Flash Gordon – W.A.M. #067

August 17, 2020August 21, 2020

Although NASA scientists are claiming the unexpected eclipse and strange “hot hail” are nothing to worry about, Dr. Hans Zarkov (Topol) knows better, and takes football star Flash Gordon (Sam Jones) and travel agent Dale Arden (Melody Anderson) with him into space to rectify things. They land on planet Mongo, where the despot Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow) is attacking Earth out of pure boredom. With the help of a race of Hawkmen, Flash and the gang struggle to save their home planet.

Directed by: Mike Hodges
Screenplay by: Lorenzo Semple, Jr. (story by: Michael Allin)
Produced by: Dino De Laurentiis (Budget = $35 MM)

Click here for the imdb profile of this movie.

Comment (1)

Nigel Lowrey Aug 17, 2020 at 1:12PM

Hi, Rob and Elysabeth,

I listen to your show each day and on most occasions, there’s enough conversation going on that makes me want to get involved but after a long day tapping away at the PC for work, switching to my personal PC to correspond kind of kills my enthusiasm a bit, especially as I always doubt the interest value of my thoughts.

However, I made my first trip to the cinema since lockdown and thought that would be an interesting post and after watching Whineing About Movies this morning, I thought now is definitely the time. I have a few underlying issues meaning that if I get the virus, it will probably do a Thanos on me so I’m still dubious about public gatherings and have turned down a few trips to the local Cineworld here in the UK…but then one film came up and oh my God, I agreed faster than Wally West from an unfortunate bowel infection.

That film? Flash Gordon.

I’ve never seen this film at the cinema and as a member of the Star Wars generation, I’ve been a fan of Flash Gordon since the BBC used to rerun the Buster Crabbe Flash Gordon serials in the late 70s to capitalize on the Star Wars sci fi craze. I rarely got to go to the cinema as a kid: I think I saw less than ten films by age 13 so the chance to see Flash Gordon was not to be missed.

As a kid, I loved Flash Gordon and the whole mythos (which was echoed in broad strokes by Star Wars) and still do. As a comic fan, I have all the Alex Raymond and Mac Raboy runs, a collection of all Al Williamson’s Flash stuff (one of my favourite comic collections of all time) and the Funko Pop Flash and Ming peer down at me from one of my shelves….and their Dorbz counterparts look down from another.

Now the movie isn’t perfect and although I loved it as a kid but as I grew up, I saw the flaws and cheesiness and moved away from the film…but later came back to it and learned to love because the good far outweighs the bad.

So let’s get the bad out of the way…ok, the effects are not great and feel more like Barbarella than the Star Wars vibe it was aiming for. The budget wasn’t as lavish as the production needed as the sets are functional and acceptable but unspectacular. The wingmen aren’t very convincing, as aren’t the lizardmen and they didn’t even attempt the lion man, making Prince Thunn and his people more similar to an African tribe and there are conversations regarding the dubbing of Sam Jones resulting in a blander lead performance…

…but oh my God, the casting in this movie is otherwise impeccable. Who’s going to top Von Sydow’s Ming? Not impossible but no easy achievement and did Dalton’s performance as the hot blooded ruthless but essentially good Barin get him the Bond role? Decades later, Brian Blessed is a national treasure here in the UK with screams of Gordon’s Alive wherever he appears and Topol was similarly perfect as Zarkov. Klytus was an original character but Peter Wyngarde is perfectly arch in the role. Melody Anderson doesn’t have much to do but is afar more likeable than the jealous incredible sulk seen in the original strips but my my my…let’s talk about Princess Aura.

Okay, Ornella Muti is a beautiful women but without hyperbole, I think she puts in the sultriest, slinkiest performance of a femme fatale that I’ve ever seen. That sexuality is no mistake as there’s a pretty blatant kinky erotic undertone going on in the movie…lots of BDSM but when Flash is executed in his tight leather pants, the music isnt horrific or tense but implies sensual release. It’s like Flash is having an orgasm as he dies. Queen’s music is also so bombastic and iconic, who doesn’t now utter a Pavlovian ah-ahh whenever they hear the word Flash?

Beyond that, the plot is almost perfect: the story speeds along and never lags, all the characters shine and have their moments and we are left with a satisfying but open ended hero vanquishes evil finale.

All the cheesy production values and occasional hiccups (such as Flash and Dale engaged within hours of meeting each other) are easily over looked because the film is just a fun adventure romp.

So the cinema then: I was worried about wearing a mask for so long but after maybe ten minutes, it was fine. There were only 2 other people other than myself and my mates, which was perfect for me as I struggle with distracting audiences. Sadly the film was not the newly remastered version so you could still see the clouds through the flying figures and ships occasionally due to poor compositing but once that bum bum bum bum music started, I was thankful for the mask as I was grinning like an idiot, as I was during the throne room fight scene and final hawkmen attack. Even Barin shouting “Bloody bastards” in Ming’s palace made me chuckle.

All in all, it felt so good to be back in a theatre and I am glad to see this on the big screen, despite the somewhat compromised effects of an older print and diminished sound (a modern mix would have made that music really pound out).

I don’t have a 4K player but I covet that new Flash set but have found out there is a blu ray version too so I may check the features and may have to pick that up.

I look forward to hearing your conversation on this technically dubious but totally awesome film and sorry for the length of this waffle, I bet you wish this was over in a flash…AH-AH!

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Flash Gordon – W.A.M. #067

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