Watch "Bohemian Rhapsody", then watch these movies

Sweet Charity (1969) and Cabaret (1972)

Another influence on Mercury – for the composition of "Bohemian Rhapsody" rather than for video – was that of Bob Fosse. Cabaret. Or it's the soundtrack, at least. Apparently, he was constantly listening to the music of the film while writing the melody in 1975. Interestingly, Cabaret is also, like Shanghai Express, set in 1931, but in Germany, while the Nazis took power. Mercury said about the movie in an interview with Circus magazine in 1977:

"One of my first inspirations came fromCabaret & # 39. I absolutely love Liza Minnelli, it's a real wow. The way she delivers her songs – pure energy. The way the lights enhance every movement of the show. I think you can see similarities in the excitement and energy of a queen show.

For his portrayal of Mercury, Malek studied Minnelli's live performances and his work in the film. The actor told Vanity Fair: "Sometimes we stayed in the dance studio to watch Cabaret again and again. Or Bob Fosse [choreography] in Sweet charity, and you see the elegance that he has and the balance that he has from them. " Sweet charity, a musical remake of Fellini Nights of Cabiria, stars Shirley Maclaine as a dancer for hire and one of her most iconic numbers is for the song "(Hey), Big Spender," which Queen has often performed in concert.

Live Help (1985)

Technically, this is a special live broadcast and one wonders if it is also a concert film. In any event, the documented event – long unavailable in an official format after the day of its occurrence – deserves to be closely monitored by the actual performance of Queen's Performance. Bohemian Rhapsody did an amazing job recreating the Wembley stadium as it was in 1985, as well as the band's show and appearance. And even if you can just find Queen's performance on YouTube, there is something to gain from watching Live Help in its entirety to understand why Queen was not only considered at the time as the best of the series, but was still considered by many to have given the best live performance of all time.

In addition to looking at the real Live Help I also recommend viewing other Queen concerts, some of which are simply available in the form of a basic video recording and others in the form of legitimate concert films. There is we will Rock You by Saul Swimmer (Never mind, The concert for Bangladesh), which documents performances in Montreal in 1981 and which was the subject of discussion about the relationship between the filmmaker and the group during its creation (there is a Blu-ray version of the documentary film shot in 35mm format, which also includes Queen's Live Help performance). There is also the picture of Gavin Taylor Queen Live at Wembley, which presents the complete return of the group to the Live Help in 1986, and Queen on Fire: Live in the bowl. All three are fan favorites and are often debated by the absolute queen to determine which one is the best.

The doors (1991)

Many musical biographies, including some group-based ones, came before Oliver Stone. The doorsbut it's the one that comes to mind as being closest to the model followed by Bohemian Rhapsody. Despite its title and apparent purpose, the film focuses primarily on the lead singer, who died too early. We see this singer (Jim Morrison, played by Val Kilmer) join the musicians by showing them the lyrics that he wrote, we see the band in a big TV show where they protest against a rule that was given to them and where a camera mistakenly focuses on that of the singer. at the crotch, and we see him at a strange party where his group mates feel uncomfortable and go away – as we also do in the movie Queen.

The big difference is that even though both movies play very badly with the facts and the timeline, at least The doors does so primarily for musical and thematic purposes, fueling Morrison's lyrics and mythology. Bohemian Rhapsody does it for a convenient narration. However, as a great lover of Doors, I will admit that I especially love Stone's film because of my love for music and mythology. Bohemian Rhapsody will also be popular for a long time with people who are huge fans of Queen.

Wayne's World (1992)

If you have not seen Wayne's World before you see Bohemian Rhapsodyyou will not get one of the biggest winks of the public. Mike Myers, who plays the main character in this Saturday Night Live spinoff, appears in the Queen's biopic as a fictional frame of EMI based on the real Roy Featherstone. In his big scenes, he is presented then delivered with "Bohemian Rhapsody", on which he fights with the group for its length. He also claims that children will never bang their heads in their cars, elbowing.

The whole thing is a nod to a famous sequence of Wayne's World Myers and his friends get up to sync and bang their heads while listening to that car tune. The allusion is overplayed, to the point that Myers could just as well look directly into the camera when he says the party is banging his head. And has an allusion already been much longer than the one she refers to? After Wayne's World, watch Wayne's World 2also for his tribute to The doors and his plot revolving around the planning of a Live Aid / Woodstock type concert.

Velvet Goldmine (1998)

When critics and the public complain about the authenticity of biopics, I think of Velvet gold, the perfect musical biopic that takes so many liberties and literally changes all the names. The fabulous Todd Haynes film taking place during the glam rock movement – overlapping with the period of Bohemian Rhapsody – talks about two singers (played by Jonathan Rhys Meyers and Ewan McGregor) whose stories are respectively based on the lives of David Bowie and Jobriath, as well as Lou Reed and Iggy Pop. Like Mercury, the first has a woman (Toni Collette), but yields more and more to his attraction to men, including the latter.

Despite being fictitious, Velvet gold is still able to be a jukebox musical using mainly pre-existing songs from such important bands as Roxy Music, T. Rex, the New York Dolls and The Stooges – as well as some original inspired by Bowie's success. The fact that it is not technically real people has probably slowed down its success. A real Bowie biopic would be a much bigger affair. Even a cameo portrait would be nice. As it would have been great for Bohemian Rhapsody present an actor (preferably Rhys Meyers) in the role of Bowie to view the recording of "Under Pressure"?

Walk Hard: The Story of Dewey Cox (2007)

It is not because a parody of a genre appears that it must cease to exist. Or continue with the same conventions that are dulled in comedy. In fact, we had more movies like This is the spinal tap after the publication of this fake documentary. And we will continue to get musical biopics on paper as a result of Walking hard. Let's hope that unlike Bohemian Rhapsodyothers will try freshness. Love and mercy we painted a picture of Brian Wilson's life despite Wilson's heavy parody in Walking hardfor example, but it's a better movie, so it was not criticized for the connection.

Here are some critical comments referring to this film: "There is something more tiresome than the movies that inspired the story of Dewey Cox, it's a movie that uses parody cursed by Jake Kasdan as a model "(IndieWire); "Biopic painfully by the numbers, squeezing the narrative into a Walking hard box "(Forbes);" Unironic remake of Walking hard"(Washington Post); "The kind of thing Walking hard was meant to prevent "(Newsday); "A structure that … is unforgivable since it's been parodied into Walking hard"(BBC); "fundamentally Walking hard without the parody "(Paste);" If hollow, even comic formula that even Dewey Cox's Walking hard could sneer "(AP);" Like Dewey Cox, Freddie Mercury "needs to think about all his life before playing" "(Slate) .And the Chicago Heroes Daily Herald has taken a further step by publishing an article titled"Walking hard remains a perfect parody of musical epics like Bohemian Rhapsody. Maybe biopics are not the only things that could use an infusion of original ideas.

Sing Street (2016)

If you like Lucy Boynton as a girlfriend and muse of the singer Bohemian Rhapsodyyou must watch this John Carney movie (Once) starring Boynton in a breathtaking performance as a girlfriend and muse of the fictional teen singer of the group of titanic high school girls of the 80s. The film, which also co-stars Bohemian Rhapsody The actor Aidan Gillen highlights an astonishing fashion. It is sadly underestimated in theaters and is still only a cult film as far as its popularity is concerned. Singing street should have received an Oscar nomination, which could have given him a little more attention, as noted our own John DiLillo:

"Singing street"The soundtrack is a delight to listen to, a confectionery pop that sneaks between slow constructions plaintive U2 and fantastic nonsense," as the young protagonists weave different styles. It's an explosion of heart, and everything is based on the song that should have won the Best Original Song in 2016, the culminating jam of the movie "Drive It Like You Stole It".

Untitled Rick James Biopic (?)

If you like Bohemian Rhapsody, you will surely love other biopics, including the upcoming Elton John movie Rocketman, directed by Dexter Fletcher, who finished the movie Queen when Bryan Singer was fired. And you're probably waiting for Rick James's biopic, which has been promised for more than a decade without anything being decided. I have a request for when it will finally happen: Queen's "Under Pressure" must appear on the soundtrack at some point, just as James's "Super Freak" is heard in Bohemian Rhapsody, probably as a wink at both songs, which will then be exploited as samples of very popular rap songs.

Bonus: The Guide to the Hitchhiker of the Galaxy (1981)

This recommendation is not a movie, so it's a bonus entry. One of the disposable characters in Bohemian Rhapsody is Tim Staffell (Jack Roth), singer Brian May and pre-queen group John Deacon, Smile. Staffell lacks a lot of meaning in the biopic, including the fact that he was with Mercury for a long time before he replaced the first in the group. He was not just a random guy who ran away and missed fame and fortune.

Staffell managed to have a regular, though less well-known, music career before and after the moments of Bohemian Rhapsody (He also recorded new voices for the film). And when he took leave of the music, he directed TV commercials and worked as a model and animator, creating in the most iconic way the original trains of the show for children. Thomas the locomotive and his friends and also contributes to the special effects of the six-part adaptation of the BBC's The Galactic Traveler's Guide. Hopefully we'll see what Staffell has exactly created for the series.