Product Description

In this outrageous spoof of sci-fi films earth is thrown into carnal chaos by a mysterious sex ray emanating from outer space. Flesh gordon dale ardor and their new found scientist friend dr. Flexi jerkoff must travel to the planet porno to save the earth from certain devastation by the mad emperor wang. Studio: Henstooth Video Release Date: 11/09/1999 Starring: Jason Williams Joseph Hudgins Run time: 90 minutes Rating: Ur Director: Howard Ziehm/m. Benveniste

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #23152 in DVD
• Released on: 1999-11-09
• Rating: Unrated
• Aspect ratio: 1.78:1
• Formats: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Original language: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 90 minutes

Amazon.com
Directors Howard Ziehm and Michael Benveniste draw from the same cliffhanging Flash Gordon serials of the 1930s as the glitzy 1980 tongue-in-cheek space opera for their soft-core spoof. Hockey hero Flesh Gordon and often-naked love interest Dale Ardor join Dr. Jerkoff in his battle against the mad Emperor Wang from the planet Porno, who has unleashed his diabolical sex ray on the Earth. Full of toilet humor, juvenile sexual innuendo, and unending naked romps and orgies, it's hardly in the same company as the Mel Brooks genre goofs Blazing Saddles and Young Frankenstein. But amidst the slack direction, flat performances, and grungy photography are some lovingly crafted low-tech effects, including marvelous stop-motion creatures from Jim Danforth and spaceships courtesy of future Oscar winners Greg Jein and Dennis Muren. The film's best sequence is a King Kong tribute with a giant rampaging satyr (voiced by an uncredited Craig T. Nelson, who ad-libs quips in a cultured but expletive-filled whine) kidnapping Dale as Flesh buzzes him his phallic space ship. All the restoration in the world won't make this dark, grainy, bargain-basement parody look any better, but the retro effects, inspired score, and playful attitude make this silly sex romp a kitschy cult item from the randy 1970s. --Sean Axmaker

Additional Features
The DVD includes a feature-length audio lecture on the film's fascinating history by producer-codirector Howard Ziehm, a former X-rated film producer with greater ambitions in a period when the line between mainstream and adult cinema, for a brief period, blurred. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews

DVD a close call over VHS
Flesh Gordon has achieved the status of a minor cult film. Although it carefully instructs the viewer not to confuse it with the real Flash Gordon, it follows the story of the first Flash Gordon serial fairly closely, at least for the first third of the film. Part of its cult status comes from the campy style and humor, but mostly it is the combination of cheesy soft-core porn with relatively decent special effects. The DVD shows that strange amalgamation clearly. Overall, the picture quality is fairly mediocre, perhaps not unexpected in a movie this age that was made on a very low budget in the first place. There is a lot of grain in many of the scenes, and some of them are washed out as well. But the worst scenes are the live action scenes (though not all the live action scenes are bad). The special effect scenes, especially the stop-motion animation scenes, are pretty good. They are sharp and the colors are bright and deep. It is obvious that much more care was put into making the special effects than into the rest of the movie. The sound is also nothing special and the supplemental material consists only of a trailer. The DVD does provide a better viewing experience than the VHS, but not a lot better. We're not talking Dark City, here. If you already have this movie on VHS, it may not be worth upgrading (though the trailer, slightly better picture and sound, attractive cover on a Alpha Keep case, and the permanence of DVD was enough for me) but if you don't have it and want it, then the DVD is the way to go.

Enjoyable Cult Movie Parody
Everything from ROBINHOOD to KING KONG gets a whack from this early 1970s parody of the 1930s FLASH GORDON serial, which has a story line in keeping with the sexual revolution. A mysterious "sex" ray that turns otherwise normal people into sex maniacs is plaguing the earth--and is eventually traced to the planet Porno, ruled by evil Emperor Wang. And so our hero Flesh, his lady love Dale Ardor, and their scientific genius Dr. Jerkoff set out for planet Porno to defeat Wang... only to find themselves victims of his REALLY kinky ways! As film-making goes, the quality of this parody is often quite poor, the material itself is extremely uneven, and the performers merely so-so--but what the filmmakers lack in experience they more than make up for in imagination. Witness the attack of the dreaded Penisaurus! Behold Prince Precious' Reward! Beware the intiation of the underground lesbians! With everything from stop-motion animation monsters to some truly Freudian art design, cult-film fans and most others will probably find lots to enjoy--but FLESH GORDON is an acquired taste. Some will find that joke runs dry long before the film ends; others will consider it juvenile and distasteful.

A WORD OF WARNING. Some reviewers note that the film received an X rating in the early 1970s when X ratings were much more freely given than they are today. That is true; after all, even MIDNIGHT COWBOY was rated X, if you can imagine it. Even so, there is considerable nudity and simulated sex in FLESH GORDON, and during one or two of the crowd scenes it seems obvious that at least one of the couples is well gone into X territory. While I wouldn't describe FLESH GORDON as pornography, it remains fairly raw stuff, and you may want to keep that in mind.

Wang rules
Oh bless this film! First the poor parts that caused a 4 rating. They have nothing to do with the plot. Transferance created some grainy parts, as well as the occasional `skip' BUT, this movie is absolutely the best spoof of the Flash Gordon series. Originally, Back in the `70s, Flesh was supposed to be `X' rated. By todays standards, this is PG-13. There are little or no swear words, but there is frequent nudity. What cracks me up is the virginial Dale Ardor has a huge caesarian scar! Dr. Jerkoff, Planet Porno, Emporer Wang. Perfect spoof names. When the Amazon Queen (black patch over one eye and a leather patch over the opposite boobie) proclaimed herself as Chief Nellie, I damn near died. The quick scene of 50 followers of Emperor Wang, performing a nude Bunny Hop, slayed me. The stop action Penisaurus cave was parody plus. The backgroud space shots are purposely 2nd grader quality (wires cannily included), and enhance the absurdity. I love the bizarre. I adore the blatantcy of the campy lines. This DVD is NOT for your 13 year olds. Those of you who remember the 70's like I do, will want this DVD for your library. If you do NOT remember the Flash Gordon Series or Movie (Queen soundtrack) you will view this with utterly aghast amazement (hard to believe they had this kind of Mitchell Brothers humor 30 years ago), but you still appreciate the Young Frankenstein approach. This movie was made cheaply, cheesy, and superbly. Trust me. I am never wrong.