Film Snail

5.7

Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe

NR·1940·195m

Science Fiction

Action

Science Fiction

Action

Summary

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.

Cast

Buster Crabbe

Flash Gordon

Carol Hughes

Dale Arden

Charles Middleton

Emperor Ming

Anne Gwynne

Sonja

Frank Shannon

Dr. Zarkov

John Hamilton

Professor Gordon

Herbert Rawlinson

Dr. Frohmann

Tom Chatterton

Professor Arden

Shirley Deane

Princess Aura

Lee Powell

Captain Roka

Roland Drew

Prince Barin

Don Rowan

Captain Torch

Victor Zimmerman

Lieutenant Thong

Edgar Edwards

Captain Turan

Michael Mark

Professor Karm

Earl Dwire

Janda

Harry C. Bradley

Keedish

Sigurd Nilssen

Count Korro

Mimi Taylor

Verna

Byron Foulger

Professor Drok

William Royle

Captain Sudan

Donald Curtis

Ronal (uncredited)

Luli Deste

Queen Fria (uncredited)

Ben Taggart

General Lupi (uncredited)

Allan Cavan

Man with Thinking Brain (uncredited)

Jack Roper

Man of Low Intellect (uncredited)

Reed Howes

Barin's Ship #5 Commander (uncredited)

Charles Sherlock

Guard Kroad (uncredited)

Mala

Prince of the Rock People (uncredited)

Chief Yowlachie

King of the Rock People (uncredited)

Jack Gardner

Professor Gordon's Radio Operator (uncredited)

Joey Ray

Professor Gordon's Assistant (uncredited)

Roy Barcroft

Ming's Soldier / Arborian Sentry (uncredited)

Lane Chandler

Ming's Soldier (uncredited)

Gene Rizzi

Ming's Soldier (uncredited)

Wheaton Chambers

Scientist (uncredited)

John Elliott

Scientist (uncredited)

Jack George

Scientist (uncredited)

Jean Brooks

Olga (uncredited)

Carmen D'Antonio

Ming's Dancing Girl (uncredited)

Vivian Mason

Ming's Gong Girl (uncredited)

Ernie Adams

(uncredited)

Clarice Sherry

(uncredited)

Tom Steele

Ming's Pilot (uncredited)

Eddie Parker

Arborian Prison Guard (uncredited)

Bill Hunter

Guard (uncredited)

Robert Blair

(uncredited)

Harold Daniels

(uncredited)

Pat Gleason

(uncredited)

Ernie Payson

(uncredited)

Paul Reed

(uncredited)

Charles Waldron Jr.

(uncredited)

Saul A. Goodkind

Various Characters (voice) (uncredited)

Crew

Director

Ford Beebe

Director

Ray Taylor

Characters

Alex Raymond

Screenplay

George H. Plympton

Screenplay

Basil Dickey

Screenplay

Barry Shipman

Reviews

talisencrw

April 10, 2016

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.