Flash Gordon (film)
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| Flash Gordon | |
|---|---|
| Image:Flash gordon movie poster.jpg Original poster for theatrical release of Flash Gordon | |
| Directed by | Mike Hodges |
| Produced by | Bernard Williams (executive) Dino De Laurentiis |
| Written by | Michael Allin, Lorenzo Semple Jr. |
| Starring | Sam J. Jones Melody Anderson Topol Timothy Dalton Max von Sydow Ornella Muti Brian Blessed |
| Music by | Queen |
| Cinematography | Gilbert Taylor |
| Editing by | Malcolm Cooke |
| Distributed by | Universal Pictures |
| Release date(s) | December 5, 1980 (USA) |
| Running time | 111 min. |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $35,000,000 (estimated) |
| IMDb profile | |
Flash Gordon is a 1980 science fiction film, based on the eponymous comic strip character Flash Gordon, which was directed by Mike Hodges and produced by Dino De Laurentiis. It starred Sam J. Jones, Melody Anderson, Topol, Max von Sydow, Timothy Dalton and Ornella Muti. The screenplay was written by Michael Allin and Lorenzo Semple Jr. It intentionally uses a camp style similar the 1960s Batman TV show in an attempt to appeal to fans of the original comics and serial films.
The film's soundtrack was composed and performed by the rock band Queen. An orchestral score was also composed by Howard Blake.
Taglines:
- He'll save every one of us!
- Pathetic Earthlings... Who Can Save You Now?
Contents |
[edit] Film Summary
The story opens with the voice of an alien ruler, namely Ming (Max Von Sydow), complaining of being bored. He asks his second-in-command, General Klytus (Peter Wyngarde), if he has a plaything to offer him. Klytus has an immediate answer- "an obscure body in the SK system", known to its inhabitants as Earth. Using his "power ring" (for want of a better term), Ming starts a series of Earthly disasters, everything from tidal waves to earthquakes and even “hot hail”. When asked if he would destroy the planet, Ming replies he likes "to play with things awhile before annihilation”.
Meanwhile, on Earth in a town called Dark Harbor, New York Jets football star “Flash” Gordon (Sam J. Jones) is waiting to board a plane to head back home when the “hot hail” begins, but he pays little attention to it. Moments later he meets Dale Arden (Melody Anderson), a girl he had seen the night before but didn’t have any contact with. After boarding the same plane, the disasters get progressively worse, caused by the moon being out of phase sending moon rock fragments plummeting to the Earth, according to the research of disgraced scientist Dr. Hans Zarkov (Chaim Topol). For many years Zarkov believed an attack on Earth was imminent, but his predictions and warnings fell on deaf ears. Nonetheless, Zarkov was secretly working on a rocket ship in which he set the coordinates for the source of the attacks.
The Earthly anomalies worsen still- so much so to the point where a freak squall blows out the plane’s cockpit windows killing the pilots (actually, they vanish into thin air). Flash and Dale rush to the cockpit and take control of the plane, and promptly crash land in Dr. Zarkov’s greenhouse. They then escape from the plane and begin searching for a phone when they meet Dr. Zarkov, who directs them to a phone- inside his rocket ship. He then pulls a gun on the two and tells them his true intentions- to fly to where the attacks are coming from and stop it. Flash tries to wrest the gun from Zarkov, but unwittingly throws him against the controls that fire the rocket. Having no other choice, the scientist and the two reluctant travelers become instant allies as the rocket hurtles its way through outer space and to the planet Mongo, where the three are promptly taken prisoner.
Flash, Dale and Zarkov are brought before Ming, who vilifies them for embarking on a voyage without knowing where they were going- or what they were doing. He then motioned for a reluctant Dale to come closer. Aiming his power ring at her, she goes into a hypnotic, sensual trance. Ming orders her to be removed and prepared for his pleasure, but Flash openly defies Ming and picks a fight with his guards only to be accidentally knocked out by Zarkov. Ming, after refusing his daughter Princess Aura’s (Ornella Muti) request to give Flash to her, and ordering Zarkov into Klytus’ custody for reconditioning, repays Flash’s defiance in kind by ordering his execution by gas chamber that evening. The execution was a high ceremony which Dale and Zarkov were both forced to watch, and which caused Dale to faint.
Following the execution, Princess Aura, still wanting Flash for herself, and Ming’s Chief Surgeon, one of her numerous lovers, arrive at the temporary mausoleum where they open Flash’s casket and resurrect him. Aura and Flash beat a hasty retreat to Arboria, kingdom of Prince Barin (Timothy Dalton), yet another lover of Aura’s. En route to her spaceship they pass the room where Dr. Zarkov is about to undergo a memory-erasing treatment. Before the treatment begins, Ming explains to Zarkov why he has decided to destroy Earth; Ming’s reasoning is relatively simple: Because of its evolutionary advancements, Ming viewed Earth as a threat to his absolute power, ergo, its destruction.
During the flight to Arboria, Flash coerced Aura to teach him telepathy so that he can contact Dale and let her know he’s still alive. Relieved, Dale informs Flash she’s locked in Ming’s bedchamber. Flash suggests that she fake him out, which she eventually does and escapes, only to run into the “reconditioned” Dr. Zarkov. Unaware that Klytus and General Kala (Mariangela Melato) are listening, Dale tells Zarkov that Flash is still alive. Believing that Zarkov will lead them to Flash, they unseal Ming City and allow Dale and Zarkov to escape. As they ride to Arboria, Zarkov confides in Dale that the brain drain was for naught as he was able to retain his memory completely intact by, as he was going under, reciting Shakespeare, formulas of Einstein, “even a song by the Beatles”. The celebration is short-lived, however, as they are captured by a band of Prince Vultan’s Hawkmen and taken to his kingdom.
Meanwhile, Klytus informs Ming of Flash’s resurrection, and that he has suspicions as to who did it (but stops short of naming names), and asks Ming’s authority to pursue the investigation his own way. Ming agrees without reservation.
Aura and Flash arrive at the forest moon Arboria during an initiation ceremony in which, much to Flash’s disbelief, the pledge is sacrificed. Prince Barin’s mood turns rancid when Aura asks him to keep Flash in Arboria until Ming has his way with Dale, but while Barin is steamed at Aura's using him again, his anger is more directed at Flash, thinking he wants Aura as well. Accordingly, when Aura leaves, he throws Flash into a cage and lowers him into the swamp, but not before Flash plants a seed of thought in Barin’s head saying “I’m not your enemy! Ming is! And you know it yourself!”
Barin then decides to lure Flash into a trap by sending one of his Tree men into the cage with a key to get out. The man tells Flash there are weapons in the temple, but when they get there the trap is sprung. The Green Father (who bears a passing resemblance to Jesus Christ) tells Flash that a stranger in the temple must try the Wood Beast or die. Flash and Barin take turns inserting their arms into holes in a massive tree stump with the Wood Beast hiding inside, but Flash tricks Barin and escapes into the swamp, and Barin soon follows in pursuit. He catches up with Flash, but before he can kill him, the two are taken prisoner by more of Vultan’s Hawkmen.
Aura returns alone to Ming City only to be taken prisoner and violently interrogated by Klytus and General Kala. Refusing to confess to what she's done, Klytus orders her torture. When Aura reminds Klytus she is a princess, he contacts Ming, who allows the torture to continue, much to Aura's incredulity. They eventually get a full confession and Ming orders Aura to be exiled to the ice moon Frigia for one year- immediately after Ming’s wedding to Dale.
Flash and Barin are taken to Prince Vultan’s (Brian Blessed) kingdom, where Flash and Dale are briefly reunited. Barin angrily reminds Vultan of Ming’s Law, which states no Prince of Mongo shall be held prisoner or given for ransom without the right to trial by combat. When Vultan asks Barin who he wishes to fight, he picks Flash. The two are led to the fighting platform- a free-floating pivoting ring with retractable spikes and no barriers- only thin air underneath them. The two fight furiously with only bullwhips (and their respective fists) as weapons. Flash narrowly wins, but rescues Barin from falling off the platform. Both exhausted, Flash extends his hand to Barin in friendship. Realizing now that Flash is on his side (and that he has no interest in Aura), Barin gratefully accepts Flash’s hand.
But victory is short-lived as Klytus, who had been secretly trailing the Hawkmen carrying Barin and Flash, arrives to arrest Barin and Zarkov for treason. Flash and Barin double team Klytus and throw him on the fight platform spikes, killing him. Seeing this, Vultan, now in panic, raises his staff to kill Flash, but Barin dissuades him saying now is the perfect time to fight back against Ming and his Imperial Fleet, but Vultan, fearing more for his own life, orders his people to evacuate instead, taking anything and everything they can carry. The Hawkmen flee leaving Barin, Flash, Dale and Zarkov behind.
Ming’s command ship arrives shortly after Vultan and his Hawkmen leave. Ming orders that only Barin, Zarkov and Dale are to be taken aboard his ship. He then disembarks to parlay with Flash, offering him a kingdom of Mongo to rule. But when Ming hints the kingdom Flash is to receive is his own planet Earth under Ming’s rule- the people more agreeable after all the disasters, added to which Ming reveals his intention to marry Dale, Flash refuses. Ming returns to his ship and gives the order to destroy Vultan’s kingdom with Flash still on it. But as the bolts of energy tear the place asunder, Flash finds one of the Hawkmen’s Rocket Cycles, and takes off, once again cheating death.
Meanwhile, Vultan, having taken refuge with his Hawkmen in Arboria, broods about deserting Flash, believing he is dead. But Flash calls him using the comm-link on the Rocket Cycle. Flash tells Vultan that Ming has Dale, Zarkov and Barin, Vultan humbly thanks a surprised Flash for “giving a dumb old bird a second chance” and sends him a homing beam to find them and plan their next move.
Back on Mongo, Barin and Zarkov face execution for treason, Aura has a change of heart after her father allows her to be tortured, and Dale is being prepared for her wedding to Ming. Just as the wedding is about to begin Flash, on the Rocket Cycle and alone, flies toward Ming City. General Kala, informed of his approach, orders weapons to open fire at him. When Flash beats a quick retreat, Kala orders AJAX, an Imperial rocket, to go after him and bring back his body. AJAX catches up with him just as he makes his way into a giant cloud. The rocket goes in after him, only to find Flash with Vultan and his entire army of Hawkmen waiting in ambush on the other side. After a huge battle, the Hawkmen, heavily outnumbering AJAX’s army, seize control of the rocket and, with Flash taking the control, make their way toward Ming City.
Back in Ming City, Princess Aura overpowers her guard and makes her way to the execution chamber freeing Barin and Zarkov. To cover up, Aura rushes to her father’s wedding while Barin and Zarkov head for the control center, where General Kala orders all weapons to fire upon AJAX as it is out of its proper flight pattern and also orders Ming City’s protective lightning field to be charged up. Barin and Zarkov rush in ordering Kala to take them to Ming, but Kala refuses, and instead fires on Zarkov, but Barin warns Zarkov in time and kills Kala in return. Zarkov warns Barin that they need to deactivate the lightning field. Barin heads toward the source in the tower while Zarkov “holds the fort” in the control center.
Meanwhile, with the firing increasing, Vultan and his Hawkmen are ready to bail out from AJAX, but Flash stays at the control. Vultan reluctantly agrees. On Ming City, Ming and a defiant Dale’s wedding has just begun. As Ming puts the ring on Dale’s finger, the lightning field deactivates to reveal AJAX plummeting toward the temple. There’s a mad dash for safety as AJAX smashes into the sanctuary, and whose lance-like bow impales Ming himself right through his midsection (Ming's body english suggests that might have been intentional). The impact throws Flash clear of the rocket uninjured. Now holding the upper hand, he grabs a dead guard’s sword and gives Ming an ultimatum- call off his attack on Earth or die. Ming aims his power ring at Flash, but it seems to have no effect. With his power fading, he aims his ring at himself and vanishes. Barin and Vultan and his Hawkmen arrive, Flash is again reunited with Dale and a huge victory celebration ensues.
Vultan announces to the multitude that Barin is the rightful heir to the now-vacant throne. The newly-appointed King Barin shows his gratitude to Flash, appoints Vultan as the new Army General, and decrees that everyone live together in peace. He then invites Flash and Dale to stay on Mongo. When asked her opinion, Dale, being from New York City, thinks the place is a little too quiet for her.
The last scene focuses on Ming’s empty power ring, and an unidentified hand picking it up as the words “the end?” appear on the screen, accompanied by Ming’s evil laughter.
[edit] Reception
In its quest to follow Alex Raymond's original vision, with exaggerated costumes and synthesized music, Flash Gordon had a poor box office performance, although Max von Sydow (Ming) received a good deal of praise for his performance. The film nonetheless went on to become a cult classic; many of the film's lines are intentionally tongue-in-cheek, and this knowing sense of humor contributes to the collective affection with which the picture is remembered by its fans. Despite its shortcomings, it maintains a 79% fresh rating at RottenTomatoes.com.
The film is also notable in that, according to the biography Skywalking, George Lucas was an admirer of the original comics and serials and attempted to secure the rights to produce it, but finding the rights had been secured by Laurentiis, went on to write, produce and direct Star Wars instead. Perhaps as a tip of the hat, when Lucas produced Star Wars Episode I: The Phantom Menace in 1999, Blessed was cast as the CGI character "Boss Nass", the leader of the Gungan people.
[edit] Main cast
- Sam J. Jones - Flash Gordon
- Melody Anderson - Dale Arden
- Topol - Dr. Hans Zarkov
- Max von Sydow - Ming the Merciless
- Ornella Muti - Princess Aura
- Timothy Dalton - Prince Barin
- Brian Blessed - Prince Vultan
- Peter Wyngarde - General Klytus
- Mariangela Melato - General Kala
[edit] Trivia
- According to Brian Blessed on the R2 DVD commentary for Flash Gordon - Silver Anniversary Edition, the sequel was going to be set on Mars, as a possible update of the Buster Crabbe serials set on the same planet.
- The Brian Blessed commentary won "Commentary Of The Year" by Hotdog Magazine in 2005. It was highly praised by fans for his humour and enthusiasm on the making of the film.
- Frank Herbert was brought in to be a script consultant.<ref>"...David Lynch's Dune, and even Dino de Laurentiis' film Flash Gordon, on which Frank had worked in London as a script consultant." pg 18, Preface, BH/KJA, The Road to Dune.</ref>
[edit] See also
[edit] References
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