Gordon’s Alive! Welcomes you with open arms to 2017!!
This year is already shaping up to be a milestone for the Flashfan as the long-awaited documentary Life After Flash moves ever closer to release (after hitting its post-production target thanks to generous contribution from fans!) and Sam Jones himself maintains a busy schedule of personal appearances all over the world.
Meanwhile Chronicle Collectables are set to release a series of high-end collectables this year starting with the pre-order of the beautiful prop replica of War Rocket Ajax with the General Klytus Mask to follow along with an announcement of another iconic (and shiny!) prop also to see release sometime in 2017.
Here at Gordon’s Alive! the brief hiatus has been spent amassing more rare material to showcase while continually updating the features and galleries in the sidebar (new imagery is added constantly so keep checking back!). We also finally take delivery of the definitive Rocket Cycle scale model with custom figure and will be adding a gallery to the Flying Blind feature to show it off.
So lets gets things started with this fun piece by George Khoury from the pages of UK Sc-Fi Magazine SFX from 2008 with striking images and great interviews (including a snippet from original director Nic Roeg..!) revealing, amongst other interesting insights that the famous ‘YEAH!’ jump into camera towards the end was improvised by none other than the leading man…
Gordon’s Alive is pleased to present the penultimate pair of features exhumed from the pages of vintage Starlog magazine. Issue #44 contained both articles reproduced above and below, starting with a very rare conversation with Director Mike Hodges.
Speaking candidly about the sheer scale of the production and difficulties with special effects, etc. the renowned British director compliments cast and crew and casually reveals he was original director Nic Roeg’s personal choice to helm the sequel rather than assuming control of the picture once Roeg departed.
Describing the $30 Million movie as ‘Unadulterated Entertainment’ and a literal translation of Alex Raymond’s ‘cartoon’, he admits the fallout between star and Producer could ultimately have an effect on the film, ironically eliminating the possibility of the sequel Hodges was touted for…
This fascinating and detailed interview with SFX Supremo’s Martin J. Bower and Bill Pearson is a great overview for anyone captivated by the highly-stylised designs and effects work showcased in Flash Gordon.
Though much of the talented British FX team’s work sadly never made it to the screen (the Fireball XL5 style Rocket and space graveyard the most tragic of omissions), their stories of superglue and rivets are arguably eclipsed by the revelation that the infamous Arborian tree stump beast is actually called The Emproygen…
GORDON’S ALIVE! Welcomes you to 2016!
This year is certain to be huge for Flashfans due to the aftershocks of the 35th anniversary and growing readership of this site, with all-new content and vintage treasures from across the globe (starting below). Look out for contributions from and interviews with fellow Flash collectors, all dedicated to making this the ultimate resource for the saviour of the universe!
Roughly translated as ‘The superstar in the realm of the stars’ this rare fold-out promo flyer would adorn many a German cinema lobby in the run up to release.
Beyond the odd rare photo and primitive cut and paste (note Kala’s decapitated head) the credits as shown may be the only instance of Jones and Muti headlining, with Von Sydow’s Ming dropping down to fourth place…
