Bryan Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody is characterized by cinematic elements of a musical biopic, following the dramatic and unique life of Freddie Mercury throughout his years as lead singer of Queen. The film provides background on Freddie Mercury’s past, including everything from his Indian Parsi roots, to how he became lead singer of the band that was globally known and loved in the 1970s. Singer has produced a number of Science Fiction movies including the X-Men series, which sharply contrast the cinematic characteristics and style of Bohemian Rhapsody.
This Singer film can be compared to the documentary Don’t Look Back, the D.A Pennebaker movie following Bob Dylan on his tour of England in 1965. Although the genres differ slightly, both films are characterized by music solely from the artist being focused on. In Bohemian Rhapsody, the whole film is marked by popular Queen songs, and in Don’t Look Back the same approach to the soundtrack is taken. Although in Bohemian Rhapsody, Freddie is not played by the real Freddie Mercury, it still gives strong insight to his life and background. Bohemian Rhapsody can be classified as a biopic because it fictionally portrays the nonfiction story of the life of Freddie Mercury through the actor Rami Malek. These movies are unique and often challenging for actors, who must take on the role of a character already known by the audience (Hellerman). In this film Rami Malek is able to closely resemble and act like the real Freddie Mercury. Biopics often use the main characters to reveal an important movement or discovery made in history (Hellerman). In this film’s case, Singer uses Freddie Mercury to show how the 1970s were a difficult time for people of the LGBTQ+ community, homosexuals in particular. Freddie struggles with opening up about his sexuality to the media–who are shown continuously interrogating him in interviews– as well as his fellow band members and traditional family. It is a clear focus of Singer to emphasize the way homosexuality tended to ostrasize people during this time period. This film can speak to people living today, who are reminded of the struggles the LGBTQ+ community went through to achieve the acceptance they thankfully have today. It also serves as a reminder for society to continue to treat everyone equally, and is relevant today as politics become a heated and dividing force in America especially. Bohemian Rhapsody fits into the film category of “New Queer Cinema”, focusing on the life of a successful and famous gay star, yet relating to all, even current members of the LGBTQ+ community. This film takes place during the Gay Libertarian Movement in America, where members of the gay community were urged to unite and speak out against societal driven shame.
Both Singer and Pennebaker reveal the behind the scenes life of famous musicians, giving insight to the fact that rock and roll is not as glamorous as it may seem. Bob Dylan and Freddie Mercury dabbled in drugs and alcohol, which was emphasized in both films alike. Along with the approach to conveying their themes, both Pennebaker and Singer use exclusively diegetic sound in their films. Similarly to Don’t Look Back, Bohemian Rhapsody contains cinematic elements of a musical, including songs and dances performed by the main characters, woven into the narrative of the film (Film Reference). Singer’s Bohemian Rhapsody displays clear cinematic elements of both a biopic and a musical while hinting at societal issues and a greater theme about rock and roll stars.
