The year 2020 celebrated the 40th anniversary of the sci-fi fantasy movie Flash Gordon, so naturally cinemas (open when COVID-19 lockdowns were not in place) screened the film and special edition DVDs were released, and I chose to watch this documentary about it. Basically, it chronicles the making of the film and its eventual cult following, especially focusing on the life of leading actor Sam J. Jones (also producing this film). Those being interviewed talk about the production, from the decisions of producer Dino De Laurentiis, the casting of the actors, staying true to the original comic books and TV serial, filming at Elstree and Shepperton Studios, the props, costumes and special effects, the poster artwork by Renato Casaro (who made movie posters for The NeverEnding Story, Octopussy, and Cliffhanger). and the brilliant soundtrack music by Queen, featuring orchestral sections by Howard Blake. But they also talk about things that went on during the shooting, including the cast and crew taking it all seriously (especially Timothy Dalton as Prince Barin), Max von Sydow asking Brian Blessed for advice on playing Ming the Merciless; Blessed improvising the goosing of Melody Anderson, what he did with props on set, and his iconic catchphrase "Gordon's alive!?", Peter Wyngarde on his ventriloquist technique for speaking his lines whilst wearing the Klytus mask, and Brian May on writing the opening song "Flash's Theme" and the amazing vocals of Freddie Mercury (including his improvised high notes on "Aura's Kiss", the scene where Princess Aura brings Flash back to life). But more than anything, it goes into detail about the bad working relationship between actor Jones and producer De Laurentiis, they argued many times on set, including Jones about his lack of payment, and although he completed filming most key scenes, he was not called back for dialogue looping (re-recording or adding dialogue to footage) or re-shoots, instead he was sacked, and his voice was dubbed (by Peter Marinker). It details the life of Sam J. Jones, his childhood and eventual career in acting, with Flash Gordon being his big screen debut, but the lack of success of the film meant that his acting career never took off, he fell into depression and almost committed suicide from overdosing pills. However, he pulled through, married and had children, found a new career as a security guard, and found a new lease of life, wanting to get to know and help people. Jones often makes appearances at conventions for fans of the film, and years later he called De Laurentiis to make amends. Jones and the film also had a resurgence of popularity when Seth MacFarlane cast him in the comedy movie Ted, in which Flash Gordon is referenced several times. Flash Gordon was planned to have sequels made, although it was successful in the United Kingdom and Italy it performed poorly elsewhere, and received mixed reviews from critics, so any follow-ups did not go ahead. In modern terms it can be seen as a camp, cheesy and perhaps laughable movie, but there are many that enjoy it for all that it is, including celebrities, filmmakers and actors, and the cult audience, many of whom are avid collectors of the film's props, costumes, posters and artwork, toys and other memorabilia; the film talks to many of these collectors. With contributions from Sam J. Jones (Flash Gordon), Melody Anderson (Dale Arden), Topol (Dr. Hans Zarkov), Peter Wyngarde (Klytus), Richard O'Brien (Fico), Deep Roy (Princess Aura's Pet), Brian May (Queen) and Howard Blake (composer), with appearances from John Altman (a Hawkman stand-in), Renato Casaro, Richard Donner, Lou Ferrigno, Rich Fulcher, Jon Heder, Mike Hodges (the director), Stan Lee, Christopher McDonald, Paul Oakenfold, Ray Park, Robert Rodriguez, Michael Rooker, Patrick St. Esprit (Jones's friend), Patrick Warburton, and Jones's wife, children and friends. This is a good film about the making of one of my favourite films from my childhood (which I still enjoy now), what happened to Jones and the other cast crew during after the making of it, and its impact today, a most interesting and watchable documentary. Very good!
Review of Life After Flash
