and recalls the legacy they left on the music industry. As long as Queen’s music will be available to the public, people will continue to be going ¨Radio Ga Ga¨ over their top hits.