Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Director:

John Milius

Writers:

Robert E. Howard (stories)
John Milius (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

14 May 1982 (USA)

Genre:

Action | Fantasy | Adventure

Tagline:

He conquered an empire with his sword. She conquered HIM with her bare hands.

Plot:

The epic tale of child sold into slavery who grows into a man who seeks revenge against the warlord who massacred his tribe.

Plot Keywords:

Death Of Loved One | Based On Comic | Muscleman | Fantasy Adventure | Loincloth

Awards:

Won Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 7 nominations

Cast

Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Conan
James Earl Jones	...	Thulsa Doom
Max von Sydow	...	King Osric
Sandahl Bergman	...	Valeria
Ben Davidson	...	Rexor
Cassandra Gava	...	The Witch (as Cassandra Gaviola)
Gerry Lopez	...	Subotai
Mako	...	The Wizard / Narrator
Valérie Quennessen	...	The Princess
William Smith	...	Conan's Father
Luis Barboo	...	Red Hair
Franco Columbu	...	Pictish Scout
Leslie Foldvary	...	Sacrificial Snake Girl
Gary Herman	...	Osric's Guard
Erik Holmey	...	Turanian War Officer (as Erick Holmey)
Dr. Akio Mitamura	...	Mongol General (as Akio Mitamura)
Nadiuska	...	Conan's Mother
Jorge Sanz	...	Young Conan
Jack Taylor	...	Priest
Sven-Ole Thorsen	...	Thorgrim (as Sven Ole Thorsen)
Kiyoshi Yamasaki	...	Sword Master
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pilar Alcón	...	(uncredited)
Ron Cobb	...	Black Lotus Street Peddler (uncredited)
Dragon Dronet	...	Pit Fighter (uncredited)
Donald Gibb	...	Osric's Guard (uncredited)
Corrie Jansen	...	Beautiful Woman Jumping to her Death (uncredited)
John Milius	...	Foodseller in the Old City (uncredited)

Directed by
John Milius

Writing credits
Robert E. Howard		(stories)
John Milius		(screenplay) and
Oliver Stone		(screenplay)
Edward Summer		story (uncredited)

Produced by
D. Constantine Conte	....	executive producer
Raffaella De Laurentiis	....	producer
Buzz Feitshans	....	producer
Edward R. Pressman	....	executive producer
Edward Summer	....	associate producer (as Ed Summer)
Dino De Laurentiis	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Basil Poledouris

Cinematography by
Duke Callaghan

Film Editing by
Carroll Timothy O'Meara		(as C. Timothy O'Meara)

Production Design by
Ron Cobb

Art Direction by
Pier Luigi Basile		(as Pierluigi Basile)
Veljko Despotovic
Benjamín Fernández

Set Decoration by
Giorgio Postiglione

Costume Design by
John Bloomfield

Makeup Department
Colin Arthur	....	special makeup effects artist
Ken Horn	....	makeup effects
Paquita Núñez	....	chief hair stylist
Pamela Peitzman	....	makeup artist: Miss Bergman (as Pamela L. Peitzman)
José Antonio Sánchez	....	makeup & hair supervisor (as Jose Antonio Sanchez)
Paquita Trench	....	assistant hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Vicente Escrivá hijo	....	production manager (as Vicente Escriva Jr.)
Pepe Escriva	....	unit manager: second unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Víctor Albarrán	....	second assistant director
José Luis Berlanga	....	second assistant director (as Jose Luis Garcia-Berlanga)
Roberto Cirla	....	assistant director
Terry Leonard	....	second unit director (as Terry J. Leonard)
José López Rodero	....	first assistant director (as Pepe Lopez Rodero)
Kuki López Rodero	....	first assistant director: second unit (as Kuki Lopez)
Massimo Trabaloo	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Adolfo Cofiño	....	construction manager
Tomas Lorenzo	....	props
Julián Martín	....	scenic painter (as Julian Martin)
Julián Mateos	....	property buyer (as Julian Mateos)
Giorgio Palomba	....	scenic painter
George Peppiatt	....	props
Aldo Puccini	....	construction manager
Syd Regan	....	scenic painter (as Sid Regan)
William Stout	....	production artist
Graham Sumner	....	property master
Peter Voysey	....	chief sculptor

Sound Department
Wayne Artman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bub Asman	....	sound effects editor
Tom Beckert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Fred J. Brown	....	supervising sound editor
Shelley Brown	....	apprentice sound editor
Juno J. Ellis	....	assistant sound editor
Erick Feitshans	....	sound department assistant (as Erick J. Feitshans)
Michael Jiron	....	sound re-recording mixer
Margie O'Malley	....	foley artist (as Margie Denecke)
Michele Sharp	....	sound editor (as Michelle Sharp)
Caryl Wickman	....	loop dialogue editor
Jim Willis	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Nick Allder	....	special effects supervisor
Colin Arthur	....	special effects makeup
Antonio Balandin	....	special effects technician
Richard Conway	....	special effects technician
Carlo De Marchis	....	special effects makeup supervisor
George Gibbs	....	special effects floor supervisor
Ron Hone	....	special effects technician
John McGoldrick	....	special effects technician
Roger Nichols	....	special effects technician
Antonio Parra	....	special effects chief technician
Giuseppe Tortora	....	special effects technician
Barry Whitrod	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Dennis Bartlett	....	travelling matte consultant
Jim Danforth	....	matte artist
James Hagedorn	....	animation opticals (as James A. Hagedorn)
Peter Kuran	....	animated visual effects
Emilio Ruiz del Río	....	miniatures (as Emilio Ruiz del Rio)
Frank Van der Veer	....	special visual effects

Stunts
Jose Luis Ayestaran	....	stunts
Bettina Brenner	....	stunts
Tony Brubaker	....	stunts
Jim Burk	....	stunts
José Luis Chinchilla	....	stunts (as Chinchilla)
Ricardo Cruz	....	stunts
Corrie Jansen	....	stunts
Terry Leonard	....	stunt coordinator (as Terry J. Leonard)
Juan Maján	....	stunt coordinator (as Juan Majan)
Larry Randles	....	stunts (as Larry Randales)
Ben Scott	....	stunts
John-Clay Scott	....	stunts (as John Scott)
Walter Scott	....	stunts
Bob Terhune	....	stunts
Lightning Bear	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Leonard	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
José Luis Aguilar	....	assistant camera (as Jose Luis Aguilar)
John Cabrera	....	director of photography: second unit
José Luis Criado	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Jose Luis Criado)
Julián Fernández	....	key grip (as Julian Fernandez)
Antonio Fernández Santamaría	....	key grip (as Antonio Fernandez)
Rafael García Martos	....	chief electrician (as Rafael Garcia Martos)
Salvador Gómez Calle	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Salvador Gomez)
Gerhard Hentschel	....	camera maintenance
Julio Leyva	....	assistant camera (as Julio Martin Leyva)
Julio Madurga	....	camera operator: second unit
Ricardo Navarrete	....	camera operator
Bob Penn	....	still photographer
Herbert Smith	....	camera operator
Jose Pedro Trenas	....	assistant camera
George Whitear	....	still photographer
Micky Wilson	....	gaffer

Animation Department
Katherine Kean	....	animator
Len Morganti	....	animator
Susan Turner	....	animator

Casting Department
Rosa García	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Franco Antonelli	....	wardrobe supervisor
Martín Díaz Porras	....	wardrobe master (as Martin Diaz)
María Eugenia Escrivá	....	assistant costume designer (as Maria Eugenia Escriva)
Andrés Fernández	....	wardrobe master (as Andres Fernandez)
Stephen Jackson	....	wardrobe assistant
Michael Jones	....	head dress-maker

Editorial Department
Rafaela Andújar	....	apprentice film editor (as Rafaela Andujar)
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Marisa Del Pino	....	assistant film editor
Conrad M. Gonzalez	....	supervising assistant film editor (as Conrad Gonzales)
Carl Graham	....	apprentice film editor
Christopher Holmes	....	additional editor
Darren T. Holmes	....	assistant film editor (as Darren Holmes)
Frank E. Jimenez	....	apprentice film editor (as Frank Jimenez)
Patricia Lee	....	assistant film editor
Peck Prior	....	assistant film editor
Richard Ritchie	....	color timer
Fred Stafford	....	additional editor

Music Department
Greig McRitchie	....	orchestrator (as Greg McRitchie)
Basil Poledouris	....	conductor
Robert Randles	....	music editor
Steven Scott Smalley	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Emilio Marquerie	....	transportation manager
Fernando Marqueríe	....	transportation manager (as Fernando Marquerie)
Alfonso Paredes	....	driver (uncredited)
Carlos Ponce de León	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Miguel Ángel Alonso	....	production office assistant
Paco Ardura	....	animal handler (as Francisco Ardura)
Yvonne Axeworthy	....	script supervisor (as Yvonne Axworthy)
Barbara Back	....	production office coordinator
Ludy Camacho	....	production accountant assistant (as Ludi Camacho)
Roberto Cirla	....	crowd coordinator
Santiago DeBenito	....	production accountant (as Santiago de Benito)
L. Sprague De Camp	....	technical advisor
Francesca DeLaurentiis	....	continuity: second unit (as Francesca de Laurentiis)
Vues de Vestel Tiva	....	snake trainer
Francisco García	....	assistant crowd coordinator (as Francisco Garcia)
Brian Gibbs	....	supervising accountant
Martha Gibbs	....	production accountant assistant
Michael B. Gladych	....	production research
Carl Graham	....	location coordinator
Humberto Gurza	....	animal wrangler
Miguel Gurza	....	animal wrangler
Beth Hickman	....	assistant: Mr. Feitshans
Manuel Jimenez	....	production accountant
Steven Kilroy	....	production office assistant
Mareva Mapuhi	....	secretary: Miss De Laurentiis
Margarita McDermott	....	production secretary
Trilby Norton	....	production secretary
Juan Clemente Prosper	....	location manager (as Juan Clemente)
Fred L. Reker	....	spiritual advisor
Jody Samson	....	sword maker
Saralo	....	secretary: Mr. Milius
Anne Strick	....	unit publicist
John Trehy	....	chief production accountant
Debbie Van Hoek	....	production accountant
Kiyoshi Yamasaki	....	sword master
Angelica De Leon	....	publicity assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Dino De Laurentiis Company
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• MCA (VHS)
• MCA (laserdisc)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1984) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• RGB Optical (animation opticals)
• Visual Concept Engineering (VCE) (animated visual effects)

Other Companies

• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• International Recordings  music recorded at
• Joe Dunton & Company  camera equipment provided by
• Joe Dunton Cameras America  camera services
• Technicolor  prints
• Title House  title art
• Van der Veer Photo Effects  titles and opticals
• Zoetrope Studios  casting

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Italy:VM14 | Iceland:12 | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:MA | Australia:M (original rating) | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1982) | Peru:14 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R | West Germany:16 | UK:AA (cut)

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

The life of Conan oddly mirrors that of Arnold Schwarzenegger. Conan's formative years are spent in a small village, then spent in hard manual labor as a slave. Then Conan gains fame and wealth through his physical prowess. Although at first given to wine and women, he eventually abandons his hedonism and uses his skills for acts of heroism. Eventually, Conan becomes a king. In real life, Schwarzenegger was born in a small Austrian village and spent his life bodybuilding. He then becomes famous and wealthy through bodybuilding competitions and action/adventure movies. Schwarzenegger engaged in drug use and womanizing in his past, but gave those up later in life and then campaigned for social causes. Eventually, he was elected Governor of California.

Goofs:

Anachronisms: When Valeria is squatting with her back to the camera, the stitching of the rear pocket on her modern jeans is very visible.

Quotes:

The Wizard: The mounds have been here since the time of the Titans. Kings buried in them... great kings... domains once glittered like the light on a windy sea. Fire won't burn there... no fire at all. That's why I live down here in the wind.
Conan: Do you care for these places?
The Wizard: I sing to them. On nights, when they wish, I sing of the tales of battles, heroes, witches and women. Nobody bothers me down here. Not even... Thulsa Doom.
Conan: Do flowers grow around here?
The Wizard: Flowers?
[laughs]
The Wizard: Flowers.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Bloodmyth (2006)

A Classic and the Best of Schwarzenegger !!

I have a soft spot in my heart for this movie, being that this is one of the first movies I can remember seeing. As I grew up I never stopped enjoying this movie and could come away with something new every time I watched it (now around 50+ times). The movie is multi-layered. On one level there is the action (which is very graphic). There is also philosophical layer (why am i here ?? that which doesn't kill you....). Mix that in with some wonderful cinematography (filmed in Spain) and very appropriately accompanied by dark, serious, foreboding music (by Basil Poledouris - who also did the music for Hunt for Red October) and you get the ultimate action movie (that is more than just an action movie - its the thinking man's action movie).

Conan is based on the work of Robert E. Howard. Howard once described writing the Conan stories (which were published in Weird Tales) as this : At sunset, he could feel the presence of Conan coming into his room, looming over him and compelling or forcing him to write the stories. The movie captures the spirit of Conan, as portrayed in the stories. He is one who has lived a harsh existence, yet endures. He has been everything from a barbarian, to a swashbuckler, to a soldier, to a thief, to a general and eventually to even king. He is considered a barbarian by all the people he meets, include those considered to be "civilized". Conan plays by his own rules and morals. Even though he kills, he does so in much the same way a tiger eats its prey. At the same time, he displays more humanity, mercy and honor than most of the civilized world. This movie is perfect in the above respects. John Milius (the director and co-writer) does an excellent job along with Oliver Stone (co-writer) in getting the feel of the stories into the movie world. Schwarzenegger is cast perfectly in the role of Conan. I don't think anyone else would have been able to pull it off as well as he could have and still kept the role in the way it was meant to be. Conan does not say much, but when he does you better listen because it is important. Along with Schwarzenegger, the rest of the cast does a brilliant job to support the story. James Earl Jones is wickedly evil and Mako is perfect as the reluctant sorcerer.

There are so many wonderful scenes that stick out in my mind. So many in fact that you should go out and see the movie for yourself (make sure you get the special edition DVD since it has extra footage and a great making of with all the cast including Schwarzenegger). By far my two favorite scenes/sequences of the movie are : 1) Prior to the battle in the desert, Conan says a little prayer to his god, Crom. This prayer embodies everything that Conan stands for. WHAT A PRAYER !!!. 2) The sequence thats starts from Conan's return to the Tower of Power to confront Thulsa Doom all the way to the end. It is wrought with meaning and some great cinematography. This movie is an absolute must see. 10/10