Rami Malek is racking up acclaim for his work as Freddie Mercury in Bohemian Rhapsody, and in side-by-side footage, it’s easy to see why. Courtesy of Yahoo! Entertainment, from the film’s upcoming Blu-ray special features, this new video meshes scenes from the film with famous reels from Queen‘s 1985 Live Aid benefit concert. The meticulous recreation of the show is discussed in the clip, with Malek and actor Joe Mazzello, who plays John Deacon.
“We were all saying, ‘We want to do it start to finish,'” Mazzello explains, “because the energy builds as you go along, whereas when you kind of stop-start and pick it up from the middle, it actually made it more difficult.”
The video shows off Malek’s impressive Freddie Mercury impression, complete with his iconic strutting dance moves, his fist pumps to the crowd, and his magnetic, fluid stage presence. His movements line up almost perfectly with Mercury’s performance, though it does offer some alternative perspectives.
If you’ve seen Bohemian Rhapsody, you know that the Live Aid sequence is the grand climax of the film, occupying more than 20 minutes of its run-time. That dedication to the mimicry of one of the most famous live performances of all time is no doubt why the movie has been such a hit with audiences and industry voters. To date, Bohemian Rhapsody has grossed over $700 million worldwide – the highest total for any musical biopic ever – and has received numerous award nominations from the Golden Globes, the Screen Actors Guild, and more.
The film debuts on digital services January 22 and Blu-ray and DVD on February 12, where you can re-live the Live Aid magic over and over.
Images: 20th Century Fox, Yahoo! EntertainmentÂ
