Bohemian has become such a commonplace adjective that people have perhaps grown unaccustomed to associating it
with the actual place called Bohemia, which is where one would assume the descriptive term probably originated. The
nation previously known as Czechoslovokia was home to Bohemia, and while the vagaries of history have now but
Slovakia in between the Czech Republic and Hungary, when Freddie Mercury and Queen played Budapest in 1986,
Bohemia was in a certain sense "right next door" and perhaps provided an added allure to including this odd venue on
Queen's world tour. It's hard to even imagine it now, but the Iron Curtain was still very much vertical and seemingly
impenetrable, and a stadium rock performance was not a de rigeur situation even for the biggest bands. As the
liner notes to this new Blu-ray and double CD release state, the band knew going in they weren't going to make much if
any money from this performance, and yet they jumped at the chance, if for no other reason than that Hungary had
long been "off limits" for rock concerts.
There was obviously a pent up audience for Queen, for once their concert was
announced, it sold out in an astoundingly short amount of time, all the more astounding when one considers the fact
that this particular concert was played before literally tens of thousands of people. This was the first stadium rock
concert by a western act to be performed behind the Iron Curtain, and it was big news in its day. A coterie of British
journalists flew to Budapest to cover the proceedings (some of which is captured in some non-concert footage included
in this documentary), and because this was such an obviously big deal within Hungary itself, famed Hungarian
cinematographer János Zsombolyai was hired to film the concert, and to do so he had to utilize every available film
camera in the nation.
Queen had had its ups and downs by the time it arrived in Hungary in the summer of 1986, but there's no denying the
band was at one of its high points during this time period, still riding high after its critically lauded Live Aid performance
from the previous year. The confidence and outright swagger of the band is apparent throughout this concert. The size
of the venue doesn't seem to intimidate them in the slightest, and in fact Freddie Mercury seems to feed off of the
audience's energy. Younger audiences may be unimpressed by the concert's relative lack of stage craft (some lighting
and dry ice effects are about it), but the visceral impact of the music can't be denied.
The documentary doesn't just concentrate on the concert, although that's of course the bulk of this piece. We do get a
little context, however, including some charming scenes of Freddie arriving in Budapest via hydrofoil, kind of like
Cleopatra being floated down the Nile to be presented to her adoring public on a barge (something tells me Freddie
himself would love that comparison). And there are segments devoted to all of the band members pursuing their own
private tours and interests throughout Hungary.
But this is all about the music. Not all of the concert survives in video
form (much more of it is presented on the two CDs also included in this deluxe set), but we do get great live (more or
less) versions of most of the band's biggest hits (it's obvious there's some pre-recorded stuff going on in the choral
interlude during "Bohemian Rhapsody"). Freddie works the audience as he was wont to do, and expends a lot
energy doing so (he ditches his shirt toward the end of the concert, sending the audience into near hysteria). Sadly,
this was to be the last tour that Queen would play with Freddie Mercury, but luckily we have this wonderful souvenir of
what must have been one hell of a good time.
Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Eagle Vision (an imprint of Eagle
Rock Entertainment) with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.78:1. According to the liner notes included in this release,
this high definition presentation was sourced from an interpositive, and the results are certainly very good, given
reasonable expectations. The 35mm image has a rather thick layer of grain, and midrange shots can look more than a bit
fuzzy. But colors are generally exceptionally robust and well saturated and close-ups frequently offer superb fine detail
(you can make out individual droplets of sweat on Freddie, and see the veins in his neck pulsing with blood when he's
reaching for his high notes). There's some noticeable haloing on display in a couple of scenes which may be due at least as
much to the lighting scheme as any edge enhancement artifacts.
Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest features both a lossless DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 surround mix and
an uncompressed LPCM 2.0 stereo fold down. There isn't much information included in either the press materials
accompanying this release or the liner notes in terms of the original source elements utilized for these mixes, but there's an
odd quasi-phasing effect that's quite noticeable in the 5.1 mix which I personally didn't like. It's coupled with an
overarching hall ambience which splays Freddie's voice too wide and tends to end up subsuming him within the band. I
personally much preferred the LPCM 2.0 mix, which sounds clearer and better mixed, though of course your mileage may
vary. Fidelity on both of these tracks is excellent, with great low end and full bodied midrange.
A Magic Year (1080i; 26:53) is a really interesting piece about the effect playing Live Aid had on the
band
and the twelve months of activity that ensued after that performance, including their contributions to Highlander.
This Deluxe Edition also includes two CDs which present a fuller account of Queen's concert. The CDs feature the
following tracks:
CD 1
01. One Vision
02. Tie Your Mother Down
03. In the Lap of the Gods. . .Revisited
04. Seven Seas of Rhye
05. Tear It Up
06. A Kind of Magic
07. Under Pressure
08. Another One Bites the Dust
09. Who Wants to Live Forever
10. I Want to Break Free
11. Looks Like It's Gonna Be a Good Night – Improv
Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest is a fantastically fun documentary that captures the band at its
height of its powers but also spends enough time in non-concert moments to give fans a real idea of what the guys were
like in (more or less) real life. The performance footage here is captured with a wealth of angles and really gets up close
and personal, especially with regard to Freddie. This was kind of a "greatest hits" tour, and we get sparkling live
performances of several of the band's most iconic numbers. But for many fans, it's going to be the sight of Freddie arriving
by hydrofoil in Budapest to conquer Hungary that may well be the most memorable moment. Highly recommended.
Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest: Other Editions
Independent distributors Eagle Rock Entertainment will release standard Blu-Ray and 2CD+Blu-ray Deluxe Editions of Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest. Originally filmed in 1986, this momentous concert movie has been re-mastered in high definition and superb ...
Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live In Budapest Deluxe Blu-ray, Forum Discussions
