“You are now part of the Flash Gordon legend too Martin, and deservedly so…”
– John Walsh, Author Flash Gordon: The Story Of The Film
S I T E M A S T E R
M A R T I N L A K I N
“Just a man – with a man’s courage.”
Greetings Earthlings…
You have emerged from The Sea of Fire and arrived at the threshold of Planet Mongo. My name is Martin Lakin and I will be your host for this site devoted solely to celebrating the cult movie of 1980.
2020 marks the 40th anniversary of Mike Hodges sci-fi classic and the film has arguably never been more popular thanks to its loyal fanbase and a resurgence of interest thanks to leading man Sam J. Jones memorable appearance in Ted 1&2. Meantime, rumours of a sequel (or reimagining) persist and thanks to the independently produced documentary project Life After Flash (and even Walmart Commercials) the original Saviour of the Universe is still very much alive.
I vividly remember seeing the movie as an eight-year old with my dad and being spellbound by the mesmerising visuals, thumping soundtrack and relentless action. Over the preceding decades I remained a passionate fan and started to collect whatever memorabilia I could lay my hands on while the movie itself steadily ingrained itself in popular culture thanks to repeated TV showings. Then with the advent of VHS through to DVD and finally resplendent in every detail on Blu-Ray (and now in dazzling 4K), the picture has never looked (or sounded) better.
My fascination grew as I gradually learned about the making of the troubled production and the many stories behind the scenes (such as original director Nic Roeg’s early withdrawal from the project and later, Sam Jones dispute with legendary Producer Dino De Laurentiis). Thankfully the revelations keep coming due to stars (Brian Blessed, Melody Anderson and Sam himself) still delighting fans across the globe by appearing regularly at conventions, culminating in the glamourous 35th Anniversary celebration at BAFTA in 2015.
The purpose of this site is to showcase all manner of material from common to the most obscure from all over the world purely for the the love but also to preserve the ongoing legacy. To assist me in this endeavour I need the assistance of fellow Flash fans to send me whatever they have my way for documentation on the site – this may be anything from poster magazines to screenused props. Please use the contact form and I will be sure to credit you for sharing your most prized pieces.
But for now, take time to explore and relive the most watchable, quotable, enjoyable and most downright entertaining entry in the sci-fi genre. I look forward to hearing from you..!
“GO FLASH GO!!”
