Flash Gordon Conquers the Universe (1940)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

Directors:

Ford Beebe
Ray Taylor

Writers:

George H. Plympton (screenplay) &
Basil Dickey (screenplay) ...

Release Date:

3 March 1940 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Sci-Fi | Adventure

Tagline:

From the ALEX RAYMOND newspaper feature owned and copyrighted by King Features Syndicate (all of the original posters and cards)

Plot:

Flash and his friends return to planet Mongo for an antidote to the Purple Death. But Ming the Merciless has other plans for them...

Plot Keywords:

Antidote | Spaceship | Rocket Ship | Rocket | Superhero

Cast

Buster Crabbe	...	Flash Gordon (as Larry 'Buster' Crabbe)
Carol Hughes	...	Dale Arden
Charles Middleton	...	Emperor Ming
Anne Gwynne	...	Sonja [Chs. 2, 6-12]
Frank Shannon	...	Dr. Zarkov
John Hamilton	...	Prof. Gordon [Chs. 1, 4]
Herbert Rawlinson	...	Dr. Frohmann [Chs. 1, 4]
Tom Chatterton	...	Prof. Arden [Chs. 1, 4]
Shirley Deane	...	Princess Aura
Lee Powell	...	Capt. Roka
Roland Drew	...	Prince Barin
Don Rowan	...	Capt. Torch
Victor Zimmerman	...	Lt. Thong
Edgar Edwards	...	Capt. Turan
Ben Taggart	...	Gen. Lupi [Chs. 1-2]

Also Known As:

Space Soldiers Conquer the Universe (USA) (TV title)

Runtime:

(12 episodes) | Brazil:220 min | UK:195 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Sound System)

Certification:

USA:Approved (PCA #5874) | UK:U | Australia:G | Australia:PG (2008)

Company:

Universal Pictures

Trivia:

This serial was based on a Flash Gordon comic strip continuity involving Prince Barin and his Tree People, of "Frigia".

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in Flesh Gordon Meets the Cosmic Cheerleaders (1989)

Soundtrack:

Les Preludes

Democracy v Nazis in space

This needs reviving. In retrospect you see the point Republic were making. Its full of references which an audience contemporary with the 1940 production would have understood. The title music is Listz's Prelude 2. This was familiar from reports from Nazi Germany and Nuremberg rallies where it had been used repeatedly to glorify German power. Ming where's a white uniform identical to Mussolini of Fascist Italy. Largely gone is Ming's overt evil and sadistic attitudes in favour of a Messianic belief of unifying the universe under one rule will bring peace and prosperity. Despite the method required will be warfare to attain this. Buster Crabb repeatedly makes remarks about liberty and freedom. He also informs races from different planets that they must unite against the evils and dangers of a conqueror. The people of Saturn are represented by Chinese actors and Ming is fanatical in his wish to conquerer Saturn. This is a reference to the millions killed by the Japanese in Manchuria and China. Also a reference to the Axis pact between Germany and Japan demonstrating the necessity of nations to unite to defeat conquerors who are in alliance with each other.