Fake it till you make it.
Wham! beat out Queen as the first Western pop act to tour China, thanks to their manager convincing authorities George Michael was “wholesome,” while Freddie Mercury was “flamboyant.”
Once in country, this mix of stage performances and behind-the-scenes documentary was crafted by director Lindsay Anderson, who had four films nominated for the Palme d’Or at Cannes.
He then followed it up with the Bette Davis/Lillian Gish drama The Whales of August.
My mom loved the latter, my sister the former, so back in the early VHS days, I became deeply familiar with both.
