Mike Hodges´ Jens Lyn fylder 40 og fejres med stort jubilæumsbokssæt. “Flash!….ah aaahh!”.

Det er som bekendt ikke alt ukrudt der forgår.

Således er en tidligere lettere ugleset “campfest” som Mike Hodges Jens Lyn fra 1980, gentagne gange hevet op fra sølet og charmeret en ny generation af sci-fi fans.

Senest har superfan Seth MacFarlane sent nostalgien på overload gennem hans 2 Ted film:

Nu er det efterhånden 40 år siden en afbleget Sam J. Jones satte sig op imod den mægtige Kejser Ming i nu afdøde Max Von Sydows skikkelse, til lyden af: “Flash…..Ah-AAHHH!.

Derfor syntes både Studio Canal og instruktør Mike Hodges nu at “herligrigerne” skal genudsendes i al sin pragt b.la. i fuld 4K, hør bare:

STUDIOCANAL is excited to announce the new 4k, Ultra High Definition restoration of Mike Hodge’s cult classic FLASH GORDON (1980), in honour of the film’s 40th anniversary. The film will be released on 4K UHD Collector’s edition, Blu-ray, Steelbook, DVD and digital on August 3rd, with special screenings TBC.

For the new 40th Anniversary 4k restoration, Flash Gordon was scanned from the original 35mm negative to produce 4K files. Over 500 hours of manual restoration repaired serious damage that included image instability, scratches and intermittent flicker. The sound was scanned from the original track negative and underwent restoration to improve issues ranging from audio drop-outs throughout the feature and during reel changes, digital clicks and optical distortion. The film was colour graded for theatrical, home entertainment and 4K HDR release, using previous digital releases and 35mm prints as a reference. In line with the Director’s vision and the original 35mm cinema release, VFX work was applied to remove the strings in all scenes where visible. This restoration was approved by Director Mike Hodges in May 2020, and will include the first 4K HDR Dolby Vision master of Flash Gordon.

88-årige Mike Hodges udtaler:

“I’m very grateful to STUDIOCANAL for this brilliant 4k restoration. The restoration captures perfectly the vivid colours of the sets, skies and costumes. It also corrects some of the problems encountered with the special effects system we used. With Chroma key compositing we could insert skies, rocket ships, hawk-men, pretty well whatever we wanted, into the blue backing built into the studio sets. The problems came later when we had to eliminate, for example, the wires used on the hawk-men. We were eventually successful but even then some 35mm prints were variable and the wires would be back again. With this new restoration that problem is thankfully laid to rest. Of course Chroma key is primitive by the side of the current process, CGI (Computer Generated Imaging). That said I’m pleased we stuck with the old fashioned system. CGI would have been too slick. After all Flash Gordon was a cartoon strip from the 1930s brought back to life on celluloid some five decades later.”

SPECIAL FEATURES AND TECHNICAL SPECS:

DISC ONE – 4K BLU-RAY
BRAND NEW 4K RESTORATION OF THE FILM, SUPERVISED AND APPROVED BY DIRECTOR MIKE HODGES
New Lost in Space: Nic Roeg’s Flash Gordon (also iTunes extra)
Audio commentary with Mike Hodges
Audio commentary with Brian Blessed
Behind the scenes of Flash Gordon
Stills gallery (also iTunes extra)
Storyboards gallery (also iTunes extra)
Original theatrical trailer
DISC TWO – BLU-RAY
Interview with Mike Hodges
Interview with comic book artist Alex Ross TBC
Interview with screenwriter Lorenzo Semple, Jr. TBC
Episode 24 of Flash Gordon (1979-1982): The Survival Game / Gremlin’s Finest Hour
Sam Jones’s acting start
Entertainment Earth on Flash Gordon merchandise
Bob Lindenmayer discusses deleted scenes and original endings
35th Anniversary Greenroom
35th Anniversary reunion featurette
Renato Casaro extended interview
Brian Blessed anecdotes
Melody’s musings
On the soundtrack (Brian May & Howard Blake)
Easter Eggs
THE FIVE-DISC COLLECTOR’S EDITION INCLUDES
The 4K Blu-ray plus two Blu-ray discs
BONUS BLU-RAY DISC OF LIFE AFTER FLASH, the 2017 feature documentary celebrating the film and it’s star, directed by Lisa Downs
ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK CD by Queen & Howard Blake
32 page booklet
16 page Titan mini book (The Story of Flash Gordon)
Reproduced booklet of the first strip of original comic books
Poster of original artwork
4 artcards of various incarnations of Flash film posters across the years
1 sew on ‘Flash patch”

Til sammenligning ser den samlede Star Wars box sådan ud, og det er vel at mærke hele 9 film:

Lettere ironisk ikke? – og lagde I mærke til en detalje i det kommende bokssæt?: “VFX work was applied to remove the strings in all scenes where visible”. YES, sådanne tiltag troede man kun “klassikere” som netop Star Wars og Indiana Jones kunne udsættes for. Nu kan Pinocchio GÅ, no strings attached!.

Men hvordan kan det være gået så vidt at det at være b-film elsker, nu belønnes på denne måde?

Hvordan kan det være film som denne og Lucio Fulcis Zombie eller William Lustigs Maniac, nu får den røde 4K løber før “rigtige” klassikere som Godfather, Citizen Kane og Vredens druer?

Skal vi starte med at tage tilbage til Brøndby Hallen torsdag 12. maj 1977 ved en ca. 19:27 tiden?

Før Flash i 1977:

For sølle 95 kr. kunne man ved selvsyn, hvis man var blandt de heldige, beskue det oprindelige Queen lineup i topform i 1977:

Det skulle blive sidste gang Queen, med en vis Mercury i front, skulle vise sig på dansk jord.

For bare 2 år senere blev bandet for store for vores breddegrader, med hits som Another one bites the Dust og Crazy little thing called love. Dengang var der ikke noget i DK der mindede om arena koncerter og lign.

Derfor blev det først med filmen Flash Gordon at Queen “vendte tilbage” til det danske øh, dronningeland.

Filminstruktøren Mike Hodges havde længe ønsket at arbejde med supergruppen, men det var først da George Lucas(!) havde kastet håndklædet i ringen omkring en ny Flash Gordon film efter Buster Crabbe havde spillet rollen i 1936, at et musikalsk parløb kunne begynde.

Queen var på dette tidspunkt en ikke specielt respekteret gruppe, der fint senere kunne supplere denne ringe agtede camp komedie. Dette er også langt før der var noget der hed halvfemser ironi.

Hodges havde indtil da mest været kendt for gangsterfilmen Gør Carter kold fra 1971 med en stadig ung Michael Caine. Filmen skulle senere med rette blive udnævnt som én af de bedste britiske film nogensinde!.

Men nu er det Flash Gordon vi nu “tilbeder” så tilbage til den:

For filmen blev virkelig én af de mest campede siden Rocky Horror Picture Show fra 1975.

Men hvad er hemmeligheden kære Movser fans, for vi ved det jo godt:

Queens music: