Hell, I watched it again Christmas night!
Sure, someday I'd like to see a talented filmmaker craft a more "serious," swashbuckling adventure take on the material, but I've been reading a lot of Flash comics over the last two weeks, and to be honest, they're actually pretty damned "campy" - if unintentionally and un-cynically so - in their own right, so the 1980 film is a legitimate (and faithful, in its way) approach to the material.
Here's a cool newspaper advertisement for an advance preview showing of the film, probably from the first week in December, 1980.
I love this movie to bits, and if anyone speaks against it, I'll give 'em a rap 'round the ear'ole! The costumes are magnificent and unequalled; take it from a longtime con-going re-creationist costumer, the beadwork ALONE is INSANE.
ReplyDeleteThus, it is with a heavy heart that I must report to you that we lost our wonderfully evil General Vala, Mariangela Melato, last week on January 11th. She was 81, and had been fighting pancreatic cancer. I came here to see if you'd heard and/or posted about it, and thought you should know. Sorry to post it so randomly here, but for the life of me, I can't seem to spot a link to send you a private e-mail. <:(
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mariangela_Melato
My best friends/partners in cult film watching (AKA The Burn Unit!) are going to be having a FG party later this week in her honour. I've been playing the theme song to death, just so I can hear her wonderful Italian voice say "Dispatch War Rocket Ajax, to brrring back his boa-dy!"
Your Pal,
Storm