Gordon's Alive! Flash Gordon Silver Anniversary Edition R2, R1 coming August '07

John Hodson · 21-07-2005, 08:36

From www.zeta.minor.com:

A Silver Anniversary Edition of 1980 kitsch classic Flash Gordon will be released on October the 25th by Momentum Pictures.

The disc will be presented in limited edition "steelbook" packaging. The film will be offered with a choice of "new" Dolby Digital 5.1 or DTS audio tracks. Bonus features include commentary tracks by director Mike Hodges and star Brian Blessed; an interview with Hodges; the original Queen theatrical trailer; a photo' slideshow; and Chapter 1 of the 1940 serial Flash Gordon Conquers The Universe, The Purple Death. RRP for the disc will be £19.99.

Cover art can be found on Zeta Minor's news page here. I'm going to get this if only to hear the Blessed one's commentary...

cure · 21-07-2005, 14:45

Fantastic news. I've been waiting for what feels like forever for a SE. Talk about it being a guilty pleasure, I really don't know why I like it so much. The acting is rubbish with the one notable exception of Max Von Sydow who completely rocks, the dialogue is laughable ("Freeze, you bloody ********!"), the FX are generally awful and it even has a soundtrack by Queen. *shudder*

But somehow it's still thoroughly entertaining. Can't wait for this.

gZa · 21-07-2005, 15:01

Quote:

Originally Posted by cure

Talk about it being a guilty pleasure, I really don't know why I like it so much.

How about Ornella Multi.

cure · 21-07-2005, 15:09

Quote:

Originally Posted by Garry Cowell

How about Ornella Multi.

She was alright but Melody Anderson was the one that done it for me.

thescrounger · 21-07-2005, 15:13

Quote:

Originally Posted by cure

She was alright but Melody Anderson was the one that done it for me.

Me too, I loved her.

mrsteve · 21-07-2005, 15:17

Can't wait for this, particularly the dts and dd5.1 soundtracks - ooh, and the Brian Blessed commentary. The current Momentum edition has a particularly good video transfer, so I hope they don't muck around with that too much.

What's not to like?
A majestic Ming from Max! Ornella in a very tight bodysuit! Great FX (bit rickety here and there, but mucho charm unlike today's CGI)! Timothy Dalton declaiming all his lines! Topol playing a great Flexi Jerkoff! Melody Anderson looking rather sweet and lost! Marvellous Queen OSY and, yes, I even rather like Sam Jones in this....

I adored this on its first release and the fires haven't dimmed yet, still Top Ten material in my book....

Thangyew

Steve

hallanthony · 21-07-2005, 16:55

Excellent news, been holding off on buying Flash Gordon for so long... so here's hoping for a good release

anephric · 21-07-2005, 17:44

Do you promise not to blast it into space?

Wendelius · 21-07-2005, 17:57

Quote:

Originally Posted by anephric

Do you promise not to blast it into space?

Until such time as you get bored with it or a better edition comes out, that is.

I saw Flash Gordon at the cinema as a teenager and have loved it ever since. That one goes on my purchase list.

Wendelius

Gary Couzens · 21-07-2005, 19:04

Nicolas Roeg was the original director for this - I've always wondered what that would have been like.

On one of the two occasions I saw him interviewed in person, he did say what his approach would have been. To him, a frame of the comic strip, if you removed the dialogue, would look like prime bondage/fetish material, but then you get a thought bubble saying something like "I hope Flash gets here in time". He was going to go with the contrast between the two. Some of this remains in the final film - the costume design is noticeably fetishistic.

anephric · 21-07-2005, 19:46

Not to mention Ming's insistence at using "the bore worms" on his scantily clad, pinioned daughter whilst he blithely looks on *cough*

I've often tried to imagine Roeg's version - I can see the fanciful special effects (psychedelic inks and such) being much the same. But then my brain becomes addled with visions of Star Crash and I lose control of my vitals.

DeadKenny · 21-07-2005, 22:15

About bloody* time

Held off on the original DVD due to the basic disc and stereo track.

I suppose it's too much to hope for full-bitrate DTS and/or 96/24 DTS.

Lucas actually wanted to make it but he couldn't get the rights. He settled for hacking together a god awful sci-fi script and came up with Star Wars

. His nods to Flash Gordon are all over the place (getting blatant by the prequels).

*("Freeze! you bloody... etc"

)

Tony Soprano · 22-07-2005, 10:23

If I remeber corectly, wasn't Fellini aproached to direct this at some time. Now that would have been interesting.

Summerisle · 22-07-2005, 11:14

Universal's bringing out a new version at about this time in R1 land along with the now delayed "Will he or won't he" version of Dune. The director's commentary is probably what's on the current French release. The director, Mike Hodges, always said this was the highest budgeted improvised movie in cinema history.

And for conspiracy theorists Sam Jones voice was dubbed by a weedy voiced actor, Jones has a deeper voice, because De Laurentis had some grudge against the actor?

Niceguygeoff · 22-07-2005, 19:47

The Momentum package does look good, even if it is just an embellishment of the French R2 edition. But I can't help but wonder what goodies Universal's R1 effort will bring...

mrsteve · 22-07-2005, 21:54

A Brian Blessed track would have been in my dream edition, and - what ho - it's there on this edition. Can't ask any more (apart from Ornella's favourite nude scenes).... Must buy the R2 (and keep the current Momentum edition till I can check out the video transfer on the SE, could need to keep both, ya never know).

I've got one of Brian Blessed's one-man shows on tape and he's a superb racontuer - his stories from Flash Gordon are fond and funny. Can't wait.

Steve

gunner · 22-07-2005, 21:56

Gordons Alive???!!!

Can't wait for this, was just listening to the song by Queen on my Ipod, what a coincidence!

anephric · 23-07-2005, 12:31

Quote:

Originally Posted by Summerisle

And for conspiracy theorists Sam Jones voice was dubbed by a weedy voiced actor, Jones has a deeper voice, because De Laurentis had some grudge against the actor?

I've never believed that because he sounds exactly the same in everything else I've seen him in (*cough* the only thing I truly remember being a PC CD-ROM game).

Kit_Taylor · 24-07-2005, 08:24

"I don't wanna go to any moon, I want to rescue my friends and save the Earth!"

This was on telly recently and I was grinning from ear to ear throughout. Can't beat Brian May cranking it up as the Hawkmen swoop for the attack.

But what's with Ming's evil empire's apparent jewishness? Not to suggest there's anything sinister going on, as aryan Flash is a delightful simpleton.

cure · 24-07-2005, 14:19

Quote:

Originally Posted by anephric

I've never believed that because he sounds exactly the same in everything else I've seen him in (*cough* the only thing I truly remember being a PC CD-ROM game).

My 'friend' told me that he can often be spotted in late night Channel 5 soft pron these days.

I can't believe there is a R1 version coming out as well. Does anyone have any details? It's like buses, you wait for one for ages and two come along at once.