Flash Gordon (1980)
I couldnât be more happy that it was a discussion with me that prompted that post. I love Flash Gordon as much today as I did when I was four.
Campy as it is, I think it still holds up. But Iâm also blinded by deep nostalgia â HBO had this on heavy rotation in the early '80s and it became a staple of my childhood. Of course it became one of the first DVDs I bought.
Even as a kid, I remember finding it weird that Ming had never heard of Earth, âan obscure body in the S-K system,â yet when they cut to a shot of his âdashboard of disasters,â nestled between options for âHot Hailâ and âTyphoonâ is a button clearly labeled âEarth Quake.â
Oh totally. Iâve seen this movie about 50 times, maybe more (thanks, HBO). When I got the blu-ray and, Iâll admit it, enjoyed an herbal remedy (which I hadnât in years because of anxiety) it was a religious experience. Being a massive Queen fan doesnât hurt, either. Then I saw âTedâ a week later and thought, âSeth MacFarlane could possible have been my brother.â Iâma go watch this again right now.
The spoof âFlesh Gordenâ was pretty good. Not even really a porno, as it had harrysausen type stop motion creatures and somewhat decent low budget sets. The Penisaurus was especially good.
Am I the only one old enough to have seen this in the theater? Kind of feels like when I spoke up in film class, having to contradict the professor â that yes, at least one of us had seen Star Wars on opening day.
Nope, I saw it - a German dub, of course - back then, too. Also The Empire Strikes Back.
Every time someone mentions Flash, I think about The Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Star_Smashers_of_the_Galaxy_Rangers). Brilliant spoof of Flash, especially the ending with the kiss.
Now off to have a breakfast with a slice of toast and some Cheddite.
I also saw it in a theater at the time. Two things stick out for me:
- Queenâs music was an integral part of their marketing for this film. Every commercial featured the tagline: âMusic by Queen!â I think itâs too bad other films donât do that.
- When [SPOILER ALERT] Flash kills Ming (duh), Ming bleeds green blood!
And regarding that bog-beast coming-of-age ritual: http://oglaf.com/riteofpassage/ (itâs oglaf, so nsfw)
even weirder, theyâre speaking to each other in flawless English.
anyway, I think the days of this type of rich, opulent mise-en-scene are long gone, which is the real star of Flash Gordon. You just donât see eye-candy like that anymore unless itâs CG, which can be cool, but itâs not the same thing.