Flash Gordon

General Film Information
Queen Involvement
Storyline, Chapters & DVD Extras
Silver Anniversary DVD
Major Cast Details

General Film Information

Director : Mike Hodges (who also directed 'Get Carter' (1971) and Queen's 'Body Language' video (1982))
Producer : Dino De Laurentis (who also produced 'Death Wish' (1974))
Screenplay written by Lorenzo Semple, Jr.
First released in 1980, first UK DVD issue in March 2002
115 minutes

Recorded at Twickenham Film Studios, London, and on location on the Isle Of Skye, Scotland; Shepperton Studio Centre, England; EMI Studios, England, and Brooklands Industrial Park, Weybridge, England.

Queen Involvement
'Flash Gordon' was Queen's first, and to date most extensive, sound-track project. Queen wrote, performed and produced the 'rock' score to the film, with orchestral arrangements by Howard Blake.

The music from the film was remixed to produce Queen's tenth album - 'Flash Gordon'. The album and film music is very similar, but the album version is more complete, as the film soundtrack is quite disjointed (and not really worth mentioning separately). Presumably the music was recorded for the film, then remixed into the album.

Full details of the music can be found on the Flash Gordon song details page.

Storyline, Chapters & DVD Extras
(song titles in brackets refer to the tracks that start in each chapter. The chapters refer to the UK's 2002 DVD release)

The first three chapters are set somewhere in the USA, the rest of the film is set in and around Mingo City.

  1. Attack On Earth ('Flash')
    Start titles; Flash and Dale catch their aeroplane flight, and Ming launches his attack on Earth
  2. Dr. Zarkoff
    NASA reports on the solar eclipse and Zarkoff attempts to make his assistant Munson enter the space capsule
  3. Stopover Landing
    The aeroplane crashes toward Zarkoff's laboratory, Zarkoff takes Flash & Dale hostage and the space journey begins
  4. The Imperial Vortex ('In The Space Capsule')
    The space capsule travels to Mingo city, and Flash, Dale & Zarkoff are taken hostage by Ming
  5. An Audience With Ming ('Ming's Theme')
    Flash, Dale & Zarkoff are escorted to the court of Ming the Merciless, where Ming executes the Ardentian Prince
  6. American Football ('The Ring' and 'Football Fight')
    Flash, Dale & Zarkoff meet Ming, who hypnotically seduces Dale. Flash faces an 'American Football' fight against Ming's guards.
  7. A Final Request ('In The Death Cell')
    Flash & Dale spend their last time together before Flash's execution
  8. The Execution ('Execution Of Flash')
    Flash is executed, but saved by the doctor
  9. Back From The Dead
    The doctor 'resurrects' Flash, before Aura helps Flash to escape
  10. Memories
    Ming tests Zarkoff's memory, and General Kala attempts to reprogram his memory to become an agent for Ming
  11. Telepathy ('The Kiss')
    Aura and Flash travel towards Arboria, whilst Flash telepathically talks to Dale
  12. Escape From Ming ('Arboria')
    Dale escapes from Ming's bedroom, and meets up with Zarkoff. Klytus allows Zarkoff to leave the city in order to find Flash
  13. The Initiation Ceremony
    Flash and Aura reach Arboria and meet up with Prince Barin
  14. The Confession
    Zarkoff and Dale are captured by the Hawkmen, whilst Flash is lowered into the Arborian swamp and Klytus tortures Aura with Ming's permission.
  15. The Sky Palace
    Zarkoff and Dale are taken to Vultan at the Sky Palace
  16. The Wood Beast ('Escape From The Swamp')
    Flash and Fico escape from the swamp, and then Fico betrays Flash. Flash faces the 'Wood Beast' challenge, before fleeing into the swamp, chased by Barin. Both Flash and Barin are captured by the Treemen
  17. Trial By Combat
    Prince Barin and Flash are taken to Vultan at the Sky Palace. Flash and Barin fight each other, before Flash saves Barin's life.
  18. The First Step Forward
    Klytus visits the Sky Palace, but is thrown onto the spikes by Flash. The Treemen flee from the palace when Ming approaches.
  19. Declining A Kingdom
    Ming visits the Sky Palace, and offers Flash his own kingdom. Flash refuses and escapes on a Hawk Cycle before Ming destroys the palace.
  20. A Second Chance
    Flash contacts Vultan from his rocket cycle, and Aura reveals to Dale that Ming allowed Klytus to torture her.
  21. The Warship Ajax ('Flash To The Rescue', 'Vultan's Theme' and 'Battle Theme')
    Flash flies toward Mingo City, so that War Rocket Ajax follows to collect his body. The Hawkmen attack the ship and plant a bomb on board.
  22. Flash To The Rescue ('The Wedding March', 'Marriage Of Dale & Ming' and 'Crash Dive On Mingo City')
    Aura escapes from custody and rescues Barin and Zarkoff. Dale is taken to her wedding as Flash steers War Rocket Ajax towards Mingo City. Dale & Zarkoff execute General Kala and deactivate the lightning field. Flash crashes the War Rocket Ajax into Mingo City, killing Ming (?).
  23. A New Kingdom ('Flash's Theme Reprise')
    Prince Barin and Vultan reveal their new joint leadership to the people of Mingo City.
  24. End Credits ('The Hero')

DVD Extras

  1. Photographic Gallery (79 pictures of actors, stills from the film, set and costume designs)
  2. Theatrical Trailer (contains footage from the film, with a 'unique' version of 'Flash')

The DVD Menu also uses a short unique edit of 'Flash'.

Silver Anniversary DVD
This reissue, to celebrate the 25th anniversary of the film, was released on 10 October 2005. It features the DVD in a standard grey case, with new artwork, a booklet, and the DVD itself features new material. The content of the DVD is as follows:

  1. The film, with stereo or 5.1 surround sound audio
  2. Audio commentaries by director Mike Hodges or actor Brian Blessed (Vultan)
  3. A thirty minute interview with Mike Hodges
  4. The original theatrical trailer (as on the above 'standard' DVD)
  5. A photo gallery
  6. The original episode of the TV serial

For this release, the film is divided into just 12 chapters. The menus also feature a number of short extracts, full details of these are on the Flash Gordon songs page.

Major Cast Details

Flash Gordon (Sam J Jones)

Dale Arden (Melody Anderson)

Ming The Merciless (Max Von Sydow)
The Exorcist (1973), Escape To Victory (1981), James Bond - Never Say Never Again (1983)

Dr. Hans Zarkoff (Chaim Topol)

Prince Vultan (Brian Blessed)
Blackadder The First (TV) (1983), Robin Hood - Prince Of Thieves (1991), Star Wars: Episode 1 - The Phantom Menace (1999)

Prince Barin (Timothy Dalton)
James Bond - The Living Daylights (1987) and James Bond - Licence To Kill (1989)

Princess Aura (Ornella Muti)

Klytus (Peter Wyngarde)