Conan the Barbarian
Tags: fantasy, boring, murder, violence, cult, good versus evil, action, revenge, alternate history

Plot synopsis:
During the Hyborean age, "a time of high adventure," a blacksmith, Nial (William Smith) creates a masterwork sword. The sword is completed, Nial shows it to his son, Conan (Jorge Sanz), teaching the boy about their god, Crom, who lives in the Earth, and "the Riddle of Steel" which every warrior must solve before they can enter Valhalla. He adds that he should not trust men, woman, or beasts, "But this you can trust," indicating the sword he has crafted.It is winter in Conan's forest village, home to Conan's people, the Cimmerians. Conan is still young (8-10 years). Mysterious black riders, bearing a strange standard of a serpent with a head on each end surmounted by a black sun and moon suddenly and savagely attack the village. The villagers fight bravely, but they are not soldiers, and do not last long. Nial kills several of the attackers, but eventually felled by the group's attack dogs.As the brutal attack winds down, Conan's mother Maeve (Nadiuska) is the only adult still alive. She stands guard over Conan with her own sword, holding the little boy's hand. The leader of the attackers, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), a mysterious black man with straight hair and piercing blue eyes, approaches the pair with his two hulking lieutenants, Rexor (Ben Davidson) and Thorgrim (Sven-Ole Thorsen). Maeve stands her ground bravely but is hypnotized by the piercing eyes of Doom. Doom, having taken Nial's sword from Rexor, suddenly wheels and beheads Conan's mother. A grief stricken and terrified Conan watches as Thulsa Doom keeps the sword his father made. Conan and the village children, the only survivors, are led away in chains as slaves while their village burns.Conan and some of the children are sold to a tribe called the Vanir and join other children at a gigantic outdoor grain mill, called the Wheel of Pain. They begin pushing the spokes of the wheel, and time passes quickly. The child Conan becomes an adult (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and the camera pans out to show that he is now the only one left pushing the wheel. Conan has become enormously muscular by the time the mill is shut down and he is led away in chains.Conan is purchased by a large, red-haired warrior (Luis Barboo) who employs him as a pit fighter. At first Conan is puzzled by the violence, but quickly learns hand-to-hand combat with a variety of weapons. He becomes a champion, winning much gold for his master. His master then takes him to the Far East where he is trained in all manner of combat skills, weaponry, and philosophy. Finally one evening his master, after having drunk too much, decides to free him.The freed Conan finds himself being chased by wolves across the country-side. Climbing a cairn of rocks for safety he discovers the tomb of an Atlantean general and liberates his ancient sword and other equipment for protection.Now equipped with the basics, Conan travels until he comes to the hut of a beautiful woman who appears to be a witch (Cassandra Gava). She invites him in and she offers to tell him his fortune. Conan says that he's looking for a "standard" (a symbol) of a single serpent with two heads that face each other. Later while they make love she cries out that Conan will find the symbol in the land of Zamora. Moments later, she shape-shifts into a demon and Conan is forced to throw her into the fire. She explodes in flames, turns into a fireball and races around the hut and out through the surrounding woods. Conan is left alone to ponder the incident.The next morning, he finds a man chained behind the hut. His name is Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and he is a thief. Conan releases him and they team up. Subotai introduces Conan to thievery as a profession and they move from town to town practicing their trade. Conan is always asking if anyone has seen the strange serpent symbol. One old man tells them that there is a snake cult of growing power with temples in many towns including this one, but he does not know if they use the symbol he seeks.Subotai and Conan decide to raid the temple, rumored to have great treasures including a huge ruby called the "Eye of the Serpent." As they prepare to climb the temple's tower they become aware of a woman in the shadows. They confront her finding that she is also a thief, named Valeria (Sandahl Bergman). They decide to join forces. After climbing the tower Valeria checks out the upper level while Conan and Subotai continue down into a pit containing the "Serpents Eye" guarded by a humongous snake. Fortunately the snake sleeps while the two steal all they can. On the upper level a ceremony is taking place presided over by Rexor. There, a young girl (Leslie Foldvary) strips and prepares to throw herself into the snake pit to be consumed by the serpent as a sacrifice. Conan is leaving when he sees a medallion on the wall that matches the symbol of Doom's marauders that destroyed his village. He steals the medallion, however, he lingers too long and the snake awakes and attacks. He and Subotai manage to kill it, however, without disturbing the ceremony at the top of the pit. The ceremony reaches its climax and the girl throws herself into the pit. It is only then discovered that the snake is dead. Rexor send guards after the thieves, but they escape.Over the next days the three thieves celebrate too hard and are easily captured by the King's guard. Brought before King Osric (Max von Sydow) they expect punishment, but are surprised when the King congratulates them for standing up to the cult. He commissions them to go after his daughter, Yasimina (Valérie Quennessen), who has been seduced by the cult and travels to meet its leader, Thulsa Doom.Valeria, who has fallen in love with Conan, does not want to risk their current happiness and advises against going after the princess. She awakens the next morning to find Conan gone. He travels alone to find Thulsa Doom not just to rescue Yasimina, but also to avenge the murders of his parents and clan.Conan travels to Thulsa Doom's "Mountain of Power" temple in the east. Before he arrives he comes to a sacred place with many standing stones attended by an old wizard, Akiro (Mako Iwamatsu). They quickly become friends, and the wizard warns Conan of Doom's power.Conan disguises himself as a follower and goes to the Temple of Set. The temple consists of a massive set of steps up the side of the mountain leading to an ornate entrance into caves that honeycomb the peak. Stealing a priest's robes, he gets as close as the steps before one of the guards recognizes the medallion he carries as being stolen. Thorgrim and Rexor seize Conan, beat him, and drag him before Thulsa Doom, who chides him for stealing the Eye of the Serpent and killing the great snake. Conan replies that Doom killed his parents, but Doom did so much killing as a young man that he does not really remember the incident. He also explains that "steel is strong but flesh is stronger" a point he proves by coaxing one of his female followers to step off a nearby cliff, falling to her death. Doom orders that Conan be crucified on the "Tree of Woe."Conan is left in the desert, nailed to the ancient tree. He is nearly dead when he is finally rescued by Subotai. Subotai and Valeria take him to Akiro for healing. The wizard tells them that this night the spirits of the underworld will come and try to take Conan's spirit back with them. Valeria says that she will fight them. Akiro warns that the gods will extract a heavy price for defying them in such a manner, but Valeria tells him she is willing to pay it.They successfully fight the spirits and Conan recovers. Conan finds that the Doom's mountain has cave entrances on the far side connecting with the interior of the temple. The three paint themselves with warrior camouflage and enter the temple through the rear, quietly killing the guards. They work their way to the throne room were an orgy is in progress; the participants are also eating a green stew made of human flesh. They set the drapes on fire and attack creating chaos in the throne room. Rexor recognizes Conan and attacks him with a double-bladed axe, he is soon joined by Thorgrim, wielding a large warhammer. Conan is nearly overpowered, but Thorgrim's warhammer dislodges a pillar, causing some of the ornate masonry to fall on him and Rexor, giving Conan a chance to flee. Valeria grabs Yasimina and they escape. The girl is unwilling to leave, however, and Conan is forced to carry her on his shoulders. He is unable to kill Doom, who has changed himself into a giant snake and escaped the throne room through a small tunnel.The thieves get to their horses and ride away with the princess. Doom, back in human form, arrives at the rear entrance with Rexor and Thorgrim, swearing revenge. Using an enchanted snake as a poison arrow, Doom manages to wound Valeria in the leg at a great distance. She tells Conan about Akiro's earlier warning of paying the gods, then dies in his arms. Back at the place of the standing stones, Conan burns Valeria's body in a warrior's funeral. Yasimina is tied to a nearby rock and she shouts to Conan that the funeral pyre will be seen by Doom and he will attack. Conan smiles as if he wants Doom to come to him.At the place of the scared standing stones, Conan, Akiro, and Subotai prepare a defense. They set booby traps around the stones and place defensive spikes. Conan finally prays to his god, Crom, asking him to remember that today two will stand against many, and that if Crom doesn't wish to help Conan, so be it.Doom comes with his lieutenants and a horde of men. He stands on a distant hillside and watches the battle. Despite being outnumbered Conan and Subotai dispatch most of his troops. Thorgrim is killed by one of Conan's elaborate traps. As he watches Thorgrim die, Rexor, wielding Nial's sword, attacks and nearly kills Conan. He is about to deliver a killing blow when a Valkyrie-like figure intervenes, then asks Conan if he wants to live forever. It is the ghost of Valeria, dressed in shining armor. She has fulfilled a promise she made to Conan that she would come back from the dead, if necessary, to fight by his side. Reinvigorated, Conan finally slays Rexor and reclaims Nial's sword, but the blade has been broken in the battle.Seeing that his men have lost, Doom decides that if he cannot have Yasimina, nobody will, and prepares another enchanted snake arrow to kill her despite the girl's desperate pleas. Subotai, however, races up the hill and is able to block the snake with his shield at the last moment. Doom rides off, and Yasimina now appears to be free of his indoctrination.The scene switches to the mountain temple were Doom is conducting a night ceremony. Throngs of his followers stand on the temple steps holding lit torches. Conan appears behind Doom. When Doom sees him he tells Conan that Conan cannot kill him because Doom is the only purpose Conan has in his life. For a moment Conan is taken in by Doom's enchanted voice and hypnotizing stare like his mother was years before, but then breaks free from the spell and beheads Doom with Nial's broken sword. He holds Doom's head up to the crowd, and then tosses it down the steps. Seeing that their leader was not immortal as they thought, the crowd douses their torches in the temple's pool and all quietly depart.Conan sits on the steps of the temple, alone, thinking about what to do next. He throws a burning oil lamp into the temple, setting it ablaze and returns Yasimina to her father. Akiro speaks, telling us that Conan will have many adventures. The scene switches and we see an older Conan sitting on a throne. A text crawl informs us Conan will one day become a king by his own hand, but that this is a story for another day.

Review: It's quite easy to dismiss this film based on its genre (barbarian slash-em-up) and the limited acting ability of the star (Schwarzenegger), but Conan is nothing short of a masterpiece.Ok, the story is fairly standard, and the principal actors (Schwarzenegger, Sandahl Bergman & Gerry Lopez) are competent but not outstanding.
There are a few brief but memorable performances from James Earl Jones and Max von Sydow that help lend weight to the film, but the real stars are Poledouris' score and the cinematography.
They could take all of the dialog out of the movie, and just have the music and pictures and it would still be worth watching.To fully appreciate Conan, though, you have to watch it and then watch another barbarian-type film from any era (Beastmaster, Krull, etc.) and the difference will be stunning..
He takes him serious and dares to go far enough with the grandness, something few directors would dare do today for fear of being labeled pretentious.Combine this with probably the best film score EVER written, and you have movie magic.
This gives the film a great atmosphere and really brings to mind two other fantasy action movies I really love, Crying Freeman and Highlander.
Max Von Sydow is superb as king Osric and he gets some of the best dialogue but it is the chilling James Earl Jones who is particularly excellent as Thulsa Doom.What makes this film great is the fact that it feels older than it is.
Also Basil Poledouris' score is fantastic and old fashioned a big reason the film feels like it is from the golden age of this sword and sorcery quest movies.
But Conan the barbarian is the most manly movie i have ever seen.The soundtrack by Basilis Poledoures my countryman is perhaps the best epic mousic ever, the photography is glorious, John Millius done a great job.the cast is great.the plot is great.
The film also has Max Von Sydow, which ends this film's connection to the Exorcist movies (except the scene where Conan has sex a witch and a demon comes out of her), and a whole lot of sex and violence.The musical score is absolutely amazing.
Basil Poledoris' music score is epic, grand, and a thing of beauty in itself.Conan the Barbarian is one of the very few epic/fantasy films that's so raw and brutal, but it's still a fine adventure with lovable characters and solid plotting.
If you enjoy stuff like this - like the 300 series, the Berserk manga, the God of War video games - then Conan should be a must-see.On home video, the unrated cut of the movie includes a few bonus scenes that elaborate a bit more on the characters, but aren't really all that necessary for the plot.4.5/5 (Entertainment: Very Good | Story: Very Good | Film: Good).
20 years before Lord of the Rings raised the bar on the Fantasy genre in movies, it was Conan the Barbarian that had set the standard.John Milius successfully composed his film using virtually unknown actors and a rookie composer, shooting his scenes with the ominous narration booming through Mako's distinctive voice.Everything about this film is distinctive.
It may not be bestowed with Oscars, but Conan The Barbarian is just as classy as Ben Hur and more brutal than Gladiator.In an almost wordless set-up, a young Conan is orphaned by the androgynous warlord Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and dragged off to some kind of weird labor camp where children are exploited and punished, kinda like a primitive version of Disneyland Paris.
In the opening act alone we see him transition from innocent child, to orphan, slave, gladiator, warrior, adventurer, and thief.He has a hard time surviving on his own until he finds a special sword, makes a new best friend in Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and finds a girlfriend in Valeria (Sandahl Bergman).
All goes well until Conan makes it his personal quest to go after Thulsa Doom for revenge.James Earl Jones appears threatening, even though he doesn't even look like the kind of guy who would say boo to a goose.
Conan is orphaned as a boy when evil cult leader Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) and his minions slaughter the people of Conans' village, including Conans' parents (played by Nadiuska and the legendary movie tough guy William Smith).
The film charts Conans' odyssey from young slave to pit fighter to thief to avenging hero, giving him some faithful companions in the form of Valeria (Sandahl Bergman), Subotai (surfer Gerry Lopez), and the Wizard (Mako, who also serves as narrator).With a screenplay credited to director John Milius and Oliver Stone, "Conan the Barbarian" is grand in its scope.
As a matter of fact I don't even think I would had ever watched this movie, had it not been for its music.With its $20,000,000 budget this was a fairly expenses genre production for its time, also especially when you compare the budget to John Milius' previous projects.
Arnold has entertained me in many movies over the years (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, Collateral Damage, Eraser), so I can forgive his pitiful acting in this film and just sit back and enjoy it.Of course, the best thing about the film was the presence of Sandahl Bergman, originally a Golddigger from "The Dean Martin Show".
Arnold has entertained me in many movies over the years (The Terminator, Terminator 2: Judgment Day, True Lies, Collateral Damage, Eraser), so I can forgive his pitiful acting in this film and just sit back and enjoy it.Of course, the best thing about the film was the presence of Sandahl Bergman, originally a Golddigger from "The Dean Martin Show".
From the famed comics, distilled through a cocaine fueled Oliver Stone's wild mind, comes Conan (Arnie), sole survivor of a village massacred by the evil Thulsa (James Earl Jones), he roams the land until he can exact his revenge.Sometimes, there comes a film that truly is a product of its time and place.
People who have never seen "Conan the Barbarian" probably expect a sword-and-sorcery movie with a predictable plot, over-the-top action scenes, and pathetic attempts at humor.
I put it down to people not appreciating how important survival was to our ancestors.Sword-and-sorcery movies, such as "Conan the Destroyer", "Red Sonja", and "The Scorpion King", have nothing to say about survival and revenge: they are too light-hearted (but at the same time their attempts at humor are too coarse).
Here the difference is that "The Lord of the Rings" is a struggle between Good and Evil, while "Conan the Barbarian" is a struggle for survival (and revenge).While the movie is not very realistic, it feels much more "real" than the sequel.
It took a long time for Robert E Howard's wonderful creation to make it to the big screen,and the result is something of a mixture.Some of Conan is very impressive,with the atmosphere of Howard's writing perfectly captured on screen,but some of the film is badly misjudged,with daft moments,botched action,and an uneven performance from schwarzenneger.He looks the part but in some scenes comes across as a muscle bound buffoon.Something the literary hero definitely wasn't.The story is ok,apart from having Conan spend half his life chained to the wheel of pain!But it's a dissapointing script,considering greats Milius and Oliver Stone wrote it.There are some excellent sequences in the film though,that are beautifully photographed.The opening attack on conans village is impressive,and Conans encounter with a weird witch is pretty good.But best of all is the orgy sequence,where the action,sets,and music blend together perfectly.It's like a Frank Frazetta painting come to life!The climactic battle of the mounds is ok,but it's all over far to quickly.The film does look good with some gorgeous photography,and set design.Best of all though,is the music by Basil Poledouris.This is an absolutely stunning score,that really captures the savage world of Conan.I'll stick my neck out and say that it's the best film soundtrack ever composed!General Cromwell,over and out..
i first remember seeing this movie about 20yrs ago when i was in my teens and remember it well,iv'e seen the film several times since and still rate it as one of my favorite few films of all time.it has a very powerful storyline about how a young boy's family and home was taken from him and how he grew up to be a great warrior and king from being taken as a slave and forced to fight to the death by his captives.his ultimate revenge on his enemies gave me a sense of justice.the acting is good to,arnold was tailor made for the role of conan and james earl jones played an excellent bad guy.the fight scenes were well choreographed to and there was even a love interest for the central character which moulded well into the storyline.the music is epic and is well used throughout.this film is nearly 30yr old now but has not lost it's appeal as a classic epic..
But Conan is definitely a good one, even great, and it's the king of all the 80's sword fantasy movies..
Conan the Barbarian is probably the last film people think of when trying determine the best Sword and Sorcery movie, but by God it should be right up there with LOTR, Willow, and The Lion, the Witch, and the Wardrobe.
As Conan he holds his own even when James Earl Jones is on screen.If you haven't seen it already, please enjoy this classic movie..
The fights are really good that is a really classy male film but nevertheless all the women that can be found in there so also strike all SWJ and the the claim there are no strong women characters should necessarily look at this movie here and listen to the music the best I have ever heard in my life..
Though fantasy has come a long way in the two decades since this film was made (Lord of the Rings), I still find myself watching Conan over and over again, enjoying the clean-cut story and its context, the likable cast, the masterful music and scenery, and fight scenes that, while dated, still feel far more real than anything Peter Jackson can dish out.This also isn't the Conan that Robert E.
The feel of this movie is how the feel of any sword and sorcery flick should be.Theology in particular gets a humorous but still 'real' look in Conan the Barbarian, with the dialogue between Conan and his god, Crom, at a few points- often unspoken (and on that note, Arnold did a great job at the end with his prayer).
Conan the Barbarian undoubtedly belongs to that category.It is one of the first movies I have ever watched and, up today, never have I seen such a powerful atmosphere and such perfect blend of picture and music, where each track so faithfully belongs to its scene.
It was very light on duologue, usually relying on the wonderful score and cinematography to carry it, which is does.Conan has great action scenes with plenty of meaty gore and severed limbs, cool weapons, and intense combat.Films of this kind need a good villain and James Earl Jones delivers.
Even nowadays,every now and then, we have a doubtful pleasure of watching a recently-made crap movies that apart from stunning F/X have nothing to offer...This one is gonna take all Conan and fantasy fans to a world of adventure, sword and sorcery....Enjoy!!.
The other film that made Arnold Schwarzenegger a star (before "The Terminator") casts him as Howard's barbarian Conan, unfairly enslaved as a child after his parents are murdered by James Earl Jones.
Basically it is fun to watch, serious to a degree, has some fantasy and gives a sense of barbarian times while delivering satisfaction as Conan hacks down his enemies one by one, also the sound track is good and for some reason instantly makes me think of war, everything you want in a movie is here you just have to open your eyes and stop looking for the real world or the comic book because you will never find it in 2 hours of a movie.
Arny does an amazing job as Conan makes you feel like he's actually a Barbarian in the fact that he doesn't speak much due to his lack of acting talent during this time but everything he does is pretty much 100% perfect.
Arnold Schawarznegger is great as Conan, while James Earl Jones has fun as Thulsa Doom and Max Von Sydow is good value as King Osric.
Despite being panned by critics at the time of its release, Conan The Barbarian is nonetheless a visually impressive sword and sorcery film with many things going for it.
And it features 7-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwartzenegger perfectly cast in the title role.The film begins with Conan as a young boy witnessing a band of marauders led by snake cult warlord Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) invade his village, kill his father and behead his mother as he holds her hand.
B-Movie great William Smith has a small, thankless role as Conan's father (killed early in the film).
And the stunning Sandahl Bergman is well utilized as Conan's love interest.Making the film in my opinion is James Earl Jones who with one of the greatest voices in cinematic history, cuts a commanding presence as the evil ruler Thulsa Doom.
This third viewing of the film – via the Extended (but also slightly censored) version on R4 SE DVD proved to be the most satisfactory so far; I guess it helped that it followed on the heels of several similar "sword-and-sorcery" outings which enabled the inherent superiority of CONAN THE BARBARIAN to fully emerge.Arnold Schwarzenegger is the perfect embodiment of a brawny medieval action hero; Sandahl Bergman (who would eventually turn villainous for RED SONJA [1985]) is equally impressive as Valeria, Conan's blonde female counterpart – their rapport is genuine enough as to make his being shown still pining for her throughout CONAN THE DESTROYER (1984) credible, the villainess of that film (Sarah Douglas) having promised to resurrect Valeria if he lends his services to her 'cause'!; also on the side of good are Mako as Akiro The Wizard (who returns in the sequel and actually provides the narration in both Conan ventures) and surfer Gerry Lopez as a Mongol thief.Incidentally, the project originated with Oliver Stone – who's still credited as co-writer: incongruously for him, he had stressed the fantasy elements of the tale (which writer/director Milius subsequently de-emphasized after taking over); perhaps to lend the film some artistic gravitas, the latter selected powerful and well-known actors for some of the leading characters: James Earl Jones makes for a very sinister Thulsa Doom (playing the last surviving member of an ancient cannibal civilization, he's made to turn into a giant snake!) and Max Von Sydow (as a king given the Shakespearean name of Osric, even if only one of the sequences filmed with him made the final cut!); a surprising, albeit all-too-brief, presence in the film is that of Jess Franco regular Jack Taylor – here playing one of the priests at Jones' temple.In the accompanying documentary (see below), Milius admits to being influenced by Masaki Kobayashi's classic ghost story compendium KWAIDAN (1964): this can be seen in the love-making scene with a woman turning into a witch (complete with similar use of blue gels) and the protection of an ailing Conan from evil spirits by having several chants written all over his body.
Continuing my plan to watch every Arnold Schwarzenegger movie in order, I come to 1982's Conan The Barbarian.
Plot In A Paragraph: Conan The Barbarian (Arnie) a slave turned out fighter, who sets off to avenge his tribe and his parents who were slain by an evil sorcerer (James Earl Jones) when he was a little boy.I loved the hell out of this movie as I kid, and my enthusiasm for it hasn't dimmed much over the years, however watching it now, two things struck me.
Universal released "Conan: The Barbarian", directed by John Milius and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, based on the original character created by Robert E.
With 1982 classic Conan The Barbarian, writer/director John Milius and champion bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger not only made the best fantasy adventure movie of the 1980's, but also one of the finest motion pictures ever.
The musical score is incredibly appropriate for this film and really sets the bar to be matched for any sort of sword & sorcery movie.
There is a lot to like in this movie even decades later and it now acts as a poster child for the power of a musical score to elevate a film to greatness.
Conan the Barbarian is the best fantasy movie I've ever seen, and one of the best films ever.
Basil Poleadouris made legendary music to the film and Arnie really amazed the big screen.STORY IS:  Conan who sees his parents and his village get killed when was child.
Beyond all the wonderful things that can be said about this film and one of the best movie scores ever, Conan the Barbarian contains many layers of subtlety often overlooked.
The film is an epic, sweeping work of panoramic vistas and powerful background music by Basil Poledouris.Look for James Earl Jones' performance as the villain, Thulsa Doom - part evil sorcerer, part "Old Man of the Mountain" (of the ancient 'Hasheshin' legends).
The glorious score by Basil Poledouris, the cinematography, the fantastic acting by many of the characters (especially James Earl Jones and Max Von Sydow, with a strong contribution by Mako) make this the adventure movie of the decade, perhaps of the century.
It is a sword and sorcery epic which, unlike many such films since, is very good viewing.Arnold Schwarzenegger is perfectly cast as Conan.
I have not read any of Howard's stories, so all I know about Conan is how many times the character has been done, and of course what this film told me.