Bohemian Rhapsody (film)

Fandom
Name:	Bohemian Rhapsody
Abbreviation(s):	bohrhap
Creator:
Date(s):	2018
Medium:	live-action films
Country of Origin:	UK, USA
External Links:	Wikipedia, IMDB
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Bohemian Rhapsody is a 2018 biographical film about the British rock band Queen. It follows singer Freddie Mercury's life. Announced in 2010, by Queen's guitarist Brian May, the film had a long pre-production period largely because of the band's close involvement in the project. Notably, the film managed to see limited release in China with two minutes of content cut despite China's rigorous anti-gay censorship.

Canon

The film covers the period from the formation of Queen to the 1985 Live Aid concert.

Historical Accuracy

Like most biopics of films that are "based on a true story," Bohemian Rhapsody takes liberties with certain events for storytelling purposes. When asked about the historical accuracy of the film, writer Anthony McCarten said the following:

The film is accurate in all its most important details. Even the fact that I have Freddie learn that he had Aids before Live Aid is something his bandmates suspect was possibly the case, even though Fred didn’t tell friends or make it public for another two years. Brian and Roger were very good in both getting the facts straight and in allowing us to move small things around for dramatic impact. They understood that we’re making a movie here, not a documentary.

Controversies

The film was controversial for its ties to director Bryan Singer, who has been the subject of multiple allegations of sexual assault of minors, and fans of the film became controversial for their claim that they were appreciating the film separately from the creator, but were still supporting Singer financially. Actors and creators involved with the film faced questions about their decision to work with Singer (although he later left the production) while knowing about the allegations. Bohrhap fans faced further criticism for defending their actions.

Portrayal of Queerness

Many queer people also came forward expressing concerns with how Bohemian Rhapsody's surprising success could be harmful for depiction of queer characters in the future. Of particular concern was the fact that while the film didn't erase Freddie Mercury's homosexuality, it did erase his bisexuality and that was problematic.

Take another example, which has the script portraying Mercury as having been a gay man, even though pretty much any account confirms he was bisexual (there is some debate about this, though I am firmly in the camp that one particular scene when he comes out to his ex-fiancée Mary Austin that confirms the film's stance that he was gay). This erasure is not only a betrayal of Mercury himself but also plays into this very conservative notion that sexuality is a spectrum-less dichotomy of straight and gay. Worse still, as Bohemian Rhapsody forges on in an effort to appeal to as wide an audience as possible, it makes clear which side of that dichotomy it feels is superior.

From the moment Mercury comes out as "gay," the film portrays him as deeply self-loathing, with all the straight people around him reinforcing it by saying things like, "Your life is going to be very difficult," and, "Be careful!" Meanwhile, the queer people in his life (with one exception I'll get to later) are all pure evil, taking Mercury away from his "straight family" and into a wild life of partying and sex (though since this film is rated PG-13 to appeal to the widest audience possible, we don't even really see any of it — but judging from this actual footage of Mercury's 1985 birthday party, it doesn't look like a bad time to me).

- An open letter to the many fans of Bohemian Rhapsody from a concerned queer

Aja Romano writing for Vox stated that the film was "queerphobic," using old gay stereotypes instead of "giving us a fascinating, complex look at a real gay man."

The result is far more hurtful than your average unconsciously homophobic film. Bohemian Rhapsody is a movie that consciously tries to position a gay man at its center while strategically disengaging with the “gay” part as much as it can, flitting briefly over his emotional and sexual experiences and fixating on his platonic relationship with an ex-girlfriend instead. It strips Mercury of a part of his identity that was as vital to his success as his four-octave vocal range. After all, it was his choice to live at the crossroads of mainstream culture and queer culture, to subvert the cultural exploitation of queerness by transcending it and embracing his personal and sexual power, that made him who he was.

There was also much discussion related to the fact that the only prominent gay character in much of the film is as close as the film gets to having a "villain." The problem with Paul Prenter's portrayal and positioning as the sole gay voice in the film is described by Naveen Kumar as follows:

But rather than show even chaste scenes of affection between Freddie and Paul (or any man for that matter), the movie casts Paul as the instigator and eventually the story’s outright villain. The two are implied to be at least sexually involved, if not romantically, though none of that appears on screen. Paul persuades the frontman to sign his own record deal, essentially breaking up the band. Freddie’s time sequestered with Paul in Munich working on his solo records is clearly construed as his rock bottom — Paul isolates Freddie from his loved ones, most especially Mary Austin, while leather-clad gay revelers trash his homestead. When Freddie is diagnosed with HIV shortly afterward, it’s easy enough to see why and hard not to think the movie considers it some kind of retribution.

- Bohemian Rhapsody’s Queer Representation Is Downright Dangerous

"Bury Your Gays"

Around the release of the film, a user on Tumblr got an ask expressing disappointment that "even" Bohemian Rhapsody contained the bury your gays trope. This sparked a discussion on what the term itself meant and the importance of not erasing one of the most prominent deaths to come out of the AIDS crisis. It also, as is Tumblr's way, sparked more joking responses based on the film's title.

Fandom

Shipping

• Brian May/Roger Taylor
• John Deacon/Freddie Mercury
• Jim Hutton/Freddie Mercury
• Freddie Mercury/Roger Taylor

Fanworks

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.

FanFic

• Roger's Boys by spn1dneedit. Polyamory, Roger Taylor/Everyone.
• Give Love (That One More Chance) by BlueSelenitas (lillylua). The longest Bohemian Rhapsody fic on AO3.

FanArt

Examples Wanted: Editors are encouraged to add more examples or a wider variety of examples.