Conan the Barbarian (Widescreen)

 

 

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This is the best and most original sword and sorcery fantasy movie ever made. It has a raw and primal style that is simply not seen anymore on film in today's politically correct world.

Think of all the warrior-hero movies made during and since the 1990's - Dances with Wolves, Last of the Mohicans, Braveheart, Gladiator, Superman, Batman, Spider-man, Scorpion King and of course, the ultimate in feminine heroes - the Lord of the Rings trilogy; in every warrior-hero movie made since Conan the Barbarian, the heroes are afflicted with some degree of feminine sensitivity or other characteristics that mark them as "perfect mates" - sensitive and caring 90's males, in other words. Not so Conan the Barbarian.

Conan sees this woman Valeria, gives her the biggest jewel in the hoard that they've just stolen, and off with their clothes they go. Later, after Valeria pleads with him not to go after Thulsa Doom, he leaves her bed anyways. How's that for being the antithesis of the sensitive and caring 90's male, always thinking of the needs of the women? Valeria cries. She chases after him, rescues him, and swears to always be there for him and fight by his side. In the words of John Milius, what a Valkyrie!

More scenes that we would just not see in movies today - the Opening Sequence - Conan's mother, played by the exotically beautiful Nadiuska, is cornered by Thulsa Doom and his henchmen. For just a moment, Doom turns away and seems to offer her pity and mercy, then, THWACK, he cuts her head off! I think in previous viewings, I must have always had my eyes partly closed during this scene, because, watching this DVD, this is the first time that I've actually seen her head (with the light brown hair) fall to the ground at that moment. And in the next scene, her head and that of her husband are stuck on some pikes! Which we see as little Conan and the other village children are marched away to slavery. That's the first time I've noticed that too, watching this DVD.

Yes, and how about the Breeding scene! Conan in his gladiator days, kept in a cage, has a half naked and very worried looking woman shoved into the cage with him! While Conan's keepers stick around outside the cage, gawking, waiting for the show to start!

Some great quotes: "Conan, what is best in life?!" "To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and hear the lamentations of their women!" (paraphrasing Genghis Khan).

And Conan's prayer before the final battle - "Crom, I have never prayed to you before. I have no tongue for it. No one, not even you will remember if we were good men or bad, why we fought, or why we died. No, all that matters is that two stood against many, that's what's important. Valor pleases you, Crom, so grant me one request, grant me REVENGE! And if you do not listen, then the hell with you!"

What mainstream director would put stuff like that in a movie today?

The trio of Arnold, Sandahl Bergman, and Gerry Lopez, had just started their acting careers, and made the professional actors in the movie - Mako, Max Von Sydow, and James Earl Jones - look like they were overacting.

But that's the great thing about this expanded DVD. John Milius makes it clear in his commentary that he chose this trio for their physicality and how well their bodies fit into their roles. There was little dialogue - most of the acting was in the way the three main characters fought and carried themselves from scene to scene. The result was much like when Ray Park was chosen to portray Darth Maul in "Phantom Menace" - a spectacular fit.

I knew that Sandahl Bergman was a professional dancer, but the commentaries explain at last why Subotai came across so much like a Southern California surfer dude - Gerry Lopez WAS a Southern Cal surfer dude.

Basil Pouledouris's brilliant, operatic score, without a doubt, was one of the key distinguishing features that set this movie apart from all others. Pouledouris says it best on his website - scoring Conan the Barbarian was like scoring a silent movie - in the first 30 minutes of the movie, 27 minutes had NO DIALOGUE!! He knew that his music had to do the job of the dialogue, and he did perhaps the best work of his career with this movie soundtrack.

There are only a few forgettably bad moments in this classic movie - Valeria's snow bunny/thunder goddess outfit when she saves Conan was just awful. Valeria getting shot by the snake arrow on her RIGHT side, then in the next scene, as she lays dying, Conan pulls out the snake arrow from her LEFT side. The continuity director must have been on drugs that day. Valeria, so fluid and graceful, banging into these chains with her boots as she flips over the balcony right before the fight starts in the orgy chamber. Always wondered why they didn't re-shoot that scene. Valerie Quennessen as the Princess was probably the only miscast character - she comes across as a whiny brat and just has this grim look on her face throughout - couldn't see what Milius was talking about when he cast her because of a "vulnerable" quality about her. But then, she supposedly died in a car accident in 1989, so can't speak too ill of her.

And as we all know now, Arnold IS Conan. Just replace Cimmeria with Austria, and Aquilonia with California...... and, in time, he became a king by his own hand....destined to bear the jeweled crown of Aquilonia upon a troubled brow.....

I watched this movie twice when it first came out in 1982, in my last year of medical school. I didn't realize it at the time, but that would also be the last year that I would be a bachelor with no responsibilities in this world. And so this movie remains forever connected to that time of a carefree existence that no longer exists. Appropriately so, for this is a movie with a raw, carefree attitude that also no longer exists in moviemaking.

its too bad it took a mediocre remake to get this classic on ray. Picture is excellent, a few nitpickings being this is 1 min 29 sec. shorter than the last dvd version. I don't know why. The cover is a big disappointment as well, they should have stuck with the original movie poster. More supplements would have been nice but overall i am very excited to have this release. As far as the destroyer is concerned i can't bear to buy it since i have tried to sit through it several times in the last year and did'nt have the constitution to do it.

I'm rather protective of the work of Robert E. Howard, a brilliant writer who died -- by his own hand -- far too young, and I was quite pleased by this cinematic treatment of his famed barbarian hero. Far too often, true fantasy seems to turn into comedy once Hollywood writers get their hands on it, but Conan the Barbarian is a dark, serious film that treats Conan as a man and not some mythical figure. By no means a big-budget production, the film features an impressive cast, some really nice special effects, and a wonderful musical score. I wasn't all that sure about James Earl Jones playing the bad guy, but the man's a great actor and never strays a bit out of character as the ominous Thulsa Doom.

Life wasn't easy back in Conan's day. As a child, he saw his village razed, his father killed, and his mother beheaded before his very eyes, then suffered the life of a slave until early adulthood. Obviously a supreme worker given his natural strength, you'd think his masters would want to keep him around, but eventually he's thrown into a mediaeval fight night challenge to kill or be killed. He wins, of course, then goes on to stomp mud holes in opponent after opponent; he is so good that he is sent to the east to get the best training available -- including the ability to read, yet another skill you don't normally want your potentially dangerous slave to obtain. The big mystery, though, is his master's decision to grant him his freedom. As far as I can tell, the film offers no real explanation for that decision. Now a free man, though, Conan soon picks up a sidekick in Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and a love interest in the form of female warrior Valeria (Sandahl Bergman). They all live it up as daring thieves for awhile, but fate eventually leads Conan to the formidable temple of Thulsa Doom and his serpent cult, thereby pitting our hero against the man who had taken everything from him, including his freedom, all those years ago.

Barbarians, as you know, can't sleep unless they've killed at least one person that day, so expect plenty of violence over the course of the film's two hours. Sharpened steel blades tend to cut right through human flesh, especially when it's the powerful arm of Conan wielding the sword. Along with all the hack and slash, you get at least two decapitations and a couple of unique deaths by snake (that Thulsa Doom has a few dark tricks in his arsenal). A couple of gigantic snakes also put in an appearance, but they don't even try to swallow anybody, which is a little disappointing. All of the blood is realistic and never gratuitous, yet another reason why this is such an impressive film. Arnold Schwarzenegger deserves a lot of credit himself, turning in quite an impressive performance for a relatively unknown body builder. One can only wish that more great characters from the world of fiction were given as respectful a cinematic make-over as Conan the Barbarian received in this 1982 fantasy classic.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Punching a camel in high definition
It always impresses me to see how good an HD version of an old movie can be. While the image isn't as clear as a brand new digital movie that's been made that way, what we get... Read more

Published 8 months ago by S0ulf0rg3d

5.0 out of 5 stars Thulsa Doom and '70s cults
In an otherwise perceptive review connecting Conan/Arnold with Aquilonia/California, A Customer wrote "Valerie Quennessen as the Princess was probably the only miscast character -... Read more

Published 9 months ago by mcewin

5.0 out of 5 stars That which does not kill us makes us stronger - Friedorich Nietzche
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 bear the jeweled crown... Read more

Published 9 months ago by bernie

1.0 out of 5 stars I cried...
As a huge fan of the original Robert E. Howard works... I cried when I saw this the first time. IT WAS THAT BAD. Read more

Published on Aug 17 2009 by Bill F. Armitage

4.0 out of 5 stars a very good theatrical introduction to Conan
this is a very good movie.it contains lots of action adventure and
excitement.the acting is pretty decent,although acting isn't really the
focal point of this movie or... Read more

Published on Aug 31 2007 by falcon

5.0 out of 5 stars The best Epic movie that exists!!!
When does a movie become classic? When it tops the box office? When it has thousands of supporting actors, or a great budget? Read more

Published on Jun 26 2004 by Theobalt

5.0 out of 5 stars Couldnt have picked a better Conan
"Conan, what is best in life?"
"To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women! Read more

Published on Jun 16 2004 by vikingwarlord

5.0 out of 5 stars the best movie ever
this movie and sergio leone's "The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly" are probably the two best movies ever. The symbolism in this movie is amazing. Read more

Published on May 25 2004 by Daniel Drummy

5.0 out of 5 stars Conan, what is best in life?
To watch Conan the Barbarian, of course! Fantasy movies are generally bad. No other genre is looked down upon more. Read more

Published on May 9 2004 by J. L. Peppers

5.0 out of 5 stars defines the genre
A film by John Milius

What can you say about Conan? Originally created as a pulp novel by Robert Howard, John Milius's film is the first reason Arnold Schwarzenegger became a... Read more

Published on April 19 2004 by Joe Sherry

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