Any Chance Of: The Flash Gordon Serials? (1 Viewer)

[Mark Oates]

Does anybody know if there are plans for the restoration and release of the Flash Gordon or Buck Rogers serials on Blu-ray? There are currently reasonable, but by no means top quality, DVD editions of the serials and more gawdawful PD releases than you can stick a shake at.

Can anybody tell me the current archive status of the serials? From what I can gather, King Features Syndicate (Hearst Entertainment) owns the serials, and syndicated them to tv in the 1950s (presumably where the 16mm prints the PD releases were mastered from).

The first serial is preserved in the National Film Registry but I don't know in what form. Is the archive situation for the serials similar to the Universal Sherlock Holmes pictures with Basil Rathbone - little original negative and a variety of generational materials on 35 and 16mm?

 

[Dee Zee]

I too wish the three serials would be restored and reissued.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

There is a DVD release of the Flash Gordon serials taken from 35mm materials. It looks great!

You want the Flash Gordon box set released by Image Entertainment in 2000. ASIN: B00004Y2QO

Also, VCI released BUCK ROGERS in 2009 from excellent materials. ASIN: B002KVSJ6O

 

[Ethan Riley]

That's news to me. If I ever saw it, I probably thought it was another PD release! I would love to see Flash in hi def.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

The Image set transfers are at least 15 years old so they're not the best, but they are taken from 35mm.

I found dupe nitrate negatives when I was doing work for Bonded in Fort Lee, NJ around 1990. That was the same vault where I discovered the camera negatives for MEET JOHN DOE.

 

[Patrick McCart]

The Image editions were licensed from Hearst Entertainment. Great quality and the better than the PD editions. They also put out the feature film versions from the same high quality elements. There is a terrible shortage of (licensed/authorised) classic serials on disc.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

I think the elements went back to Hearst. If that's what was used for the transfer, they were pre-1950 nitrate composite dupe negatives. They were in excellent condition with no deterioration at the time.

 

[Dee Zee]

If the Flash Gordon serials are in the public domain, could one theoretically create an color animated version of the film with new sound? This question is haunting me so had to ask here?

 

[Rodney]

There is a DVD release of the Flash Gordon serials taken from 35mm materials. It looks great!

You want the Flash Gordon box set released by Image Entertainment in 2000. ASIN: B00004Y2QO

Also, VCI released BUCK ROGERS in 2009 from excellent materials. ASIN: B002KVSJ6O

Good to know I have the best releases. Thanks for the info, Bob!

 

[TheSteig]

I was told they are with Wade Williams

 

[Rodney]

...And I just realized I replied to a 3-year old thread. I assume that these are still the best releases to-date?

 

[Bob Furmanek]

No, the Hearst company owns them.

 

[TheSteig]

Well anyone but WW would be fine, except for Susan Hart lol ..
One insider said they were with WW.. but I guess it doesnt matter that much
I have that Image DVD set as well...and would certainly upgrade if a blu ray trilogy would happen

 

[John Morgan]

The Image set transfers are at least 15 years old so they're not the best, but they are taken from 35mm.

I found dupe nitrate negatives when I was doing work for Bonded in Fort Lee, NJ around 1990. That was the same vault where I discovered the camera negatives for MEET JOHN DOE.

UCLA has original nitrate elements for the Flash Gordon serials. I know that at least one person there would love to do them.

And, in the hopes of getting a better DVD of MEET JOHN DOE, I kept doing a DVDr from TCM and it was always that awful PD print. About a year ago, I tried again hoping for an upgrade, and lo and behold, the film looked ready for prime time and blu ray. The sound and picture were virtually perfect. The logo after the end of the film was Columbia, so I think they got it...maybe because they produced so many Capra films in the 30s. But I hope they have plans for it. But next time it's on, take a gander at it.

 

[Bob Furmanek]

The nitrate OCN on DOE was acquired by David Packard, many years ago.