Actors: Freddie Mercury
Rated: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Eagle Rock Entertainment
Release Date: September 25, 2012
Run Time: 107 minutes
Film: 3.5 out of 5 stars
Extras: 3 out of 5 stars
Freddie Mercury is one of those musicians that had such an amazing personality and yet also had this very different side to him besides his persona in Queen. “Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender” is a rare documentary that really does deep into this career and gets you to know the real Freddie Mercury. The film is packed with amazing archival interview footage. His interviews are slightly awkward but that just adds to the mystery behind his character. If you are Queen fan, you don’t need me to tell you how you need to see this. This is highly recommended.
Official Premise: Created by the same team behind last year’s widely acclaimed “Queen: Days of Our Lives” BBC documentary, “The Great Pretender” in similar vein presents a compelling insight into its subject matter, unearthing previously undiscovered or rarely seen footage and presented for the first time in High Definition. Produced and directed by Rhys Thomas, the programme uses extensive archive footage to reveal more than ever before the inside story of Freddie’s life and career and the solo projects he worked on outside of Queen, including rare interviews with Freddie, concerts, video shoots and personal material, much of it being seen for the first time, along with newly filmed contributions from fellow Queen members Brian May and Roger Taylor, Queen manager Jim Beach, soprano Montserrat Caballé, composers David Arnold and Mike Moran, lyricist Tim Rice, comedian and lifelong fan Matt Lucas and many more.
Eagle Rock Entertainment is the company behind this release and behind most great music releases. The video quality only is presented with its 1080i transfer, like most Eagle Rock releases. There are mixed aspect ratios ranging from 1.78:1 and 1.33:1 for the interview and concert footage. So don’t expect full HD for the archival footage. The audio track included a solid LPCM 2.0 track, which works well with the music and dialogue. The special features included are also decent. “Freddie Mercury Goes Solo” is from a April 1985 interview discussing first solo album. There is an extended interview with Montserrat Caballé, with subtitles, about her work with Mercury. Lastly there is “Making Barcelona: Special Edition 2012” showcases Stuart Morley as he tries to re-created the original album.