Latest on MJJC

Press Release: Freddie Mercury 'The Great Pretender' Documentary Released 24th Sept (MJ mentioned)

T.N.A.

T.N.A.

Proud Member
Joined
Feb 4, 2012
Messages
709
Points
0
10th July 2012
Press Release: 'The Great Pretender' Documentary Released 24th September

​


Eagle Rock Entertainment are proud to announce the release on 24 September 2012 of the Freddie Mercury DVD and Blu-ray, “The Great Pretender” (click here to pre-order now).

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 Hi Definition.

Produced and directed by Rhys Thomas, life-long Queen fan and expert (to the extent that Rhys famously broke the Mastermind all time record points score with a specialist subject of Queen), Rhys has this time turned his attention to the Freddie archive, going back as early as 1976 in search of vintage gems which reveal more than ever before the inside story of Freddie’s life and career and the solo projects he worked on outside of Queen.

The extensive archive footage is drawn from 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.

From it emerges a portrait of a man who was very different to his flamboyant onstage public persona.

Among the treasures to be anticipated, “The Great Pretender” includes for the first time ever Freddie and Rod Stewart singing their demo for “Take Another Piece of My Heart”, an unreleased song from 1984, a snippet of the unreleased Michael Jackson / Freddie Mercury collaboration “There Must Be More To Life Than This”, and Freddie with the Royal Ballet 1979 – never seen in full before.

Rhys, whose extensive scouting for lost material turned up a copy of the band’s first TV appearance among the belongings of late comedian Dick Emery, brings to the light Freddie’s earliest filmed interview from 1976 unearthed in Australia and another unseen interview from 1976 filmed by NBC in the USA.

Rhys also found 10 cans of Freddie’s 39th Black and White birthday party in Mrs Henderson’s nightclub in Munich in 1985. Originally filmed for the video for “Living On My Own” and promptly banned by Freddie’s record company because of its cross-dressing theme, there’s much to be enjoyed in watching Freddie and his friends go full out in their efforts to help Freddie celebrate his last birthday before turning 40.

On top of this, “The Great Pretender” has a feast of outtakes from the video shoots for “I Want To Break Free”, “One Vision”, “Days of Our Lives”, “I Want It All”, “A Kind Of Magic”, “Princes of the Universe”, “Living on My Own”, Born To Love You”, “Great Pretender”, “Made In Heaven”, and “Who Wants to Live Forever”.

As bonus features [that will not make up part of the version to be broadcast by the BBC] the programme includes “Freddie Mercury Goes Solo” and an extended interview with Montserrat Caballé

Coinciding with the release of “The Great Pretender” DVD will come the release of the new “Barcelona: Special Edition” album with Freddie and Montserrat’s original album re-recorded with full 80 piece orchestra [a feature on the making of this album is included on both formats] and a new book, also entitled “The Great Pretender” with matching artwork, in September. The Savoy Hotel hosts the second “Freddie For A Day” charity event on September 3 in aid of The Mercury Phoenix Trust – Fighting Aids Worldwide and there is a special premiere of “The Great Pretender” film at BAFTA on September 6.

Freddie Mercury was one of the most charismatic, complex and fascinating characters in British rock music. A generous, caring, thoughtful man with a self-deprecating sense of humour and a genuine passion for music. Freddie Mercury touched the lives of millions through his career both with Queen and as a solo performer and this new programme is sure to delight and inform his legions of fans as never before.

www.freddiemercury.com www.freddieforaday.com

OFFICIAL TRAILER!

[video=youtube;arVda4t1et4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=arVda4t1et4[/video]

DVD: http://smarturl.it/freddiePretenderDvd
Blu-Ray: http://smarturl.it/freddiePretenderBlu
Digital Film: http://smarturl.it/FreddieMercury
Freddie Mercury was one of the most charismatic, complex and fascinating characters in British rock music. The story of Queen is a well known one but this new film focuses on Freddie Mercury and the solo projects he worked on outside of Queen. Using extensive archive footage of interviews with Freddie Mercury, concerts, video shoots and personal material, much of it previously unseen, along with new interviews with friends and colleagues, a portrait emerges of a man who was very different to his flamboyant onstage public persona. A generous, caring, thoughtful man with a self-deprecating sense of humour and a genuine passion for music. Freddie Mercury touched the lives of millions through his career both with Queen and as a solo performer and this new programme will delight and inform his legions of fans.​
Click to expand...

(PS: In case anybody's interested in the 25th Anniversary "Barcelona" project here you go...)
Press Release: 'Barcelona' Newly Orchestrated Special Edition:
http://queenonline.com/en/news-archive/press-release-barcelona-special-edition/

[video=youtube_share;k1Umy0azDV0]http://youtu.be/k1Umy0azDV0[/video]

(^^really worth watching...)
Click to expand...
 
Last edited:
So studio footage of the song? Or just the audio of it?
 
Wow, I never knew he did a whole album with Montserrat, I only knew the title song from the greatest hits! I will be getting this one!
 
dam2040 said:
So studio footage of the song? Or just the audio of it?
Click to expand...

I think it is just audio of it. But I think that this is the good sign that all 3 songs will be released soon in full. Maybe in the same time when this documentary is released.
 
OnirMJ said:
I think it is just audio of it. But I think that this is the good sign that all 3 songs will be released soon in full. Maybe in the same time when this documentary is released.
Click to expand...

The way they phrased it makes it seem like it's studio footage. Cause they mentioned Freddie and Rod Steward singing "Take Another Piece of My Heart" (later finished by Queen and released as "Let Me Live" on the album Made In Heaven) the MJ & Freddie collab and Freddie with the Royal Ballet 1979 which they mention has "never been seen in full". So I take it it's studio footage.

Could be just audio of the demo though (which hasn't leaked online, the vesion that's online is a fanmade version from Freddie's solo version and the MJ demo).

Either way, it's def a heads up that the tracks are on their way and that Brian and Roger didn't forget about them. They are indeed very busy right now but by late September/early October they're most likely gonna have a clear schedule and release these tracks. If not this year, they'll surely be release next year. Personally, I'm betting on a late 2012 release.
 
Well I really like the MJ solo version so I'm sure the real version between the two of them is amazing! But of course studio footage would be amazing, seeing the two together creating :wild:
 
I must say that they are doing an amazing job keeping Queen/Freddie Mercury's legacy alive! :)

Thanks for the share!
 
dam2040 said:
Well I really like the MJ solo version so I'm sure the real version between the two of them is amazing! But of course studio footage would be amazing, seeing the two together creating :wild:
Click to expand...

Oh yes, the song itself is great. I always loved Freddie's version and always wondered how it would've sounded had it been a Queen track (as it was initially supposed to be).

I'm dying to hear actual duet with MJ for this song.

Oh and studio footage of these two gods of music would be amazing! :wild:
 
September is going to be full of greatness
 
kermit.gif
:woohoo:




I love Freddie. :wub:
 
So many great news in this year, YAY! :woohoo:

I hope for There Must Be More To Life Than This was actually a duet between Mike and Freddie. I've heard so many times they didn't sing that song together...
 
Update #1

The guy who runs Queen's official website and is also the administrator on Queen's official forum said this:

Sorry if that caused any confusion, but that is just what I meant.

Of our main product releases this year, you now have all the info for the September ones, I see Barcelona as the main release and the book and DVD off shoots as it were, but I can see why people thought otherwise. OK, you know that Budapest is coming too (the cinema release is part of the promo will come with a PR next week about the viewings, but not product info)

September - Barcelona (+ Book and DVD)

October - TBC - Press Release / Official announcement to come

November - TBC - TBC - Press Release / Official announcement to come
Click to expand...

So apparently they have a few releases planned for September, October and November. One of them I'm pretty sure is the release for Budapest '86 and another one is hopefully a release of Hammersmith '75 or '79. Hopefully they'll make some room for something that includes the MJ tracks too. They'll probably have a main release each month and a couple of related things released as well the same month (For example the Barcelona 25th anniversary orchestrated album + Book and DVD).

I'll keep posting updates if anybody is interested. :p

Snow White luvs Peter Pan said:
So many great news in this year, YAY! :woohoo:

I hope for There Must Be More To Life Than This was actually a duet between Mike and Freddie. I've heard so many times they didn't sing that song together...
Click to expand...

They did. Both Brian May and Roger Taylor confirmed such a duet exists.
 
Last edited:
T.N.A. said:
They did. Both Brian May and Roger Taylor confirmed such a duet exists.
Click to expand...


Didn't they also say last year that it would be released in 2012 and they already talked to MJ's Estate and they OKed it? I'm not sure but I vaguely remember them saying it.

I would target the Christmas market with that single.
 
Last edited:
respect77 said:
Didn't they also say last year that it would be released in 2012 and they already talked to MJ's Estate and they OKed it? I'm not sure but I vaguely remember them saying it.

I would target the Christmas market with that single.
Click to expand...

Yeah, they said the Estate gave them permission to work on the tracks and release them.

I don't think they started working on them yet cause they've been pretty busy lately with the Adam Lambert concerts and whatnot (ugh!) but by September they'll probably start working on them since (like I said) they have quite a few releases in the pipeline for September, October and November.

Christmas is probably a good guess for a release date of the MJ & Freddie tracks. But who knows, I guess we'll have to wait and see.

The fact that they're willing to only show a snippet of the Freddie & MJ collaboration (be it audio or video) goes to show you that they're saving all MJ & Freddie material they have for a future release.
 
Thank uou so much for this post. The barcelona project sounds very interesting to me. gotta have it. September will be very interesting indeed
 
I could have sworn MJ and Freddie's demo of TMBMTL had already leaked? Am I getting mixed up with something else? It was poor quality but it wasn't the same as the one that was just MJ solo.

Edit: Im listening to it now. Perhaps this is fan made from the MJ demo and Freddie's finished version (he did finish it on his own right?).
 
Official trailer added to first post!

ARGH! CAN'T WAIT FOR THIS! :D
 
"I'm recording with a llama."

:hysterical:

Epic, Michael! That's like bringing a cow in the studio! :rollin:
 
^^ That's Jim Beach; Queen's manager and executor of Freddie Mercury's Estate.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top