Chinese Censors Edited Out All References to Freddie Mercury's Sexuality in Bohemian Rhapsody

Philip Ellis

March 25, 2019 2:33 PM

People, actual fucking people, are watching scene after scene like this and are saying "bruuuh! best. movie. of. the. year"? This is objectively bad. Someone with no idea about editing will notice it. My brain is on fire thinking that this is an OSCAR NOMINATED MOVIE! FUCK! pic.twitter.com/QVDCxe2iaf - Pramit Chatterjee (@pramitheus) January 26, 2019

China Cut the LGBT References in Bohemian Rhapsody

Bohemian Rhapsody, the Oscar-winning film which tells the story of rock band Queen and lead singer Freddie Mercury, has been released in China-and audiences are confused. Censors have removed all references to Mercurys sexuality from the movie, drastically altering its narrative.

Six key moments, totalling two minutes of footage, were lifted out of the final edit. Many scenes in the film didnt make any sense at all, one viewer told ABC .

The cut scenes include: a close-up of a mans crotch; a kiss between Mercury and his boyfriend Paul Prenter; a conversation in which Mercury says I believe Im bisexual and is told No Freddie, youre gay; a reference to a new haircut being gay; and an introductory scene and kiss between Mercury and partner Jim Hutton which provides much-needed context for their relationship and Huttons whole presence in the movie.

Most confusing to filmgoers and fans of Queen alike was the removal of a scene which pays homage to the iconic I Want To Break Free music video, which sees the entire band dressed up in drag as housewives. In the Chinese edit of the movie, Freddie is not seen in drag, and the story skips ahead to the video being banned by MTV.

The fact that a film about such a famously flamboyant queer man was released in China at all has been seen as progressive by some, but this judicious edit tells another story.

"If everyone becomes content with this kind of 'victory,' then the whole world will always submit to authority, creators won't be respected, and there will be no protection for the interests of the audience, Chinese LGBTQ activist Fan Popo told CNN . I just think that China has recently been trying to present itself to the world as open-minded.

He also mentioned that Chinas censors are sexphobic rather than just homophobic, and probably the most conservative people in China, thats why they are chosen for this job.

This new cut of the movie is just the latest chapter in the movies already embattled history with editing. Bohemian Rhapsody won an Academy Award for Best Editing, despite one especially choppy scene becoming the subject of ire online.

Editor John Ottman, who was tasked with putting the film together following a troubled shoot which saw director Bryan Singer leave mid-production, has since said that he regrets some of the choices made in the final cut. Whenever I see it, I want to put a bag over my head thats not my aesthetic, Ottman said in a recent interview with

The Washington Post

. If theres ever an extended version of the film where I can put a couple scenes back, I will recut that scene!

Philip Ellis