Cellulose
to Celluloid: Flash
Gordon on Paper and Film
Chapter
Eleven: The Tournament of Mongo
The
Tournament of Mongo followed the City of the Hawkmen
episode in the original comic strip as well.
Aura
(shown as Priscilla Lawson was first introduced) played
a small, important role in the movie tournament.
Raymond's Tournament portrayed Princess Aura
as a royal prize to be won by Mongo's homicidal version
of chivalry.
There are echoes of ancient Rome, and Edgar Rice Burroughs'
Mars novels in the mix.
Aura
makes a valid point, but Prince Barin has just
"got it bad" for her. A masked stranger is
putting the moves on Aura too. In the serial, there
is almost no chemistry between the two of them. Barin's
help is often as inept as Aura's meddling is disastrous.
This
was the dawn of popular "Masked Heroes," but
the stereotype required endemic stupidity to work.
So
nobody knew who Flash was fighting as they crossed swords
at last, in the serial and comics.
This
duel is just a prologue in the movie serial.
THIS
duel is the climax of Raymond's tournament.
When
the Tournament of Mongo ends, Prince Barin and
Princess Aura leave Flash and Dale's Sunday adventures
for a long while. The two women still exchange very
pointed looks at one another as they part.
Princess
Aura does NOT give up so easy in the movies!
She tries a number of plots before abandoning her pursuit
of Flash and perfidies against Dale. She'll make peace
with Barin, and sit on the throne of Mongo -- but before
that ...
Flash
Gordon
is the property of it's copyright holders. All images
are used for scholastic purposes ONLY in the context of this
article.
Text and graphic design copyright by Michael R. Evans 2008
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