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181 of 186 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
The Gist..., February 22, 2006
First, for those that are just looking for this answer, this Conan the Barbarian is The Director's Cut with its alternate ending, which John Milius intended to have. Nowhere on this DVD will you find the original ending in the DVD extras, etc., but I do want to say that this ending is not much different from the original, so if you have not seen the original ending, you will not be missing much at all. It also has an additional scene with Subotai and Conan dialoging. That's all that I remember being different from the original version. As for Conan the Destroyer, I don't recall any difference.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THE CONAN CHARACTER:
Conan is the barbarian/warrior character created by writer Robert E. Howard (1906-1936). His stories take place in the Hyborian Age (a mystical age between the sinking of Atlantis and the beginning of civilization, which was created by Howard as well). Much of the Conan artwork was painted by artist Frank Frazetta (1928-), which is probably Frazetta's better-known work.
I've read that at one point in Howard's career, he once explained how he created the Conan character and the warrior's many tales. He once said that he conjured in his mind, a dead warrior king bearing an axe, and soon felt as if his character actually oppressed his very thoughts, forcing him to tell the tales of Conan, a king long forgotten by mankind. Howard went as far as to say, that he feared that if he did not write as the warrior commanded, the warrior king would strike him down with his axe.
FOR THOSE WHO ARE NEW TO THE CONAN MOVIES:
Only two movies have been made up till now on Howard's character, Conan the Barbarian (1982) and Conan the Destroyer (1984). Most people (as I am) are fans of the first, and not the second, though the second was entertaining in its on ways.
No joke, Conan the Barbarian is my All-Time favorite movie. I first saw this film when I was young, and remember that back in those days this movie was "the movie to see", with its action packed storyline, wonderful cinematography, and its beautifully composed musical score. Not to mention, starring Mr. Olympia himself, Arnold Schwarzenegger, who starred in both films. Conan was Arnold's first big-time role after winning his last Mr. Olympia in 1980, so Arnold was still gee-golly-huge and ideal for the part. Nevertheless, this first movie also starred renowned actor, James Earl Jones, who plays the very charismatic cult leader, Thulsa Doom, and with a voice like his, who can deny that he's the perfect fit for that role.
Oliver Stone (a fan of the Conan novels) co-wrote the first screenplay of Conan the Barbarian. He actually had an entire screenplay for the movie, which was quickly bought out by producer Dino DeLaurentis and modified by writer/director, John Milius, who also co-wrote and directed Red Dawn. John envisioned on making Conan a trilogy, while assistant producer, Edward Summer, intended the Conan films to be a huge series, much like the 007 series. Either of which would have been nice for us fans, but neither person played any part in the creation of our only sequel. Instead, two writers from Marvel Comics were brought onboard, Roy Thomas and Gerry Conway, who wrote the initial screenplay for the sequel, which was drastically changed by writer Stanley Mann. Director Richard Fleischer, who also directed Tora! Tora! Tora! in 1970 and Red Sonja in 1985, directed Conan the Destroyer. I think the only thing the two movies shared in common were Arnold and producer Dino DeLaurentis; this is why you find extreme differences between the two finished works.
On another note, many celebrities co-stared in these movies, like NBA star Wilt Chamberlain, and model Grace Jones. But one person out of the rest, whom I would like to point out, is Hawaiian Gerry Lopez, who plays Subotai in the first film. Gerry is actually a world-renowned champion surfer, and from an early age in his life, he read many of the Conan novels. With Gerry's features and his great appreciation of Howard's work, it was difficult for old friend John Milius to find anyone else as a better fit for the role of Subotai. Gerry Lopez also co-stars in Big Wednesday (another work of John Milius) and North Shore, which are both classic surfer movies, next to the Endless Summer films.
MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE CONAN DIALOG:
To bring you up to speed, early on in the movie Conan was enslaved and bought to be a Pit Fighter. After countless victories, his master takes him to the Far East for breeding (yes, I said breeding). As a reward for his success, Conan was given an education in eastern philosophies and was taught the art of swordsmanship from the eastern masters.
And so, in the next scene you see some sort of general talking to his men. He says to them, "We have won again. That is good! But what is best in life?"
One of his men replies, "The open steppe, fleet horse, falcon on your wrist, wind in your hair!"
"Wrong!" replies the general, and then asks, "Conan, what is best in life?"
Which Conan replies, "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!"
... that's just wicked man.
WHAT'S IN THIS SPECIAL RELEASE:
One DVD Disc
SIDE ONE: Conan the Barbarian
Widescreen version (2 Hrs, 11 Min) in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Bonus Materials:
Commentary with Director John Milius and with Arnold Schwarzenegger
Deleted Scenes
Theatrical Trailers
The Making of Conan
Special Effects
Archives
SIDE TWO: Conan the Destroyer
Widescreen version (1 Hr, 42 Min) in Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Bonus Materials:
Theatrical Trailer
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30 of 33 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Both Conan's came in wide screen format...., March 10, 2004
By A Customer
I almost did not buy the 2 movie package because I saw the reviews stating that conan the destroyer is not in 16:9 ratio..
Well for the price i bought it anyway since I wanted both movies.
Both Conan's came in letter box wide screen format..
Someone is confused..
Both movies look pretty good on a 47" widescreen HDTV. Shading is a little off, but every outdoor movie is off do to sunlight..
My main point of this review is to tell people that do not waste your money on 2 seperate movies by the box set and you will be more then happy.
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19 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Robert Howard's greatest creation by way of Friedrich Nietzsche, January 3, 2006
In Conan the Barbarian, while Conan is not entirely presented the way Howard wrote him, the film is nonetheless well done and extremely entertaining. The points of straying from Howard are many--the appearance of other Cimmerians besides Conan in the story, the prefiguration of Conan's kingship (a plot device taken from L Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter's apocryphal entries into the series, and Conan praying, along with scenes taken from other Howard creations besides Conan--though for the most part, the movie actually tracks Howard's vision fairly closely. Of course the movie opens with Nietzsche's most famous quote and the plot turns Conan into a Nietzschean superman capable of overcoming appalling odds even though he is only a man and not a superhero. James Earl Jones gives great support as the Jim Jones-like cult leader Thulsa Doom (actually a villain out of Howard's Kull series), while Ben Davidson, Sven Ole Thorsen, Mako, Gerry Lopez, and Sandahl Bergman all serve effectively variously as friends and enemies. Late in the movie, Conan suffers in a way cleverly reminiscent of Howard's original creation then goes on to a swashbuckling finale and climax against Doom's followers. The end of the film--in keeping with the tone of the film a combination of Howard and Nietzsche--is very satisfying and beautifully done. While the sequel is much lesser and deserves no in-depth mention here, the first Conan movie is a fine entry into the sword-and-sorcery genre and should be more highly regarded both in its genre and among movies in general.
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