Customer Reviews

Conan the Barbarian

5 star:		(167)
4 star:		(56)
3 star:		(24)
2 star:		(10)
1 star:		(11)

 

 

Back in 1982, when this film first came out I remember being absolutely spellbound by the production. It was as if Conan had stepped right out of Robert E. Howard's books. I remember some grumbling, because the script was not perfectly true to the original books. But, frankly, I did not give a darn. Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) was the perfect warrior maiden, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) was the snake worshipper from hell, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was totally out of sight as the nearly inarticulate Conan. What a glare he had!

I don't mean to slight the rest of the cast, all the actors are great. Garry Lopez as Conan's sidekick and Mako as the wizard provide comic relief. And who can forget Max Von Sydow as King Osric. In a world that expected science fiction and fantasy movies to be hokey, grade B schlock, 'Conan the Barbarian' proved that it didn't have to be that way. No small part of what makes the film work are the elaborate sets and cinematography. Director John Milius strove to give the film something of the flavor of a history that could have happened, and succeeded. In addition, he makes up for the lack of dialog by presenting a continuous flow of carefully orchestrated and framed film sequences.

I was struck while watching it this time how much the dialog and action work to build the thematic structure. Often events or dialog will foreshadow action to come. In Valeria's death scene, she asks Conan to keep her warm. And in the next scene we find him building and lighting a funeral pyre where no fire had burnt before. In the background, the mound with its sacred stones echoes similar shapes seen throughout the film. This kind of thoughtful work is only to be expected of Milius and De Laurentis, but in 1982, it was far beyond the norm for this genre.

Two features are added for the DVD. The first is a running film analysis by Schwarzenegger and Milius, which is every bit as good as the movie itself. A the second is a feature on the film's production done 20 years after the fact. It is quite interesting to hear what the acting and production teams thin about the film in retrospect.

Violent and sexy, the film's core is built of constant action and spectacle, with very little dialog. Sudden moments of filmic stillness act to emphasize the intense and often gory fight scenes. This and several moments when there is apparent mistreatment of animals give the film its R rating. Of course, the controversy only added to the film's popularity at the time. Even today, this manages to be a surprising film. By all means make and effort to seek it out.

Believe it or not, I just spent over five hours with this disk even though I already own the original DVD release. It was worth it. First off, the video is a(much)cleaner and sharper transfer, a marked improvement over the old disk. And the extras are great too. After watching the film the first time I actually sat through whole thing again again while listening to the director's commentary, something I have not done with any other DVD. The extra footage, while only a few minutes, does add something to the ending. I liked it. And Milius' comments about it made me appreciate it even more later. My only complaint might be to wish that the commentary had been extended to the outtakes and deleted scenes. I would have liked to hear more about the deleted King Osric scene and how it was originally intended to fit in the movie. Finally, the documentary "Conan Unchained" was a pleasant surprise. I expected the usual 15 minute "making of" promo dating back to the original release but it is a beefy, informative(and amusing)featurette with many recently filmed interviews with cast and crew. A fan's wish come true. And speaking of wishes, that exchange between John Milius and Arnold about getting together sometime to make a third Conan....YES! Let's get Conan on that throne! Anyway, while we're waiting, we can all watch this one till the sun comes up like I did last night.

Conan as a movie is one of the few films that performs the fantasy setting well. Right from the beginning, there is a huge sense of epic scope, with great men shaping and forging a young, wild world. Not a single character in Conan is timid or petty - they all stand like giants in their world. Special effects are rarely used and never seem out of place. While the plot doesn't stray too much from a simple quest for revenge, director John Milius presents everything with such sheer charisma that I couldn't help but smile and soak it all in. This is not Citizen Kane, and Arnold is not Olivier, but the movie is entertaining nonetheless.

As a collector's edition, key deleted scenes were added, including a wonderful scene were Arnold does more acting than anywhere else in the movie! Right before the final battle, Conan has a rare moment of reflection on his life of fighting, and wonders at the meaning of it all. The producers thought no one would be able to understand Schwartzenegger, but I had absolutely no problem, and the scene fits the pace perfectly. Overall, the other "new" scenes don't add too much.

The "Making of" documentary is great, but the commentary by Schwartzenegger and Milius is priceless. During the scene where Valeria begs Conan to forget his revenge quest against Thulsa Doom and run away with her, Arnold comments in his wonderful Austrian accent, "Here Conan begins to get soft... listening to the women problems..." Classic Schwartzenegger bravado (or arrogance, depending on your view). John Milius is a very intelligent person, and certainly know quite a bit about history and the deep roots that inspired this movie, but I actually felt that Arnold provided the best insights into the film.

Altho it's been over twenty years since I have first laid my five year old eyes on Conan, this movie is still a very large part of my life, my movie choices and who I am in general. Like so many people who have reviewed it here, seeing this at a young age really sticks to a young brain as it's still my favorite movie of all time.

What is magnificent about Conan the Barbarian? The basic story is of a child who's whole village has perished under a powerful sorcerer's genocide of Conan's people. As he is taken into slavery with the other kids, he grows up pushing what is called a Wheel of Pain; he works as a farming horse walking in an endless circle pushing a mechanical wheel. As he grows older, stronger and more trained in the art of war, he is set loose by hid drunk master and he goes seeking the sorcerer, Thulsa Doom the reclaimed snake wielding master responsible for the cruel life he endured.

I cannot say how important and realistic the soundtrack composed by Basil Poledouris is to the movie. I love absolutely every track and the movie starts playing in my head as the music starts. You literally hear horses galloping slowly in the hot red sand, carrying horned warriors to far away battle. The music is so ancient, royal, majestic and fierce that you hear the intense battles, the cerulean wind sweeping golden wheat fields as Conan and Subotai run in their search and the cobalt waters of Cimmeria.

Prior to being in Conan, Arnold branched out with his acting skills in Hercules in New York, Stay Hungry, Pumping Iron, The Villain and few other random projects, but I must say that he truly shines in the Bran and Iron Wielding roles. What I like about his role is that he told the story of Conan as a man of honor and discipline. His whole existence was about strength, body and mind as he looked innocent and lovable and an invincible killing machine that no one could beat. He was a superhero in the age of darkness and he looked magnificent with Crom's Atlantean steel sword in his hand.

In my mind Arnold is Conan, and no matter how many other movies are going to be made no one will ever succeed him in my mind. This movie has it all, wonderful scenery, falling snow and hot sun, giant snakes, wizards, witches, enchanted princesses, jewels, assassins and a snake cult, all being cut in half by Conan's sword as he plows through them to met his quest. Milus the director wanted to create a modern legend like Beowulf or Hercules by showing us his painful passage form slavery to being a king and all by his own hand. He had a very clear vision of what he wanted to attain, it was his reality and his enlightened path, and we got to sit back and enjoy the ride as he took us with him on this magical quest.



Fantastic movie, I can't say enough about it. Enjoy!

With the arrival of "Gladiator" to DVD, movie fans and critics are cheering to the film's famous chant of "Maximus! Maximus Maximus!" While indeed an impressive film, the arrival of "Conan the Barbarian" to an excellent collectors edition DVD makes a welcome companion.

"Conan the Barbarian" is a fantastic film in which the marriage of visual style with beautiful rich music creates a rare fantasy adventure unlike any to blaze the big screen. Ok, all fans of Conan know this. So what makes the DVD Collector's edition so great?

1. Widescreen: I can actually see all of Arnold's sword now! 2. Audio: While still a mono soundtrack, the DVD creates a CD like audio which is presented in all its glory. 3. Documentary: Awesome! So many facts, so many interviews, so much insite. Conan heaven! 4. Full Feature Commentary: Arnold and John (the director) are both funny and informative. Who knew Conan had so much depth? Only the obsessed fans like me of course! 5. Cut Scenes & Special Effects: Awesome again! Not enough words.

Overall, this is what DVD should be all about! Great Movie (widescreen), excellent picture, clear sound, and lots and lots of obsessed fan stuff. Get it!

On those occasions when I'm asked to name my all-time favorite film, my reply of "Conan the Barbarian" is usually greeted by a wry smile and something like, "No I'm serious, what is really your all-time favorite?" Well, it really is. The combination of casting, high production values, cinematography, and above all scoring, combine to do what no other film of this genre has done before or since - capture the other-worldly spirit of adventure fantasy.

In his Conan series, the author Robert E. Howard created an epic hero who is brooding, pathologically violent, and deeply troubled. His melancholy and ferocity are not the symptoms of psychosis however, but appropriate manifestations of his very nature - he is pagan and barbarian and he has been profoundly wronged. Conan is the stuff of adolescent male fantasy, an elemental physical and sexual juggernaut. To his enemies he is implacable Death, relentless and inevitable. To women he is the irresistible ideal or rather what boys without experience imagine it to be. The lost "Hyborean Age" that Howard created for his hero is a world in which Nietzsche or a nineteenth century social Darwinist would have been comfortable, a world as yet untroubled by the progeny of Abraham or the gentle carpenter of Galilee.

Conan and his world are literally unbelievable. Howard's skill in prose at making them otherwise is rare, but what John Milius and company did on screen is far rarer. The writer can count on the reader's imagination, unconstrained by time, budgets, or physics, to create and sustain the setting for a well-crafted story. The filmmaker, however, has no such luxury, he or she must work with a difficult and unforgiving physical medium all the while hounded by accountants. Jaded audiences and malevolent critics will seek and find every shortcut, every scene that should have been re-shot, and every line that could have been better. What Milius did was not perfect, but it was good enough. The synergy between cast, setting, staging, and score is truly astonishing.

Casting: In 1982, Arnold Schwarzenegger was new to most of us. He was preternaturally huge, his face oddly expressive, and his guttural accent suggested dark, Teutonic power. Arnold was not and is not a great actor and though he may be inappropriate for many roles, he was and is my Conan - the one in my head. The rest of the casting is more than adequate with good performances by James Earl Jones and Max Von Sydow.

Setting: Well-crafted and believable sets placed against evocatively bleak Spanish and Canadian landscapes- no shortcuts here, the budget was big enough to do it right.

Staging: I saw Schwarzenegger interviewed some years back and was surprised to hear him say that he "hated" playing Conan. He complained that the director (Milius) insisted that he treat the role seriously and this made for an unpleasant filming experience. The actor would have preferred a more light-hearted approach. Sorry Arnold, had you gotten your way the film would have been irretrievably diminished. Everything in this movie is played for real - no sidelong glances to let the audience in on the joke, no valley girl slang, everything strictly Hyborean. The swordplay is not the polite fencing of a thirties matinee idol nor the inept blundering of a spaghetti Hercules. Every nerve and sinew of these athletic protagonists is bent to delivering crushing blows, meant to be fatal, and we are permitted to see that they are.

Score: Basil Poledouris' score is quite literally the best original film music I have ever heard. Without it, this movie would have been only adequate. It ties everything together. When Conan has left his Valeria to search for Thusla Doom and is truly alone, a distant figure on horseback set against the backdrop of arid wilderness, we hear his emptiness. When he and his companions steal into Doom's lair to recover the Princess, we hear the sybaritic decadence of the snake cult. And when Conan squares off against Doom's chief (and monstrously Aryan) henchmen, we hear the clash and clang of Thor's titanic hammer.

This is great movie making. You may think the genre ridiculous or worse but never has the craft served its subject so well.

A movie that has a lot to answer for. The film "Conan the Barbarian" is not as good as author Robert E. Howard's best Conan tales (see "Hour of the Dragon," "Black Colossus," or "People of the Black Circle") but it is prettty damn good. Far better than its sequel and imitators, with a great score by Basil Poledouris and some nice turns by co-script writer Oliver Stone. Director John Milius is far better than Hollywood has ever given him credit for (see his excellent "The Wind and the Lion," one of my favorites) or the fine recent (1998) cable movie "Roughriders." Milius gives the film a sweep and a tone that comes closer than any other in capturing Howard's dark vision of Conan. With that great last fade out of the bearded Schwarzenegger as King of Aquilonia. Arnold is also very good, probably the best he's ever been. It would be very interesting to see him as an older, wiser Conan in the later story "Phoenix on the Sword." James Earl Jones is a little goofy as Thulsa Doom, and that giant snake looks a little fake for a big Hollywood production but in the end a satisfying viewing experience with lots of little nice moments: the great opening sequence, the Genghis Khan quote, the attack on Thulsa Doom's pleasure palace. END

One word for the new DVD special edition featuring John Milius and Arnold Schwarzenegger on the alternative audio track: AWESOME! Visually this version is a vast improvement over previous video, laserdisc and DVD editions with a much clearer and brighter picture, less image grain and better color. It's still in mono, unfortunately, but it includes an additional scene before the final battle and Milius's original ending! These both enhance the film greatly (and the original ending shows why the ending in theaters in 1982 and in previous home video versions looked so confused and rushed). The new ending adds even greater poetry to this classic film! There is also a great MAKING OF featurette with deleted scenes, behind the scenes stuff and interviews with most of the original cast members along with Oliver Stone, production designer Ron Cobb and others! The audio commentary by Milius really lets the viewer in on what he was thinking about and what he was inspired by while making the film (such as the visual he borrowed from Masaki Kobayashi's "Hoichi, The Earless" portion of "Kwaidan"). Arnold has several interesting observations, however before he sat down with Milius he evidently hadn't seen the film for many years and appears often surprised by events on the screen (including, for example, forgetting Mako's name--oops!). THANK YOU UNIVERSAL for finally putting out a terrific Conan DVD. If you are a Conan movie fan, YOU HAVE TO BUY THIS GREAT DVD! Even if you are an REH purist, this is a terrific videodisc giving a unique perspective on how Conan was first brought to the big screen.

I was pleasantly surprised to find out that this DVD is not only a fully packed collector's edition it is also a director's cut of the film with an alternate ending and a longer version of the film. There is a great scene were Subotai and Conan talk, that adds great camaraderie and depth to the characters. The "making of..." feature is very interesting, as are the deleted production scenes.

I really enjoy this film, and consider it one of the finest entries in the fantasy genre (A genre I enjoy, but admittedly has very few quality examples). The director did an admirable job bringing the spirit of Robert E. Howard's world to the screen. Personally, I don't feel that a film needs to be a direct translation of a story. There is too much that works written that does not translate to the film medium. As long as the director treats the source material with respect, they should be allowed to interpret it. I am a Robert E. Howard fan, and enjoy the film on that level.

Schwarzenegger is an excellent choice for Conan, and this film was made early enough in his career that he wasn't playing the same character or dropping one-liners. James Earl Jones is an excellent villain, and I really enjoyed the directors commentary regarding his looks (he is supposed to be one of the last survivors of a fading race, thus the dark skin, straight hair and blue eyes.)

When I first saw "Conan the Barbarian" I was a huge fan of the character. I had repeatedly read all the original stories by Robert E. Howard and most of the new books and comics with different authors as well (which essentially stayed true to Howard's vision and spirit). Needless to say, I were psyched.

Anyone familiar with Howard's Conan must have been a little disappointed; I was HUGELY disappointed. Yeah, they got many things right, but the things they got wrong horribly ruined the film for me -- so much so that I didn't see it again for 15 YEARS!

Upon seeing it again, being older and more open-minded, I had to admit that I was well entertained. I've seen it a few more times since and now have to admit this movie's a freakin' masterpiece! I say this with one condition: the viewer must know going in that this is an ALTERNATIVE Conan, similar to Howard's, but far from a strict interpretation.

WHAT DOESN'T WORK: These flaws mostly have to do with John Milius and Oliver Stone's deviation from Howard. First of all, the opening sequence of Conan as a little boy on his fathers knee getting advice about the trustworthiness of the sword: Sorry, but the lad looks like an average soft suburbanite boy, not a tough kid that grew up in the wilds of Cimmeria, land of darkness and deep night. Secondly, the "wheel of pain" sequence is just dumb. I have a bit more respect for this part now that I realize it's a metaphor for the cyclical drudgery of grade school, but -- c'mon -- the REAL Conan wouldn't spend that many years in captivity! He would have escaped long before, not to mention slay his captors. Thirdly, when they first meet Valeria while robbing the temple of Set the flick cops a decidedly campy tone. Although Sandahl Bergman is great throughout the rest of the picture, she really blows her initial lines. It was at this point that I really TUNED OUT when I first viewed the film. Fourthly, one of the worst parts is when Conan grovels at Thulsa Doom's feet crying, "You killed my father, you killed my mother!" This in no way resembles Howard's Conan.

WHAT WORKS: First of all, the score by Basil Poledouris is magnificent and awe-inspiring. Surely this is one of the greatest compositions ever written! The movie's worth watching just to hear this score -- no lie. Secondly, despite acceptable discrepencies (e.g. Conan has black hair not brown, etc.), the casting is great. Thirdly, John Milius and Oliver Stone show their brilliance by incorporating Genghis Khan's historical quote in Conan's response to "What is best in life?" Conan answers: "To crush enemies, see dem driven before you and to hear da lamentation of der women." What a stroke of genius! Fourthly, the locations, sets and costuming are superb; they certainly got the LOOK of Robert E. Howard's Hyborian Age right. Fifth, As long as one is prepared to accept the deviation from Howard's Conan, the story keeps your interest throughout (which is my personal way of determining the worthiness of ANY flick). Sixth, Sandahl Bergman is super sharp and sexy; some complain that her face isn't very pretty, but it possesses a certain barbaric beauty essential to the role. Lastly, the overall tone of the film is quite serious; despite Valeria's initial campy scene mentioned above, the film eludes the rut of camp (unfortunately the sequel cannot boast of this quality).

SPECIAL MOMENTS:

- The love scene, including the moving soundtrack, is touching and beautiful. It is well-conveyed that Conan & Valeria really love each other and aren't just having sex. Ditto with the moving death/funeral sequences.
- Both the battles at the mountain fortress (where the orgy is taking place) and at the mounds are ultra-thrilling.
- Right before the battle at the mounds Subotai and Conan brace for the attack as the "riders of doom" come. You can see it in their grim, determined faces: They have to make this stand this day, come what may, they will fight and die as men.
- After victory Conan raises his arms in salute to the funeral altar where Valeria was cremated.

The "Collector's Edition" has a great 55-minute 'Making of' documentary as well as an excellent commentary with Milius and Schwarzenegger.

FINAL ANALYSIS: Like I said, I've finally come to see the magnificence of "Conan the Barbarian," but I had to get over my hang ups concerning the deviations from Howard's Conan to see it. As an ALTERNATIVE Conan it's a masterpiece of cinematic art.