Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Director:

John Milius

Writers:

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

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)

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