Bohemian Rhapsody, China and Egypt censor scenes on Freddie Mercury's homosexuality in Oscar-winning film

After Egypt, which back in February censored certain scenes from the film Bohemian Rhapsody, a triumphant winner at the Oscars (where it garnered four statuettes, including Best Actor, which went to Rami Malek) and the Golden Globes (in which it won Best Drama and Best Actor), China, too, is dropping the censor’s axe on scenes in whichFreddie Mercury’s homosexuality emerges explicitly. The film, which chronicles the events of Queen from the group’s inception to 1985’s Live Aid, is released in Chinese theaters, where it arrived last Friday, with at least two minutes cut out, a cut nonetheless sufficient to create a gap in the film’s plot that risks making it incomprehensible. Also removed was part of the scene in which the historic frontman of the English rock group discovers that he is HIV positive.

It should be specified that homosexuality is not legally prosecuted in China, but nonetheless a vivid situation of discrimination remains entrenched, which then leads to outcomes such as the censorship of the Oscar-winning film: officially, censorship comes down against scenes in which there is sexual behavior deemed “abnormal” by the Chinese authorities. Worse is the situation in Egypt, where homosexuality, while not a crime per se, can be traced to behaviors contrary to Islamic morals that are criminally punished. In regard to the film, Egypt thus experiences a contradictory situation, since the country celebrated lead actor Rami Malek (who plays the role of Freddie Mercury), who is American but of Egyptian ancestry (he is the son of emigrants, and part of his family still resides in the African country), but this did not prevent scenes about the singer’s homosexuality from being cut.

Bohemian Rhapsody, China and Egypt censor scenes on Freddie Mercury's homosexuality in Oscar-winning film

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