Bohemian Rhapsody - Trivia, Questions and Fun Facts

[discussimdb]

Fan of Bohemian Rhapsody or just want to share your movie knowledge? This topic is dedicated to all trivia and questions related to Bohemian Rhapsody

[addison]

The guitar used in the film is a faithful depiction of Brian May's actual guitar, the "Red Special", which he and his father built in the early 1960s. Additionally, the film depicts a heavy use of Vox amplifiers by May, also accurately showing what he used during these years.

[duane]

During long shots of the stage at the Live Aid performance, bits of the actual 1985 performance are shown on the video screens hanging on the sides of the stage to coincide with the movie performance.

[carla]

No mention is made of Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury sharing a flat and selling clothes at a Kensington market stall in 1969, before the latter joining the band Smile, in which Taylor was the drummer, in 1970.

[kyle]

Lucy Boynton has said that artistic license was employed in Bohemian Rhapsody's portrayal of Mary Austin's story to protect her privacy, though the filmmakers made efforts to keep core essence of her relationship with Freddie Mercury intact.

[stephanie]

Near completion of filming, director Bryan Singer was fired over creative disagreements and his unexplained absences, and replaced by Dexter Fletcher. Fletcher directed 16 days of filming and oversaw post-production, but the Director's Guild of America (DGA) deemed that sole credit for directing the movie belonged to Singer. The situation did not stop the studio from putting Singer's name up for awards consideration as Best Director, though. However, the well-documented troubles during production most likely prevented him from receiving any nominations in that category.

[brent]

Elton John and Freddie Mercury were very good friends in real life but John admits himself he was seething after seeing Queen's Live Aid set go down so well with the audience and on TV. Apparently he stormed up to Mercury after the band came off and only half jokingly said "You absolute bastard, you totally stole it. Nobody will be able to beat that" much to Mercury's pleasure.

[richard]

After the first official trailer for the film was released on May 15th, 2018, heavy backlash was received due to the "lack of portrayal of Mercury's sexuality." However, a scene is shown in the trailer featuring an intimate moment between Freddie Mercury and another man.

[steve]

Smile front man Tim Staffell did quit the band, leaving an opening for a lead vocalist, though Freddie Mercury was not unknown to Brian May and Roger Taylor as depicted in the film.

[frederick]

During the band meeting in Jim Beach's office, Brian May scoffs, "Who are these four dinosaurs? Where's Madonna?". Madonna was on the Live Aid bill at JFK Stadium in Philadelphia, performing "Holiday", "Into The Groove" and "Love Makes The World Go Round." Madonna's set is considered the highlight of Live Aid Philadelphia.

[kenneth]

While Queen are sitting in their trailer waiting to take the stage at Live Aid, the live audio of Dire Straits' performance of "Sultans of Swing" can be heard in the background. Dire Straits was the band that performed before Queen at Wembley Stadium that day.

[ava]

The first scene the cast shot was their entrance on stage at Live Aid. "Bohemian Rhapsody" was shot the first day, "Radio Gaga" the next day and so on, before shooting a full run through at the end. The cast had been practicing every little movement for 5 weeks prior and have said they think the production company wanted to know upfront that they could nail this iconic scene. But producer Graham King said that the reason they filmed it first was because of weather. It was filmed in late October early November, and he didn't want it to get too cold or soggy outside due to London weather being unpredictable sometimes.

[terry]

Playlist of Queen's Live Aid gig: "Bohemian Rhapsody", "Radio Ga Ga", call-and-response with the audience by Freddie Mercury (often nicknamed "Ay-Oh"), "Hammer To Fall", "Crazy Little Thing Called Love" (with an ending resembling that of "You're My Best Friend"), "We Will Rock You" (not seen in the film and only available as a Blu-Ray extra), "We Are The Champions". Later at night, Freddie and Brian May would return to stage to perform "Is This The World We Created".

[cameron]

The large black-and-white portrait seen in Mercury's mansion at the beginning and the middle of the film is of Marlene Dietrich in Shanghai Express (1932). In this portrait, Dietrich is looking up to a light with arms crossed and fingers spread out. This portrait was the inspiration behind the album cover for "Queen II" and the prominent 4-faces shot of the band in the Queen: Bohemian Rhapsody (1975) music video. Queen photographer Mick Rock showed Freddie Mercury the portrait of Dietrich and Mercury loved it.

[ivan]

Rami Malek's movement coach for the part had him study Liza Minnelli in Cabaret (1972), as well as performances by Jimi Hendrix, David Bowie, and Aretha Franklin. Supposedly, these were the key inspirations for Freddie Mercury's performing style.

[brent]

Joseph Mazzello has said that "Bohemian Rhapsody" was the very first song he downloaded on Napster.

[maureen]

The scene where Freddie throws a brick through Ray Foster's office window is fictitious, but there is an element of truth to it. In the documentary Queen: Days of Our Lives (2011), former Queen manager John Reid tells the story of Freddie Mercury throwing a brick through his window after Reid walked out on him in the middle of a meal at a restaurant.

[violet]

The film accurately depicts that vocalist/bassist Tim Staffell left Smile to join a band called "Humpy Bong". The band was founded by ex-The Bee Gees Australian drummer Colin Petersen and Irish folk-rock singer Jonathan Kelly. The band name is a two-word variation of the name of a school Petersen attended in Australia. Despite its early promise based on the industry connections of Petersen and the talent of frontman Kelly, the band only released one single, performed twice on Top of the Pops (1964), and never played a single live gig. Staffell retired for the most part from music in the late 1970s. He had a second career focusing on modelmaking and animation, working on projects such as The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (1981) and Thomas the Tank Engine & Friends (1984).

[gerald]

Freddie Mercury was entranced by the musicianship and style of Jimi Hendrix. After Hendrix performed 'Hey Joe' on the BBC in 1966, Freddie began following the artist, attending at least 14 Hendrix shows in the UK within a few months.

[kim]

The cat person Freddie Mercury is portrayed as in the film is apparently close to reality. In his biography written by Lesley-Ann Jones, friends state that he would often call home from tour asking to talk to the cats, and make sure the TV was turned on for shows broadcast live so that the cats could watch. Delilah was reportedly his favourite, even making it to become a song on the album Innuendo.