Freddie Mercury - The Final Act

Queen were a massive pop band with a long string of catchy, distinctive hits, fronted by the extraordinary Freddie Mercury, who sadly died of AIDS. This documentary tells the story of his final years, and of the concert staged to honour his death. In small doses, I love a bit of Queen, but sometimes it seems that the surviving band members do nothing else in their lives these days but milk the nostalgia. Moreover, it seems that Freddie did his dying away from his working; although messars May and Taylor speak sensitively and sympathetically about their bandmate, it's also clear they had minor roles in his "final act." So I liked this documentary, but there's not a lot here that anyone interested won't have been before.

The music was solid. They pushed hard against linking his lifestyle choices with his death. They talk about Rock Hudson's death from AIDS and poo-poo people linking the lifestyle with the disease. They make fun of the president for saying "gay cancer" as a slang for AIDS although almost all deaths then made that link. Today they have a 600% greater chance of AIDS but QUEEN defends Freddie's lifestyle. They say people didn't understand him. Remember in BOHEMIAN RHAPSODY when he was in truck stops sharing needles and toilet stalls? That is all choice. They talk to boyfriends of his and they talk about his choices that killed him. The show goes into "gay plague" and fight the fact it was appropriate. Rock Hudson, Freddie Mercury, George Michael, Liberachi, Jermaine Stewart, David Cole, Easy E, etc. Great music. Very sad.

I'll put the header as a warning !!

This whole documentary is an emotional journey . When we look back now at those years and our very blinkered views .

This was a heartwarming tribute to a wonderful singer songwriter that adored life and showed it . Taken far to early through nothing more than loving life

If it doesn't put a lump in your throat and a tear in your eye !!

Queen have been in a lot of documentaries, but this one, about the last years of their frontman, Freddie Mercury, is brilliant. Reports and interviews about the rise and devastation of AIDS are interspersed with Mercury's sad journey of having to hide his illness and homosexuality, then later coming to a degree of acceptance and peace. The interviewee list is illuminating - not just famous people but his sister, friends and house staff. George Michael's cousin gives an interesting insight into how Michael's singing at Mercury's memorial concert was personally significant for Michael. The belated appearance of Axl Rose to duet with Elton John on Bohemian Rhapsody is electrifying. It sounds obvious, but that concert showed just how great a musician Mercury was. And how much he was adored by fans. As a Def Leppard singer points out, though, the early 1990s was a strange time, because there was still a lot of homophobia around, but at the same time, people were starting to come out of the closet. Maybe the doco glosses over the downsides about Freddie's life a bit too much, but it does a decent job, and points out they millions still die of AIDS due to lack of access to drugs, and suffer persecution..

I won't give any spoilers; just want to write I'm so thankful for this (and trying to find re-air in US) as it felt I learned more about Freddie's truth...

He seemed an angel for me as his music was so excellent; and I thought his bandmates and he were special relationships not many of us are lucky enough to have.

To share their deepest feelings in this doc was proof of the love Brian, Freddie, John, and Roger, and others felt. Truly a great tribute to those we've lost...

I want to add, in the early 90s when in the corp kitchen for morning coffee, the TV blasted that researchers found HIV and/or AIDS was NOT a "gay disease"; dishes clattered to tables and floors and gasps were heard... we all knew we all could fall to these diseases... and those who disparaged "gays" worried the most, I think...