Movie Cosmos - Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

Description:

A mysterious plague, the Purple Death, ravages the earth. Dr. Zarkov, investigating in his spaceship, finds a ship from planet Mongo seeding the atmosphere with dust. Sure enough, Ming the Merciless is up to his old tricks. So it's back to Mongo for Flash, Dale, and Zarkov.

Top Cast >

Buster Crabbe

As Flash Gordon

Carol Hughes

As Dale Arden

Charles Middleton

As Emperor Ming

Anne Gwynne

As Sonja

Frank Shannon

As Dr. Zarkov

John Hamilton

As Professor Gordon

Herbert Rawlinson

As Dr. Frohmann

Tom Chatterton

As Professor Arden

Shirley Deane

As Princess Aura

Lee Powell

As Captain Roka

Roland Drew

As Prince Barin

Don Rowan

As Captain Torch

Victor Zimmerman

As Lieutenant Thong

Edgar Edwards

As Captain Turan

Michael Mark

As Professor Karm

Earl Dwire

As Janda

Harry C. Bradley

As Keedish

Sigurd Nilssen

As Count Korro

Mimi Taylor

As Verna

Byron Foulger

As Professor Drok

William Royle

As Captain Sudan

Donald Curtis

As Ronal (uncredited)

Luli Deste

As Queen Fria (uncredited)

Ben Taggart

As General Lupi (uncredited)

Allan Cavan

As Man with Thinking Brain (uncredited)

Jack Roper

As Man of Low Intellect (uncredited)

Reed Howes

As Barin's Ship #5 Commander (uncredited)

Charles Sherlock

As Guard Kroad (uncredited)

Mala

As Prince of the Rock People (uncredited)

Chief Yowlachie

As King of the Rock People (uncredited)

Jack Gardner

As Professor Gordon's Radio Operator (uncredited)

Joey Ray

As Professor Gordon's Assistant (uncredited)

Roy Barcroft

As Ming's Soldier / Arborian Sentry (uncredited)

Lane Chandler

As Ming's Soldier (uncredited)

Gene Rizzi

As Ming's Soldier (uncredited)

Wheaton Chambers

As Scientist (uncredited)

John Elliott

As Scientist (uncredited)

Jack George

As Scientist (uncredited)

Jean Brooks

As Olga (uncredited)

Carmen D'Antonio

As Ming's Dancing Girl (uncredited)

Vivian Mason

As Ming's Gong Girl (uncredited)

Ernie Adams

As (uncredited)

Clarice Sherry

As (uncredited)

Tom Steele

As Ming's Pilot (uncredited)

Eddie Parker

As Arborian Prison Guard (uncredited)

Bill Hunter

As Guard (uncredited)

Robert Blair

As (uncredited)

Harold Daniels

As (uncredited)

Pat Gleason

As (uncredited)

Ernie Payson

As (uncredited)

Paul Reed

As (uncredited)

Charles Waldron Jr.

As (uncredited)

Saul A. Goodkind

As Various Characters (voice) (uncredited)

Top Crew >

Ford Beebe

Director

Ray Taylor

Director

George H. Plympton

Screenplay

Basil Dickey

Screenplay

Barry Shipman

Screenplay

Harold H. MacArthur

Art Direction

Jerome Ash

Director of Photography

William A. Sickner

Director of Photography

Alvin Todd

Editor

Louis Sackin

Editor

Joseph Gluck

Editor

Saul A. Goodkind

Supervising Editor

Henry MacRae

Associate Producer

Alex Raymond

Characters

Reviews:

talisencrw (9/10)

I love and have a great affinity for serials from the golden age of cinema, and this was definitely one of the better ones I have seen. Previously, I had really enjoyed Buster Crabbe's presence in the post-Weissmuller era of Tarzan, and I have had the DVD of Hodges' 1980 'Flash Gordon' for eons, but wanted to first get to the root of the phenomenon by checking out the serials. Fortunately, in purchasing a 50-film pack, 'Nightmare Worlds' from Mill Creek, it was included.

The 12 episodes of the 220-minute serial were well-edited into the fine flow that this version I saw had, and the special effects and production values were quite decent--you could tell it had been made both by a high-quality studio, in Universal, and by directors quite used to the serial format, in Ford Beebe and Ray Taylor.

There are some goofs (for example, when Ming's henchmen are looking at a mountainside for the four protagonists, and five are shown), but it's action-packed, with interestingly stylized wipe-edits, and I can see how it later influenced the likes of both George Lucas and Steven Spielberg.

As well, it's very interesting how the filmmakers were subtly able to use the film to offer social commentary to the growing Nazi/Fascist movements worldwide that were wreaking havoc across the globe in the Axis of Evil. Heartily recommended to anyone who enjoys the fun side of cinema.

2016-04-10