Rough Trade Friday: Flash Gordon
Along with Xanadu (am I really about to admit this?), Flash Gordon is probably my favourite camp classic. What's not to love? Queen does an amazing soundtrack, Timothy Dalton in green tights, Brian Blessed as Prince Vultan, Topol! I hear there are even some girls that some people back then found sexy in the flick.
By no means is this a good movie by most measures, however it has many strong points a delivers a whopper of a message. Loosely based on the 30's comics strips as well as several nods to the early serial films, Flash Gordon was intentionally campy as a postmodernist take on fascism, freedom and the individual's role in response to dictatorship. Flash, as a highly inferior human, must lead the charge of a mostly docile populace that has given up hope.
The films stars Sam J. Jones as Flash, Melody Anderson as Dale Arden, Topol as Zarkov, Max van Sydow as Ming (DELICIOUS!!!), as many other notable actors.
Bonus: Sci-Fi is launching a new series on Flash Gordon in a couple weeks starring Eric Johnson (Smallville, Everest). Cast looks hot so I'm all over it.
The Boy Blunder
Posted to Hot Stuff, Trade Paperback on 10 August 2007
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Other stuff like this: comics, Flash Gordon, Queen, Rough Trade Friday, Sam Jones
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If you love Xanadu and Flash Gordon, Boy, I hope you were around San Francisco's Geary Theatre around midnight for the last month, where not just one but both of these films were presented in high camp style by the drag queen Peaches Christ. There was drag roller derby for the first and a full radio play called "Fish Gordon" for the second. Then there was the audience riffing throughout the shows. Heaven.
Curses! Foiled by Texas yet again....
I saw Xanadu the musical on Broadway last night...nothing. can. compare.