Conan the Barbarian (1982)

A barbarian warrior sets off to avenge his parents and his tribe whom were slain by an evil sorcerer and his henchmen when he was a boy.

Director:

John Milius

Writers:

Robert E. Howard (based on the character created by), John Milius

Stars:

Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Max von Sydow

Won 1 Golden Globe. Another 1 win & 9 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Arnold Schwarzenegger	...	Conan
James Earl Jones	...	Thulsa Doom
Max von Sydow	...	King Osric (as Max Von Sydow)
Sandahl Bergman	...	Valeria
Ben Davidson	...	Rexor
Cassandra Gava	...	The Witch (as Cassandra Gaviola)
Gerry Lopez	...	Subotai
Mako	...	The Wizard / Narrator
Valérie Quennessen	...	The Princess (as Valerie Quennessen)
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)

Storyline

A village is attacked by the evil ruler of the Snake Cult, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and his evil warriors, when Thulsa Doom and his warriors kills his parents, a young boy named Conan (Jorge Sanz) is enslaved. Years later, Conan grows up and becomes a mighty warrior and is trained as a fighter. After years as a slave and as a gladiator, Conan is set free. Conan sets out on a quest as he vows to avenge his parents and solve the riddle of steel. Joined by a archer named Subotai (Gerry Lopez), a beautiful thief who falls in love with Conan, Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) and a Chinese wizard (Mako), Conan and his companions sets out to rescue Princess Yasmina (Valérie Quennessen), daughter of King Osric (Max von Sydow), from the Snake Cult, and get his revenge on Thulsa Doom and avenge his parents.

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Plot Keywords:

evil sorcerer | cult | gladiator | warlord | actual animal killed | 

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Taglines:

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

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Genres:

Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

R

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Spain Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conan, el bárbaro

Filming Locations:

Peñón de Bernal, Vicar, Almería, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,603,139, 14 May 1982, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$39,565,475

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$29,286,000, 31 December 1982

Company Credits

Production Co:

Universal Pictures,Dino De Laurentiis Company,Edward R. Pressman Film

Technical Specs

Runtime:

129 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.39 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

(at around 1h 14 mins) The Riddle of Steel prevalent in the film seems to be resolved by the answer that strength lies not in steel swords. While the weapons are initially hinted to have powers of their own, they are later revealed to be mostly useless and dependent on the strength of their wielders. Thulsa Doom , who sought the answer to the Riddle, comes to the conclusion that the power of flesh is stronger than steel.

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Goofs

(at around 1h 35 mins) During the Orgy fight, one of the pillars has a crack visible before the warrior breaks it with his war-hammer. The pillar is initially cracked by the giant soup pot that Conan rolls down the steps.

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Quotes

[first lines]
The Wizard: Between the time when the oceans drank Atlantis and the rise of the sons of Aryas, there was an age undreamed of. And unto this, Conan, destined to wear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow. It is I, his chronicler, who alone can tell thee of his saga. Let me tell you of the days of high adventure!

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Crazy Credits

"A SPECIAL THANKS TO ALFREDO"

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Connections

Featured in Video Game Vault: Last Action Hero (2008)

User Reviews

My favorite movie as a child and still the best fantasy!

This is really an amazing movie! It is so passionate and intense. It all feels so genuine as well.

During my childhood this was my all-time favorite! From an adult (25) perspective, his movie is as damn amazing as I remember. Thee story and dialog are really damn good. There are so many classic scenes. I got my girlfriend to watch it. She was convinced it was going to be a stupid Arnold muscle movie (it seems almost everyone thinks this) but she loved it.

It's such a change to see such an un-ironic passionate movie. I can't see a movie like this being made today. The nudity and violence were great and added realism without ever being flatly gratuitous.

Don't see Destroyer though, that was absolutely awful.