20th May, 2024
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Hungarian Rhapsody QUEEN - Live at Budapest

This July 1986 concert film part of the Magic tour is memorable, the reason being it was the first concert Queen played in Hungary, making them the first western band to perform a stadium show ever. By the look of a sea of humanity, it could be concluded that this was a sold out concert.

The film opens up with old recordings of the band mates in different places (including Hungary), hanging out with fans, doing interviews, publicity events. Freddie's visit to Paris is well documented, and his refusing to acknowledge the existence of the Eiffel Tower is funny. This gives fan a high, watching Freddie's jokes and quaint humor. Their arrival at the stadium in helicopters is mind blowing. The film then moves on to the concert. Queen was happy to play for a new audience who had never heard them and were exposed to their own kind of Hungarian music only. Hungary's top film cameraman and technicians were formed to record it and present it thsi recording to us as we see it now.

This is a killer show featuring a good mix of (then) new songs, from the pulsating opener One Vision, a killer A Kind of Magic, a stunning Who Wants to Live Forever and a great but short Friends Will Be Friends to classics Tie Your Mother Down, In the Lap of the Gods, a short version of Seven Seas of Rhye, Tear it Up, to Under Pressure, Now I'm Here, and the acoustic heart touching Love of My Life and Is This the World We Created.

The concert playlist also includes favorites like the rocking Crazy Little Thing Called Love and the biggest hit of Queen, Bohemian Rhapsody, a song written by Freddie Mercury for the band's 1975 album A Night at the Opera. The song has no chorus, instead consisting of three main parts: a ballad segment ending with a guitar solo, an operatic passage, and a heavy rock section. The concert film ends with Radio Ga Ga, We Will Rock you and We Are the Champions.

Queen and especially Freddie is with the audience every step of the way. The reason for this was that the band had the ability to make everyone in the audience feel like they were part of a great occasion.

In one of the interviews, when asked if Queen will return to Budapest to play another concert in the future, Freddie says, "Well, I'll tell you what. If I'm alive, I'll come back." Queen never did.

The 118-minute film also has Freddie singing a folk tune, the Hungarian children’s song Tavaszi Szél Vizet Áraszt much to the amazement of the crowd who joined him singing it.

After watching this film, the viewer will agree that Queen easily is among the top five rock bands of all time, and Freddie's voice, everlasting, making him one of music's greatest male voice ever. Watching Freddie do his crotch grab with the microphone and other antics on stage brought a tear to the eye to think that a few years later, in the late 80s, he was no more succumbing to HIV AIDS.

Guitarist Brian May, bass player John Deacon and drummer Roger Taylor, play their hearts out to singer - songwriter Freddie. Freddie’s voice soars, his vocals are crisp and each word very audible. He's wonderful to watch, his buck teeth and his infamous smile, leave you wondering what a singer this Indian born Brit was. It's more than just a concert. It's a living testimony to Queen.

Reviewed by Verus Ferreira

The author was invited by PVR Cinemas to a press screening of the film.

 

 


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