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:

Warrior | Revenge | 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)

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 (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Canada:R (Manitoba/Ontario) | 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 runes on Conan's father's sword are translated as; "Suffer no guilt, ye who wield this in the name of Crom."

Goofs:

Continuity: During the battle at the orgy, the camouflage body paint on the three warriors keeps changing patterns and alternating between fresh and dull.

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 "Knight Rider: Fright Knight (#4.19)" (1986)

Perfect

I think this is the best sword and magic / fantasy movie ever made. Unlike the second Conan movie (the destroyer, which was a huge disappointment) this is dark, dirty, violent (with the harsh way) and most of all faithful to the original Conan by Howard. By that i mean that conan wasn't a joker and babyoiled coverboy like in the sequel. Only part of the movie that i weren't content about was the childhood of conan, the part where he grows up spinning some goddamn wheel of fortune, Howard specifically points in many novels that Conan was grown free in the Cimmeria. Despite the this awkward transition to skip the childhood of Conan this still is the best fantasy movie ever made.