I clearly remember one of the first times I formulated and defended an opinion in opposition to my parents: I was ten years old and we had all just seen <a target='_blank' href='http://us.imdb.com/Title?0080745'>Flash Gordon</a>. They hated it, apparently because it was gross and pointless. I, on the other hand, thought that the spaceships and fighting and stuff were cool and - more importantly - I vigorously argued the point.

But my response to this film ran deeper than nascent teenage rebellion. A big part of the film's power over me was Queen's soundtrack. The thump-thump-thump-thump of the 'Flash' theme heightened the drama for me in a way I didn't really understand at the time. Looking back, it was clearly sowing the seeds of rock n' roll awakening (which would reach full bloom a year later with the purchase of an "I Love Rock n' Roll" 45).

And then, of course, there was Princess Aura. The TV show "Friends" has joked about the effect Princess Leia's metal bikini had on the emerging sexuality of millions of pubescent boys. However, those of us who were there know that three full years before Return of the Jedi, our preteen ids had already been sent through the spin cycle by Princess Aura and the film's bondage and S&M overtones.

In short, seeing Flash Gordon in 1980 was for me nothing less than the discovery of rebellion, rock n' roll, and sex. Maybe that's the real reason my parents didn't like it.

<center><img src='images/flashgordon.jpg'></center>

<i>Flash Gordon is playing this <a target='_blank' href='http://www.hkinsf.com/4star/midnites0503.html'>Saturday at midnight at the Four Star Theater</a> in San Francisco.</i>