Tuesday, November 30, 2010

Flash Gordon is love

Apparently it's the 30th anniversary of one of my all time favorite sci-fi classic movies... and no, I don't mean Empire Strikes Back. All you misguided fools can keep your precious second film in the Star Wars trilogy, yes, it's one of the greatest films ever, but better than the first?? the original?!? Hardly!!!

But I didn't take a moment to argue the merits of Star Wars over Empire (although I could, at length), no, I'm talking about another cherished sci-fi blockbuster from the Gen-X lexicon, I'm talking about a bolder, louder, stranger, crimson colored, gold plated gem... the one and only Flash Gordon.

And just like the merits of episode four over five, I could go on and on about dear Flash... how I still recall the first glimpse of the trailer on our old black and white 12" TV and proceeded to rave about it to my parents, even describing the color of Ming's crimson guards, despite only seeing them in gray scale... the jaw dropping moments of hilarity and fun upon first watching at theaters... and sharing the love of the film with friends on cable (as only pre-teen boys could enjoy and share in such a wondrous work of pre-teen fantasy brought to life)... Max Von Sydow's Ming is pure genius, the green blood, the tree stump, the death duel with Hawkmen, the perfect crescendo of a climax... but where's the time for that? I just wanted to pop in and give a quick mention of the milestone, and link to a page that's been making the rounds, a Flash Gordon fan page on YouTube... HERE

While there's not a terrible amount of content there, it is well done and interesting, comparing some differences from cable to DVD, and scenes with the final (and much cherished/maligned) Queen soundtrack, versus what was intended as a full orchestral score. Just an interesting spot for fans of the film, with hopefully more to come.

If anyone knows of more content/pages out there, be sure and let me know!

Now here's some old Flash Gordon fan art...

No comments: