Filmed in Budapest: Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest

Ah, nostalgia. How easy it is to look back to simpler times, though they may not have seemed so then. But in Hungarian Rhapsody: Queen Live in Budapest, the ever-dynamic Freddie Mercury makes it look easy. In the trailer for the film of Queen’s 1986 concert at Budapest’s Népstadion (now the Puskás Ferenc Stadium) in front of 70,000 people we accompany him for a taste of some of the great things the Hungarian capital has to offer.

Beginning with a pleasure cruise down the Danube, the ramparts lined with adoring fans, Freddie Mercury shows a generosity and hugeness of spirit, waving and basking in attention and the Hungarian sun. Later, we find him antiques shopping (though apparently he wasn’t sated by Zsolnay porcelain, as he inquires as to the price of the Hungarian Parliament.) A shot of Hungarian fruit brandy is part of any local welcome wagon, and Freddie too is indulged, calling it' ‘delicious and strong.’ Perhaps the most touching scene is when the British pop star practices singing in Hungarian against a night-time cityscape.

The Budapest stop was part of the last tour where Mercury was lead singer of Queen (he would die a mere five years later). It is hard to overstate the importance of the event: few bands were permitted to perform behind the Iron Curtain. But, apparently Queen had fans in high places, as the band was treated like visiting royalty (excuse the pun), and filmed for what would be a 1988 Laserdisc release in the UK and limited worldwide theatrical release in 2012.

Enjoy this snippet from the movie, which the film-makers culled from hundreds of hours of filming.

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