Moments of Pure Cinema Fusion :: The Attack on Ajax's Ship : Flash Gordon (1980)

By definition, nuclear fusion is the process by which multiple like-charged atomic particles join together to form a heavier nucleus -- usually accompanied by the release of a massive amount of energy, depending on the elements involved. Applying that theory to film, there are certain moments in certain movies when the direction, cinematography, acting, editing, and soundtrack collide and merge into something I like to call Moments of Pure Cinema Fusion.


As an example, here's one of my favorites occurrences of this phenomenon. The action really starts to percolate around the 1:08 mark, and then reaches critical mass at about 2:20:

"DIIIIIIIIIVVVVEEE!"

Credit where credit is due:

Director: Mike Hodges / Screenplay: Lorenzo Semple Jr. / Cinematography: Gil Taylor / Editing: Malcolm Cooke / Original Music: Brian May, Queen / Cast: Sam Jones, Brian Blessed, Melody Anderson, Topol, Max Von Sydow, Timothy Dalton