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:

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 (Manitoba/Ontario) | Canada:R (Nova Scotia) (original rating) | Italy:VM14 | New Zealand:R16 | South Korea:12 (1983) (cut) | South Korea:18 (uncut) | Australia:MA (Cable TV rating) | 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 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:

Crew or equipment visible: In the scene in which the girl jumps off the cliff for Thulsa Doom, the landing pad is very noticeable.

Quotes:

Conan's Father: Fire and wind come from the sky, from the gods of the sky. But Crom is your god, Crom and he lives in the earth. Once, giants lived in the Earth, Conan. And in the darkness of chaos, they fooled Crom, and they took from him the enigma of steel. Crom was angered...
[...]

Movie Connections:

Spoofed in UHF (1989)

not like the book but all we have

This is a great movie. One of Arnold's classics and one of the best, unique movies to come out of the early 80s. The movie doesn't even come close to the grandeur of the books written by Robert E. Howard after the turn of the century though. If only there was a director out there who could read a book all the way through and see the unbelievable stories in the original Conan books, they could make a fortune. Of course it would be hard to find the muscle bound, intelligent barbarian the books portrayed though.