Conan the Barbarian (1982)

User Rating:

6.8/10   

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:

Revenge | Warrior | Cult | Snake Cult | Sorcerer

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)

Also Known As:

Conan, el bárbaro (Argentina) (Peru) (Spain) [es]
Barbar Conan (Czechoslovakia) [cs]
Conan barbaari (Finland) [fi]
Conan barbaren (Sweden) [sv]
Conan barbarzynca (Poland) [pl]
Conan e os Bárbaros (Portugal) [pt]
Conan il barbaro (Italy) [it]
Conan le barbare (France) [fr]
Conan, a barbár (Hungary) [hu]
Conan, der Barbar (West Germany) [de]
Conan, le barbare (Canada: French title) [fr]
Conan, o Bárbaro (Brazil) [pt]
Conan, o varvaros (Greece) [el]
Konan varvarin (Yugoslavia: Serbian title) [sr]

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Iceland:12 | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) (re-rating) (2003) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:16 | Australia:M | Finland:K-16 | Norway:15 | Norway:16 (1982) | Peru:14 | Singapore:M18 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 | USA:R (Certificate #26529) | West Germany:16 | UK:AA (cut)

Filming Locations:

Almería, Andalucía, Spain

Company:

Dino De Laurentiis Company

Trivia:

The swordmaster was played by Kiyoshi Yamasaki, swordmaster for the actors in the film.

Goofs:

Revealing mistakes: During the fight at the orgy, Conan appears to strike a guard with the pommel (hilt) of his sword. The strike clearly misses, but the guard reacts as if it connected.

Quotes:

[director's cut]
Conan: I remember days like this when my father took me to the forest and we ate wild blueberries. More than 20 years ago. I was just a boy of four or five. The leaves were so dark and green then. The grass smelled sweet with the spring wind.
[pause]
Conan: Almost 20 years of pitiless cumber! No rest, no sleep like other men. And yet the spring wind blows, Subotai. Have you ever felt such a wind?
Subotai: They blow where I live too. In the north of every man's heart.
Conan: It's never too late, Subotai.
Subotai: No. It would only lead me back here another day. In even worse company.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Deathstalker and the Warriors from Hell (1988) (V)

something of a mixed bag

It took a long time for Robert E Howard's wonderful creation to make it to the big screen,and the result is something of a mixture.Some of Conan is very impressive,with the atmosphere of Howard's writing perfectly captured on screen,but some of the film is badly misjudged,with daft moments,botched action,and an uneven performance from schwarzenneger.He looks the part but in some scenes comes across as a muscle bound buffoon.Something the literary hero definitely wasn't.The story is ok,apart from having Conan spend half his life chained to the wheel of pain!But it's a dissapointing script,considering greats Milius and Oliver Stone wrote it.There are some excellent sequences in the film though,that are beautifully photographed.The opening attack on conans village is impressive,and Conans encounter with a weird witch is pretty good.But best of all is the orgy sequence,where the action,sets,and music blend together perfectly.It's like a Frank Frazetta painting come to life!The climactic battle of the mounds is ok,but it's all over far to quickly.The film does look good with some gorgeous photography,and set design.Best of all though,is the music by Basil Poledouris.This is an absolutely stunning score,that really captures the savage world of Conan.I'll stick my neck out and say that it's the best film soundtrack ever composed!General Cromwell,over and out.