The Great Pretender (Video 2012)

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Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender

Mar 16 1987

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Complete Queen concert from Milton Keynes Bowl, 5th June 1982. Tracklist: Flash, The Hero, We Will Rock You (Fast), Action This Day, Play the Game, Staying Power, Somebody to Love, Now I'm ... See full summary »

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The benefit concert in memory of Freddie Mercury, the lead singer of Queen, who died of AIDS in November 1991.

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Freddie Mercury was born on the Tanzanian island of Zanzibar. His parents, Bomi and Jer Bulsara, sent him off to a private school in India, from 1955 til 1963. In 1964, he and his family ... See full synopsis »

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The movie contains two concerts of the British rock band Queen. The first concert is their show at Montreal in November 1981. The second concert is their live performance at Live Aid in 1985.

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On 27th July 1986, British stadium rock band Queen broke new ground by playing for the first time in Hungary, a country which was still under a communist dictatorship behind the Iron Curtain.

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Renowned as one of the greatest performers of the 20th century Freddie Mercury pushed the boundaries of art and music as he lead his band Queen to international stardom. His limitless vocal... See full summary »

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Documentary | Music

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One of the world's biggest bands return to the scene of their Live Aid (1985) triumph a year earlier to play all their greatest hits in front of a packed Wembley Stadium.

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Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender

Mar 16 1987

Short | Music

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 8.1/10 X

Director: David Mallet

Stars: Freddie Mercury, Peter Straker, Roger Taylor

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Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
	Freddie Mercury	...	Himself (archive footage)
	Peter Freestone	...	Himself
	Roger Taylor	...	Himself
	David Arnold	...	Himself
	John Reid	...	Himself
	Paul Gambaccini	...	Himself
	Jim Beach	...	Himself (as Jim 'Miami' Beach)
	Brian May	...	Himself
	Paul Prenter	...	Himself (archive footage)
	David Wigg	...	Himself
	Jim Hutton	...	Himself (archive footage)
	Luciano Pavarotti	...	Himself (archive footage)
	Mike Moran	...	Himself
	Matt Lucas	...	Himself
	Montserrat Caballé	...	Herself

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Storyline

Documentary looking at the relationships and solo career of Queen frontman Freddie Mercury.

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Genres:

Documentary

Certificate:

Not Rated

Parents Guide:

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Details

Official Sites:

Official site

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

24 September 2012 (UK) See more »

Also Known As:

The Great Pretender See more »

Company Credits

Production Co:

British Broadcasting Corporation (BBC), Eagle Rock Productions See more »

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Technical Specs

Runtime:

107 min | 84 min (TV)

Color:

Color

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Connections

Edited into Imagine: Freddie Mercury: The Great Pretender (2012) See more »

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User Reviews

Delivers on a difficult topic

27 December 2013 | by Nozz – See all my reviews

Can a person have bigger teeth offstage than on stage? It seems Freddie Mercury gave very few interviews, and this documentary keeps going back to the same one. In it, Mercury's accent, gestures, and even face are scarcely reminiscent of the character he played on stage. But that's the main point of the movie, and of its title. Like most such documentaries, this one doesn't include complete songs; but it reminds us how many well- remembered hits Mercury accomplished while-- according to the film-- caring less for them than for the constant pursuit of the next, more ambitious project. It is insistent in its understanding of Mercury's behavior as a child of his times, reminding us that the idea of free love without consequences did not give up to the fear of AIDS without a strong fight. I'd say you don't have to be a fan of Mercury's music (I'm not) in order to be impressed by this tribute.

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