Flash and the Queen

I haven't said anything yet about Queen Elizabeth II's death in this blog I suppose because I figure my focus is primarily on movies, literature, and art. So I thought, how could I honour her memory? By watching her favourite movie. So I googled and, it turns out, according to multiple websites, Queen Elizabeth II's favourite movie was 1980's Flash Gordon. My first thought was, "Didn't anyone tell her about Star Wars?" But it turns out the 1980 spin on the 1930s comics and serials has a very different appeal to George Lucas' ode to that same era. I wouldn't be the first to call it campy. It shares a screenwriter with the 1960s Batman series. But I found myself thinking of The Rocky Horror Picture Show even before Richard O'Brien showed up on the planet of Robin Hoods led by Timothy Dalton.

I was surprised by the amount of sexuality in this movie Elizabeth II liked watching with her grandchildren. On meeting the villain, Ming the Merciless (Max von Sydow), the female lead, Dale (Melody Anderson), is subjected to some kind of tractor beam that gives her an orgasm.

Afterwards, Flash (Sam J. Jones) says he doesn't understand what happened but that she was, "Sensational!" Later, when he sees her in the new gown Ming's given her to be his concubine, he says she looks great. Can you imagine Luke saying the same when he sees Leia in her metal bikini?

There's a sense of everyone being kind of aware that this is all a kinky slumber party with a massive budget.

The supporting cast is great. Max von Sydow is good as always and actually comes off as a calculating ruler, making me wonder if the Queen took him as an example of how not to reign. Topol as professor Zarkov is much more theatrical and entertaining than his counterpart in the old serials. But Melody Anderson is delightful because she perfectly captures the kinds of mannerisms and line deliveries of an actress from the '30s. She almost sounds like Judy Garland.

There are two stunning women in this movie trying to woo Flash, the other being Ming's daughter, Princess Aura, played by Omella Muti, who looks like an optimised hybrid of Charlize Theron and Scarlett Johansson.

All this and songs by Queen (the rock band, not the monarch). The movie really is a delight and I found myself grinning a lot. Her Majesty knew how to pick 'em.