Conan the Barbarian (1982)

Director:

John Milius

Writers:

Robert E. Howard (stories)
John Milius (screenplay) ...
(more)

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)
Akio Mitamura	...	Mongol General
Nadiuska	...	Conan's Mother
Jorge Sanz	...	Young Conan
Jack Taylor	...	Priest
Sven-Ole Thorsen	...	Thorgrim (as Sven Ole Thorsen)
Kiyoshi Yamasaki	...	Sword Master
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Pilar Alcón	...	(uncredited)
Ron Cobb	...	Black Lotus Street Peddler (uncredited)
Dragon Dronet	...	Pit Fighter (uncredited)
Donald Gibb	...	Osric's Guard (uncredited)
Corrie Jansen	...	Beautiful Woman Jumping to her Death (uncredited)
John Milius	...	Foodseller in the Old City (uncredited)

Directed by
John Milius

Writing credits
Robert E. Howard		(stories)
John Milius		(screenplay) and
Oliver Stone		(screenplay)
Edward Summer		story (uncredited)

Produced by
D. Constantine Conte	....	executive producer
Raffaella De Laurentiis	....	producer
Buzz Feitshans	....	producer
Edward R. Pressman	....	executive producer
Edward Summer	....	associate producer (as Ed Summer)
Dino De Laurentiis	....	executive producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Basil Poledouris

Cinematography by
Duke Callaghan

Film Editing by
Carroll Timothy O'Meara		(as C. Timothy O'Meara)

Production Design by
Ron Cobb

Art Direction by
Pier Luigi Basile		(as Pierluigi Basile)
Veljko Despotovic
Benjamín Fernández

Set Decoration by
Giorgio Postiglione

Costume Design by
John Bloomfield

Makeup Department
Colin Arthur	....	special makeup effects artist
Ken Horn	....	makeup effects
Paquita Núñez	....	chief hair stylist
Pamela Peitzman	....	makeup artist: Miss Bergman (as Pamela L. Peitzman)
José Antonio Sánchez	....	hair stylist supervisor
José Antonio Sánchez	....	makeup supervisor
Paquita Trench	....	assistant hair stylist (uncredited)

Production Management
Vicente Escrivá hijo	....	production manager (as Vicente Escriva Jr.)
Pepe Escriva	....	unit manager: second unit

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Víctor Albarrán	....	second assistant director
José Luis Berlanga	....	second assistant director (as Jose Luis Garcia-Berlanga)
Roberto Cirla	....	assistant director
Terry Leonard	....	second unit director (as Terry J. Leonard)
José López Rodero	....	first assistant director (as Pepe Lopez Rodero)
Kuki López Rodero	....	first assistant director: second unit (as Kuki Lopez)
Massimo Trabaloo	....	second assistant director

Art Department
Adolfo Cofiño	....	construction manager
Tomas Lorenzo	....	props
Julián Martín	....	scenic painter (as Julian Martin)
Julián Mateos	....	property buyer (as Julian Mateos)
Giorgio Palomba	....	scenic painter
George Peppiatt	....	props
Aldo Puccini	....	construction manager
Syd Regan	....	scenic painter (as Sid Regan)
William Stout	....	production artist
Graham Sumner	....	property master
Peter Voysey	....	chief sculptor

Sound Department
Wayne Artman	....	sound re-recording mixer
Bub Asman	....	sound effects editor
Tom Beckert	....	sound re-recording mixer
Fred J. Brown	....	supervising sound editor
Shelley Brown	....	apprentice sound editor
Juno J. Ellis	....	assistant sound editor
Erick Feitshans	....	sound department assistant (as Erick J. Feitshans)
Michael Jiron	....	sound re-recording mixer
Margie O'Malley	....	foley artist (as Margie Denecke)
Michele Sharp	....	sound editor (as Michelle Sharp)
Caryl Wickman	....	loop dialogue editor
Jim Willis	....	sound mixer

Special Effects by
Nick Allder	....	special effects supervisor
Colin Arthur	....	special effects makeup
Antonio Balandin	....	special effects technician
Richard Conway	....	special effects technician
Carlo De Marchis	....	special effects makeup supervisor
George Gibbs	....	special effects floor supervisor
Ron Hone	....	special effects technician
John McGoldrick	....	special effects technician
Roger Nichols	....	special effects technician
Antonio Parra	....	special effects chief technician
Giuseppe Tortora	....	special effects technician
Barry Whitrod	....	special effects technician

Visual Effects by
Dennis Bartlett	....	travelling matte consultant
Jim Danforth	....	matte artist
James Hagedorn	....	animation opticals (as James A. Hagedorn)
Peter Kuran	....	animated visual effects
Emilio Ruiz del Río	....	miniatures (as Emilio Ruiz del Rio)
Frank Van der Veer	....	special visual effects

Stunts
Jose Luis Ayestaran	....	stunts
Bettina Brenner	....	stunts
Tony Brubaker	....	stunts
Jim Burk	....	stunts
José Luis Chinchilla	....	stunts (as Chinchilla)
Ricardo Cruz	....	stunts
Corrie Jansen	....	stunts
Terry Leonard	....	stunt coordinator (as Terry J. Leonard)
Juan Maján	....	stunt coordinator (as Juan Majan)
Larry Randles	....	stunts (as Larry Randales)
Ben Scott	....	stunts
John-Clay Scott	....	stunts (as John Scott)
Walter Scott	....	stunts
Bob Terhune	....	stunts
Lightning Bear	....	stunts (uncredited)
Terry Leonard	....	stunts (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
José Luis Aguilar	....	assistant camera (as Jose Luis Aguilar)
John Cabrera	....	director of photography: second unit
José Luis Criado	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Jose Luis Criado)
Julián Fernández	....	key grip (as Julian Fernandez)
Antonio Fernández Santamaría	....	key grip (as Antonio Fernandez)
Rafael García Martos	....	chief electrician (as Rafael Garcia Martos)
Salvador Gómez Calle	....	assistant camera: second unit (as Salvador Gomez)
Gerhard Hentschel	....	camera maintenance
Julio Leyva	....	assistant camera (as Julio Martin Leyva)
Julio Madurga	....	camera operator: second unit
Ricardo Navarrete	....	camera operator
Bob Penn	....	still photographer
Herbert Smith	....	camera operator
Jose Pedro Trenas	....	assistant camera
George Whitear	....	still photographer
Micky Wilson	....	gaffer

Animation Department
Katherine Kean	....	animator
Len Morganti	....	animator
Susan Turner	....	animator

Casting Department
Rosa García	....	casting associate

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Franco Antonelli	....	wardrobe supervisor
Martín Díaz Porras	....	wardrobe master (as Martin Diaz)
María Eugenia Escrivá	....	assistant costume designer (as Maria Eugenia Escriva)
Andrés Fernández	....	wardrobe master (as Andres Fernandez)
Stephen Jackson	....	wardrobe assistant
Michael Jones	....	head dress-maker

Editorial Department
Rafaela Andújar	....	apprentice film editor (as Rafaela Andujar)
Donah Bassett	....	negative cutter
Marisa Del Pino	....	assistant film editor
Conrad M. Gonzalez	....	supervising assistant film editor (as Conrad Gonzales)
Carl Graham	....	apprentice film editor
Christopher Holmes	....	additional editor
Darren T. Holmes	....	assistant film editor (as Darren Holmes)
Frank E. Jimenez	....	apprentice film editor (as Frank Jimenez)
Patricia Lee	....	assistant film editor
Peck Prior	....	assistant film editor
Richard Ritchie	....	color timer
Fred Stafford	....	additional editor

Music Department
Greig McRitchie	....	orchestrator (as Greg McRitchie)
Basil Poledouris	....	conductor
Robert Randles	....	music editor
Steven Scott Smalley	....	orchestrator

Transportation Department
Emilio Marquerie	....	transportation manager
Fernando Marqueríe	....	transportation manager (as Fernando Marquerie)
Alfonso Paredes	....	driver (uncredited)
Carlos Ponce de León	....	transportation captain (uncredited)

Other crew
Miguel Ángel Alonso	....	production office assistant
Paco Ardura	....	animal handler (as Francisco Ardura)
Yvonne Axeworthy	....	script supervisor (as Yvonne Axworthy)
Barbara Back	....	production office coordinator
Ludy Camacho	....	production accountant assistant (as Ludi Camacho)
Roberto Cirla	....	crowd coordinator
Santiago DeBenito	....	production accountant (as Santiago de Benito)
L. Sprague De Camp	....	technical advisor
Francesca DeLaurentiis	....	continuity: second unit (as Francesca de Laurentiis)
Vues de Vestel Tiva	....	snake trainer
Francisco García	....	assistant crowd coordinator (as Francisco Garcia)
Brian Gibbs	....	supervising accountant
Martha Gibbs	....	production accountant assistant
Michael B. Gladych	....	production research
Carl Graham	....	location coordinator
Humberto Gurza	....	animal wrangler
Miguel Gurza	....	animal wrangler
Beth Hickman	....	assistant: Mr. Feitshans
Manuel Jimenez	....	production accountant
Steven Kilroy	....	production office assistant
Mareva Mapuhi	....	secretary: Miss De Laurentiis
Margarita McDermott	....	production secretary
Trilby Norton	....	production secretary
Juan Clemente Prosper	....	location manager (as Juan Clemente)
Fred L. Reker	....	spiritual advisor
Jody Samson	....	sword maker
Saralo	....	secretary: Mr. Milius
Anne Strick	....	unit publicist
John Trehy	....	chief production accountant
Debbie Van Hoek	....	production accountant
Kiyoshi Yamasaki	....	sword master
Angelica De Leon	....	publicity assistant (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Dino De Laurentiis Company
• Universal Pictures

Distributors

• Universal Pictures (1982) (USA) (theatrical)
• 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment (Brazil) (DVD)
• Argentina Video Home (Argentina) (VHS)
• MCA (VHS)
• MCA (laserdisc)
• National Broadcasting Company (NBC) (1984) (USA) (TV) (broadcast premiere)
• Universal Studios Home Video (2000) (USA) (DVD)
• VTI Home Vídeo (Brazil) (VHS)

Special Effects

• RGB Optical (animation opticals)
• Visual Concept Engineering (VCE) (animated visual effects)

Other Companies

• Conan Properties Inc.  thanks
• Dolby Laboratories  sound post-production
• Estate of Robert E. Howard, The  thanks
• International Recordings  music recorded at
• Joe Dunton & Company  camera equipment provided by
• Joe Dunton Cameras America  camera services
• MUSYNC  temp music editor
• Museo Nacional de Ciencias Naturales  thanks (as Museum of Natural History, Madrid)
• Technicolor  prints
• Title House  title art
• Van der Veer Photo Effects  titles and opticals
• Zoetrope Studios  casting

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 | 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 DVD commentary promises a third movie a few times, but the third movie was shelved entirely.

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: 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!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in La conjura de El Escorial (2008)

Not to be overlooked

People have preconceptions of what makes a good move and more often than not they get tangled up in their own web of closed mindedness. It is no one thing that makes a movie great but a combination of all to create a feeling, and that is one thing that Conan has always done for me.

This was the first film that introduced me to "the goosebump effect" or rather seeing scenes of such emotional and thematic power that they give you chills. After watching this film over and over again it still doesn't disappoint. The scene immediately following the raid on Conan's village is a true masterpiece of visual storytelling. without a single line of dialogue everything that is to come in the next two hours is set up with the Murder of Conan's parents before his eyes. The look of disbelief on his face as his mother's lifeless body falls before him. Staring at his hand and then toward Thulsa Doom. the Villain saluting his freshly stolen steel. It is a perfectly executed scene that were this film not so unjustly written off as a hack and slash "sword and sorcery" picture would be rightfully remembered as one of the great scenes in film history.

The best way to describe Conan would be to call it a philosophical epic. There are real ideas and philosophies at play in the narrative. Conan's father's teachings of steel...the opening scene forging the sword becoming a metaphor for Conan's life. He is a character created by hardship and grief, and like the opening quote says "That which does not kill us makes us stronger" Conan becomes more powerful with the more hardships he overcomes. The film is very well put together. Many scenes and images from the movie are as visually layered and well thought out as any Ridley Scott picture. The prelude to the opening battle in the snow is stunning with great visual flair, a single scout stands atop a boulder breathing heavy, anticipating battle as vibrant rays of sunlight pour through the trees.

There is a ritualistic quality to many of the scenes in the film such as the finding of the atlantean sword, or the lead up to Conan's duel with the snake which is carried through right to the end where after Conan drops his sword the followers of doom extinguish their flames in the fountain. Everyone in the film manages to give a good performance but the big mistake that most people make in judging them is that they do not understand that acting is not simply saying lines of dialogue, it is behavior. Arnold Schwarzenegger and the rest of the cast give outstanding performances without saying all that much. The scene at the funeral pyre where Conan runs his hand through the hair of his fallen love...the subtle look of grief withheld combined with the eloquent score is enough to get the idea across, no dialogue is needed. Basil Poledouris' score for the film has to be one of, if not, the greatest score ever composed and it plays an integral part in creating the rich emotional landscape of John Milius' epic film. Conan the barbarian is a film I saw when I was very young, and through the years as I have gotten a little older and wiser the film has gotten richer and more rewarding with each subsequent viewing.

This is a film of great resonance and subtlety. Most audiences today cannot appreciate a film that requires a bit of deep thinking, but this is one of the rare films that is even more rewarding if you look beneath the surface.