Conan the Barbarian (1982)

A young boy, Conan, becomes a slave after his parents are killed and tribe destroyed by a savage warlord and sorcerer, Thulsa Doom. When he grows up he becomes a fearless, invincible fighter. Set free, he plots revenge against Thulsa Doom.

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 | warlord | cult film | set the god | 

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Taglines:

Slave. Barbarian. Warrior. Thief... Conan.

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Genres:

Action | Adventure | Fantasy

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Certificate:

R

Did You Know?

Trivia

The original script by Oliver Stone included the scene where Conan was crucified and this was one of the few elements retained from it. The scene derives from one of the original Conan short stories: "A Witch Shall be Born" (1934). Summarized: "the mighty Cimmerian, hanging on a cross, nails driven through his hands and feet, tearing out the throat of a vulture which comes to peck out his eyes." The scene is considered one of the most memorable ones in the entire series. The main villain of the story, Queen Taramis/Salome, was not used for the film but was apparently the inspiration for the villain of the same name in Conan the Destroyer (1984).

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Goofs

(at around 2h) A few of the devotees holding torches toward the back in the night scenes at the end of the movie are swinging and looping their torches. Obviously they are having fun with the flame while they should be morning the loss of their leader.

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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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Alternate Versions

UK version is cut by 19 secs to remove horse falls (one of which can still be seen in the accompanying documentary on the UK DVD) and the sex scene with the witch is shortened to remove one brief shot of her bare behind and to reduce her groaning sounds from 6 to 3. The 2007 Definitive Edition DVD remains cut for horsefalls though the sex scene is intact.

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Connections

Referenced in Video Nasties: Moral Panic, Censorship & Videotape (2010)

User Reviews

Ageing well it's indication of a good movie. Watch or re-watch it, worthwhile.

I'm reading Schwarzenegger bio, and he relates how this film was done. I get intrigued and watched again the movie, after so many years. No doubt that today so much blood is no scandal, but the film has the right gore, violence and sex that Conan deserved.

Best compliment for a film is that gets old in good shape, and Conan does. The film has the right mixture, fiction and epic, violence and sex, fights and blood.

The plot is simple, revenge, but it's very well dressed and set and background are interesting in themselves. This does a film captivating, interesting and you get stick to it from the minute it starts. So sad that the sequel didn't kept the pace, because from today standards it could have been an incredible saga.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

USA Spain Mexico

Language:

English

Release Date:

14 May 1982 (USA)

Also Known As:

Conan the Barbarian

Filming Locations:

Peñón de Bernal, Vicar, Almería, Spain

Box Office

Budget:

$20,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$9,603,139, 16 May 1982

Gross USA:

$39,565,475

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$68,851,475

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