Conan is an old school character, from stories written nearly 100 years ago. Conan was conceived of and written before 'The Hobbit" was published, but after Tarzan. Slightly before Superman and Batman.
"Anyone can have a 'relationship,' but if you're with a woman who's so crazy in bed that 'if you don't wear your Kevlar to bed one night, you might not live to see the light of day' ... ... that's sexy." #KenTitus
Fun fact. The entire movie was made in Spain, actually the actor who plays Conan as a child is Jorge Sanz, he would become a very fine and famous actor in my country
My father always called this movie ‘The MANLIEST Opera Ever,’ because there’s only about 20 minutes of dialogue and about 2 hours of awesome music! Thank you, Basil Poledouris!
This is one of those rare movies that got everything right in a worlds collide fashion. It goes that extra distance in ways really not seen in big budget films anymore. It can also be enjoyed by so many different types. From the D&D nerd pointing and saying that the barbarian made his will saving throw at the end, to the bladesmith saying "That's what you get for quenching in the snow!", to a TH-cam reactor that notices little things that I have missed for over 40 years. Cheers.
Yeah, THIS flicks pretty unique and exceptional among Shwarznegar flicks. It’s a little more artistic (though it's still essentially an action adventure popcorn flick), is darker toned, has a more Euro quality (probably because it was an international production), and aint jam crammed with dialogue in contrast to Shwarzenegar’s other later flicks which characters blab constantly to the point of obnoxiousness (complete with stupid famous one-liners). On another note, I think they’re eating the human body parts (in the soup) as an APHRODISIAC to enhance that orgy of theirs (THAT’s something that some weird cults actually do believe in as I understand).
Alfred Hitchcock referred to "pure cinema" as those parts of a movie where the story is told simply through sequences of images, without dialogue. Many of his movies have long stretches without dialogue. He said that you should be able to watch a movie with the sound off and still understand the story through the images alone. What I love about Conan the Barbarian is how much of it consists of these "pure cinema" sequences. There is very little dialogue in the movie, and yet the viewer can follow the story through the images alone (and the musical score which provides a perfect accompaniment to the images). The movie doesn't need to explain everything, it isn't afraid to be subtle, it trusts that the viewer is smart enough to pick up on all the little details it shows without commenting on them or drawing attention to them through dialogue. This is great cinema!
Midnight's Edge did an amazing review of Conan the Barbarian and broke down what the Riddle of Steel was actually about. Go check it out! Spoiler Alert - Both Conan's father and Thulsa Doom were wrong. Conan's father believed that you cannot trust much in the world, but you can trust steel, the sword. However, in the end Conan shatters his father's sword. The sword broke. Thulsa Doom said steel is nothing next to flesh: the strength of the hand that wields the sword. However, Doom's flesh broke upon the blade of steel as he was decapitated. So what was true strength? What is the answer to the Riddle of Steel? Pure will. Conan's will to avenge his people and bring down Thulsa Doom was indomitable. Conan's father's sword shattered when used against Conan. Doom's flesh split when it came against Conan. Conan's will broke both flesh and steel. Or something like that. It's been many years since I watched that breakdown.
And he learned that you can trust other people. Valeria and Subatai could have just went their own way. But instead they came for him, rescued him and nursed him back to health.
Good take. I like to think of it in terms of a classic riddle. What is the steel compared to the hand that wields it? Nothing. What is the hand compared to the will that impels it? Nothing.
The reason the sword shatters is Conan was fated to kill Doom with the sword he 'found'. It belonged to an Atlantean king, Thulsa caused the downfall of Atlantis, Conan was their instrument of revenge.
"For us, there is no spring. Just the wind that smells fresh before the storm." - Conan I've always loved this line. Much more meaningful than the more quoted lines. Robert E. Howard was a brilliant writer that created Conan. The film is great but the books are the type that just aren't written anymore. Absolutely worth reading.
Conan: No rest, no sleep like other men. And yet the spring wind blows, Subotai. Have you ever felt such a wind? Subotai: They blow where I live too. In the north of every man's heart. Conan: It's never too late, Subotai. Subotai: No. It would only lead me back here another day. In even worse company.
Maybe the best action/fantasy movie ever made? Simple, limited dialogue, BEAUTIFUL score and sets. I think this movie is close to perfect and I'm glad you liked it! Keep the great work, your reactions always brighten my day.
THIS was still pretty early in Arnold's acting career and before he became a total Hollywood megastar and a lot of the stuff that 's now popularly characteristic of his movies hadn't been established yet, including the heavy dialogue with cheesy catch-lines. Other early Arnold flicks are Pumping Iron and The Villain.
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!
One of my favorite movies of all time. Most definitely my most beloved soundtrack of all time. Basil Poledouris, the composer, slays it every time. And this is his Magnum Opus. Perfection.
24:36: Subotai comes through in the clutch. I love how he was the one that saved the princess. Conan was the main character but I love that they didn't downplay Subotai. He was a great companion and seemed equally as skilled as Conan.
Some of the things you say are so unintentionally hilarious!! Calling a massacre of a village a "Surprise Visit" or when you realize he was enslaved and forced to turn the grinding wheel for years and years and said "...and I thought MY job was boring"! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
"He saw she was crazy and he did her anyway..." yup, you just summed up most men lol The crazy ones are usually the best in bed. Just don't marry them hahaha
"Accidentally stumbled on a hot, horny woman." That made me chuckle. I guess after years of suffering, good fortune decided to make up for lost time. :p
This is the movie that put Ah-nold on the map, two years before the release of The Terminator. It's (loosely) based on a series of 1930s pulp fantasy stories by Robert E. Howard, about the titular warrior, Conan the Cimmerian, who lived in a prehistoric period on earth called the Hyborian Age. Conan's world is meant to be ours, but some 20,000 years before the civilizations we know of came into being. Conan was Howard's second barbarian hero, following Kull of Atlantis (who lived 8000 years before the Hyborian Age in what Howard called the Thurian Age, and is Conan's direct ancestor). Other stories set in the Hyborian Age include the adventures of Red Sonja (which also received a feature film adaptation in the 80s, starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold himself. Sandahl Bergman, who plays Valeria in this film, also appears as the villain. In fact, Arnold's character was SUPPOSED to be Conan, but they couldn't get the rights so they just filed the serial numbers off and called him Kalidor). Sonja herself wasn't actually created by Howard, first debuting in the 1970s in licensed fiction, though she was inspired by an earlier character from one of Howard's stories. The rights to Conan are now owned by Marvel, and in fact has appeared in various Marvel comics since 1970 (with a brief stint from 2003 - 2018 when they were owned by Dark Horse). Major X-Men villain Selene (an immortal psychic vampire and necromancer with periodic aspirations of godhood) was a contemporary of Conan, and while not exactly allies, they did work together against a mutual enemy (so despite Apocalypse's claims to the contrary, Selene is actually the earliest known mutant, being some 15,000 years older). Conan occasionally turns up in the present day Marvel Universe, as well as stories in his own time, and is on friendly relations with Dr. Doom, of all people. Mako, who plays the narrator/Akiro, is a film legend in his own right, with over 165 acting credits to his name, including many very well-known films and series such as MASH, The Sand Pebbles, and Columbo, and voice work such as Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Splinter in the posthumously released 2007 animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. "Is [the teeth] optional?" I love your thought processes.😁 It's not really discussed in the movie, but the sword Conan discovers in the tomb is Atlantean, making it thousands of years old. Conan is popularly depicted wearing nothing but a loincloth, because "barbarian." However, in the original Howard stories he was an EXTREMELY intelligent and cultured man, who would dress in the fashion of whatever places he was visiting. Although Valeria was created by Robert Howard and first appearing in the last Conan story he wrote before his suicide in 1936, the Valeria in the film is mostly based on another Conan character, the pirate queen Bêlit. Although Howard's version of Valeria was a friend and ally of Conan, they weren't lovers as depicted in the film. "Conan is not a very talkative guy but he does get the job done." LOL Thulsa Doom was not originally a Conan Villain, and was instead an enemy of Conan's ancestor, Kull, though Conan had some dealings with him in later stories. Conan's main nemesis is a wizard named Thoth-Amon (though in kind of a "Fifth Element" sort of way, where the hero and villain never actually meet in the original Howard stories). There are SO many great lines in this movie. "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. 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 to HELL with you!" may be one of the all-time great epic speeches in film. The music during the Battle of the Mounds, especially as Rexor and Thorgrim lead their horsemen in the initial charge, is just amazing. The moment where Valeria's spirit intervenes and blinds Rexor is STRAIGHT from Norse Mythology: In that moment when she comes back to fulfill her promise she has become a Valkyrie. While popular culture likes to make the Valkyries out as badass warrior women, that's actually NOT the role they play in battle in Norse myth. The Valkyries don't fight themselves. Instead, if you're in battle and your sword breaks, or you lose your footing, or the sun gets in your eye and blinds you, giving your enemy the opening they need to kill you, THAT'S the Valkyries at work. They engineer the circumstances of your demise, but they don't actually kill you themselves before taking you to Valhalla. And this is exactly how Valeria aids Conan: Not by defeating his enemies for him, but by causing Rexor to misstep, allowing Conan to do so himself. One thing I love about the movie is just how understated the finale is. There's no grand final battle between Conan and Doom. Conan just walks up smites his ass. I love how astute your analyses of characterization and motivations are, IE observing Conan finally having peace. If you're not writing, I think you seriously ought to give it a try. You've got a fantastic grasp of genre convention. Conan the Barbarian was ENORMOUSLY influential, inspiring a slew of similar films in the 80s, a genre called Sword and Sorcery. Among them are Beastmaster and its sequels of dubious quality, Masters of the Universe, (and the He-Man animated series it was based on, and He-Man's spinoff She-Ra) the Sword and the Sorcerer, NUMEROUS really bad knock-offs of the sort that got roasted on Mystery Science Theater, (the Deathstalker and Ator series, in particular) and even animated films like Ralph Bakshi's classic Fire and Ice. The first Beastmaster was probably the most successful of them, and was so ubiquitous on cable in the 80s that stations TBS and HBO were jokingly called "The Beastmaster Station" and "Hey, Beastmaster's On!" respectively. Conan had its own sequel, Conan the Destroyer, which isn't as good but still fun (it also features Wilt Chamberlain, with Andre the Giant in an uncredited role...And they make ARNOLD look puny! Also, Grace Jones). Arnold has been trying to get a third and final film, King Conan, made for decades.
This is one of my favorite musical scores from any movie. The character of Conan comes from the series of stories by Robert E. Howard, and the crucifixion on a tree is actually from the story "A Witch Shall Be Born". The villain, Thulsa Doom, is also from Howard's fiction, but not from the Conan series. The cult of followers prepared to die for him is probably inspired by the Jonestown massacre, which had occurred only four years before the movie came out. This was not Schwarzenegger's first movie, but it was his first time playing the leading role.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN a film made in times when character development mattered unlike today's cinema offerings. which is why we both CARE about Con-an & believe in what he is able to do. when reviewers try to predict what's going to happen, it makes you wonder why they bother watching.
27:02 "Is very strange. I have been in the revenge business so long, now that it's over, I don't know what to do with the rest of my life." - "Have you ever considered piracy? You'd make a wonderful Conan the Buccaneer!"
I really like this extended version, his added dialogue with his friend, showing the princess having a change of heart and helping lead Conan in the back way to kill Doom. Good stuff
Yep, even if they're a little cheesy or obvious they'll always be better because your brain knows it's a physical object, most cgi sucks, especially now where they half ass it.
@@captbunnykiller1.0 Mad Max Fury Road is a stellar example of CGI used how it should be, just to touch up shots and add in whatever you couldnt do for real. Stunning stunt sequences in that movie as a result of it being like 80% real vehicles and explosions.
6:30 I've noticed that Dasha is a pretty non-judgemental person and that it makes her more open minded and therefore more perceptive than many other TH-camrs.
The fact that she only lived with her parents for 18 years before moving 5,000 miles away from her home...I'd say they did a wonderful job with her upbringing.
23:50, the guy who got impaled on Conan’s booby trap is actor Sven-Ole Thorsen. He is also a champion bodybuilder and close friend of Schwarzenegger. Throughout the years he will appear in other movies with Arnold. He was in the movie Gladiator playing Tigris of Gaul the retired chamption brought out to fight Maximus in rigged arena duel.
He’s been in a few other of Arnold’s films. In Predator, he’s the Russian that Arnold blows out the wall with his grenade launcher after saying “knock, knock”; a security guard in The Running Man; and in Red Heat at the bath house that Arnold fights with in the snow, interrogates for Viktor’s whereabouts and then knocks him out cold.
The reason everyone was suspicious of Conan at the Mountain of Power was that, unlike every other priest who had a small metallic medallion around his neck, Conan was wearing the big jade decoration he took from the temple in Zamora earlier. This rather gave away the fact that he was one of the thieves.
I remember that back in the 80s, there were so many barbarian warrior movies that came after and were basically copycats of Conan The Barbarian. There were tons of them and the majority of them were vastly inferior. Though Beast Master was quite decent.
"Stake" is often used for a sharp wood pole like those or the more general term "spike" for any fixed pointy thing. Most common usage would be wooden stake and metal spike.
My uncle used to have Conan comic books in the late 70s, so I just wanted to see the movie when it came out. Just knew he was a Cimmerian and did know the story world and in retrospect the civilizations were a hodgepodge out of historical context, but I enjoyed the comic books where problems were solved with the sword and brute force and knew the movie was going to be violent.
I'm glad you got this movie. This movie is a master class in show don't tell storytelling and a lot of modern reactors have trouble following the story without constant dialogue explaining everything that is happening.
My all time favorite sword and sorcery movie. Well, tied with The Beastmaster 1982. I don't put these in the same genre as Lord of the Rings, although I suppose I could. A big part of my childhood was pretending to be a warrior with a sword and I would go shirtless out into the woods with friends and slay imaginary foes while performing feats of strength. I cannot emphasize enough just how big a role Conan and Beastmaster played on my life. It created my first hobby/interest and paved the way for my future interests. Very formative part of my youth. It will be interesting to see how this reaction goes, but I'm not foolish enough to expect the same impact it had on me. Different times, different ages, different people. Should still be fun though!
I tend to do the same. While you can't argue that LOTR changed the game I agree it kind of deserves its own category. Conan and Beastmaster were top-tier 'swords and sorcery' films and were a huge part of my childhood. I also throw in 'Dragonslayer' from 1981. A surprisingly solid film with the best dragon I've ever seen in cinema, even to this day. The design was incredible.
Dragonslayer was absolutely an amazing film. The thing it lacked - for me - was the jacked masculine hero that I always aspired to be. There's nothing wrong with Galen, but as a kid I wanted to be masculine and strong as well as noble and good. Galen was not a bad hero by any stretch, but as a kid and also a fan of He-Man, I aspired to be built like a brick shithouse swinging a sword into evil villains and rescuing the girl. Even to this day, that persona appeals to me. I agree with you about the special effects in Dragonslayer. Vermithrax was an amazing achievement of its time and it still holds up to this day. There is something about the practical effects of the dragon that exceed even the CGI of Smaug. Don't get me wrong, there are still some spots it didn't age well - such as Galen on the back of Vermithrax - but IMO I see something in practical effects like those used for Vermithrax that is lost in even great CGI. Another great movie from this time period and genre is Excalibur. You might be able to fit in Clash of the Titans 1981, but that may be more at home in Sword and Sandals genre.
@@GetFitwithDogs Clash of the Titans would definitely fit in with the S&S genre. Another solid film with some great claymation use. Doesn’t hold up quiet as well as other titles, but is a fun romp, even today. I can see what you mean for with Galen as well. He definitely wasn’t the normal ‘hero’ that you usually see in films like this. Even going back to the late 50s and 60s he would be seriously out of place. But I think that plays well into the story of being the ‘2nd string’ choice for the quest…lol. His gear was pretty bad ass though. The spear and shield was super cool.
"I think it didn't have a lot of dialogue" lol....Arnold didn't have a lot of ability to speak english at the time. He was an Austrian body builder extraordinare at this point, it's insane how well he's done for himself.
You might not have noticed but the villain in this movie is James Earl Jones. He is known the world over as the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars Trilogy.
@@jahu5440And Eddie Murphy’s father in Coming To America. He was also one of the wise men in Franco Zeferelli’s Jesus Of Nazareth. And, of course, he was the voice of CNN.
1. Conan's mom was a serious hottie!😍😋😈 2. The first woman he encounters was a harpy. 3. Filmed primarily in Spain. 4. James Earl Jones is the MAN.🤩 5. One of the best endings ever. 6. "Conan the Destroyer" doesn't suck. 7. "Do you want to live forever?"
Conan the Destroyer isn't a bad movie, but there is a lot of tonal whiplash if you're expecting something more artistic like this movie. There's a lot of campy BS. Destroyer didn't have John Milius, and instead the guy who did the Conan comics wrote it.
Dasha has the greatest remarks: "And I thought my job was boring..." And "Women Hey..." That's what I'm here for Dasha!❤ I think you missed a good chance for a "that's what she said" at 11:54 you said: "He's giving her the biggest one..." Haha lol I'm glad you liked this Epic soundtrack!! Fun reaction to one of my favorite Arnold movies!! Thanks Dasha ❤️💛
When Conan fights the last warrior in the great battle at the end, a bit of trivia that many people but not all people will see, is that the sword he cuts in half is the sword his father forges at the beginning of the movie. To make the whole ordeal, his whole life, and life and death come full circle, he uses the hilt and lower remnant of the blade of his father's sword to kill the villain/murderer who killed his father and stole the same sword.
A special double issue of Cinefantastique dedicated to the making on "Conan the Barbarian" said there was a very lifelike prosthetic of Conan's mother's severed head that could roll its eyes, open and close its mouth and stick out its tongue, but it didn't show any pictures of it. Practical effects like that are fascinating, so I've tried to find pictures or videos of that head, but I haven't been able to find any.
💖Thank you for watching this. It is probably my favorite movie ever. I can put it on anytime. It has gotten me through some hard times. It gives me strength. You're the best Dasha💖
COnan is considered the proginetor of the Sword & Sorcery genre. Robert E Howard, was a writer from Texas iirc, who would write short stories and send them to a Pulp magazine specialised in Fantasy/Scyfy stories called "Weird Tales magazine" that would be published monthly. Howard was one of the readers favorite author, along side a certain HP LOvecraft and his Call of Cthulu Mythos, who was also a writer for the Magazine. Howard was a troubled man and he took his own life at the age of 30-35 iirc, but his Legacy as become immortal and made him one of the Greatest modern. Howard had the VERY SERIOUS believe that Conan was real and that he was visiting him at night in his dreams and threatened him to write down Conan's saga or else he would take an Axe to the face... The Sword & Sorcery genre is one of the many genres of the modern fantasy, the more classic Fantasy geren is the "High Fantasy", where elves, gnomes and dwarfs and Orcs are common, Spellcasters are everywhere and Magic is VERY present in the lives of this world's inhabitants in a way or another. The Sword and Sorcery is more of a "Low" fantasy setting, Magic exists, buts its old, rare and misunderstood, those who practice it are viewed with suspicion by non magic practitioners and often chased or persecuted. Non human races are either exctinct or so rare that people can go lifetimes without meeting one and often they are so Obscure and Alien that their objectives and ways of thinking is deemed "Inhumane" and horrible. While the High fantasy is set in this ficticious 14-17th century era of Medival age, Sword & Sorcery is more between 4th and 8th Century era of the Bronze to early iron Age. If the cultures depicted in High fantasy are mostly of Northern/Central European style of cultures and architectures. S&S is closer to Middle eastern, Asian in its depiction, armors, architectures and cultures are somewhere between Egyptian, Persian, Mongolian and Chinese or even Vikings if you go North. S&S tends to be darker than High fantasy, even tho it is not neccesary part of the Dark Fantasy genre
Film facts: Arnold had to lean out to do this film, whereas Mamoa had to bulk up! -The name of the soup was "split pea and HAND". -There was a franchise planned for Conan, like the Bond movies but after the sequel and Red Sonja under performed, it was scuttled. -The scene where Conan is drunk, was almost cut because the producer thought it lessened him but the director won out and it was kept in. -The swordmaster was the actual sword instructor for the movie. -The woman that is given to Conan was a pornstar who didn't know anything about the scene, that was to be filmed. Her reaction to seeing Arnold was genuine because that was the first time she saw him. Both Thulsa Doom and Conan's father are wrong. The strongest of steel will rust, the strongest of flesh will rot but the strongest of wills lasts forever. Conan survives because of the strength of his will and he overcomes/defeats Thulsa Doom because of the strength of his will. Also... Conan commits a huge blasphemy by praying to Crom for something. You don't ask crom for things, you thank him for the gift he's given you. Crom answers Conan prayer but makes him pay for it, for the rest of his life... And he's gonna live for a long time.
I don't think you noticed the sword. The opening credits show his father making a sword, he used it to fight, but when he was killed the big guy took it and STILL had it. When Conan broke the sword he had, it was his fathers sword, thats why he held it up in the air. He also used that half sword to cut off Thulsadooms head.
Don't know if you noticed but the sword that Conan broke in battle and used to kill Thulsa Doom was the sword his father was forging at the beginning of the film. So the revenge was even more full circle.
The story, or legend, of Conan is based on a series of books from about 100 years ago. At a time when western authors started looking back at humanities ancient past, and dreamed of the possibilities, and also the likely harsh realities of life at that time. In any event, it was an enjoyable series of books to read as a teenager.
This movie is based on a group of novels . The screenplay was written by Oliver stone ,this also was one of Arnold's first starring movies . The shape he got into this led him to to go back to competing in the bodybuilding competitions for a bit .
This was Arnie's real breakout role. What cemented him was dogging James Cameron to let him take the role of the _Terminator_ in 1984, because he wanted a role where he showed as little skin as possible, and was cast as a villain.
A lot of people don’t realize the giant wheel he is pushing in the beginning is giant mill with a giant Mill stone ( you can see it in some shots) for crushing wheat into flour to make bread
I really like that she's watching the version with the extended dialogue between Conan and Subotai before the Battle of the Mounds. That wasn't in the original cut and it's shocking to hear Conan actually have that much dialogue.
the soundtrack to the conan movies have remains in my head since i was a kid.. I'm 33 now lol used to get in trouble for busting conan sword moves on my cousins with my toy sword lol
Great reaction Dasha. When I was a kid I read the comic book this movie was based on. You pick up on many subtle points that most miss. I think you would enjoy the sequel
Great reaction... I don't know if you noticed, but the sword that broke was his father's sword that they took in the beginning. That is the same sword that Doom used to kill his mother. That's why Conan used that same sword to kill Doom in the end.
Arnold was still learning English at this time (and earlier roles) and through The Terminator. That's why they didn't give him much dialog in these films. They used a narrator (Mako) instead in this film.
This is very loosely inspired by a series of short stories and novellas by Robert E. Howard. The current owner of Conan is a video game company called Funcom that sells a survival game called Conan Exiles. And yes, you get to bash people over the head, chain them up, and drag them back to a wheel where you make them work until they learn to follow your orders.
One of the most original and interesting choices this movie made is the narrator. He knows Conan. He meets him twice. But otherwise is not part of the story. Slaughterhouse 5’s narrator is much like that. It’s not the “unreliable narrator” used in literature, but a mostly-reliable narrator like Ice-T’s narration of Hugo Stiglitz.
* When they were doing the casting for this film, they were looking at 2 different actors to play Conan. Obviously, one was Schwarzenegger, but the other actor was "Franco Columbu"(the actor who played the "other" Terminator in the film "The Terminator"). Although I love a lot of Schwarzenegger's movies, I truthfully think that "Columbu" would've made a better Conan. He looks more like the Conan on the cover of all of the Conan novels like: *Conan* *the* *Adventurer* and *Conan* *the* *Buccaneer* also *Conan* *the* *Unconquered.* It's kind of cool that Metallica wrote a song about Conan. It's called *Wherever* *I* *May* *Roam.* If you listen carefully to the lyrics, then you'll know that they're singing about Conan.
----- @DashaReacts ----- - Fun fact about this movie... Arnold was indeed quite muscular in this movie, but initially the director actually considered Arnold too muscular, so he had to tone down a bit for the role of 'Conan'. -----
DASHA! WHAT IS BEST IN LIFE! (Of course to crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.) I have quoted this film for so many years.
"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, and why we died. All that matters is that today, two stood against many. Valor pleases you, so grant me this one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, the HELL with you!"
the film was shot in Spain and the beautiful actress is a Spanish actress named Nadiuska and the Conan boy is a Spanish actor named Jorge Sanz greetings!!
Love this movie, one of Arnold’s best honestly. It’s such a classic and nostalgic 80s vibe. Plus the music is amazing, the perfect score for a film like this
"Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger" you are right to disagree with it. It is a mistranslation of the original German, a popular mistranslation. I have been told it should read "Whatever doesn't destroy us makes us stronger." I never thought the popular translation made sense myself and decades later I learned of the mistake. Lots of people have mistranslated Nietzsche's "Übermensch" to mean superman when it actual means "Overman".
I've always like how Thulsa Doom answer the Riddle Of Steel. I know that it was not the correct one, but he was so convinced of the answer that he created a cult.
The song for when Conan's village is destroyed by Thulsa Doom (Riders of Doom) was used by Nintendo for 3 different Legend of Zelda game trailers. Legend of Zelda itself takes much inspiration from the Conan movies.
"He will not cry, so I cry for him." Subotai is the best friend a person could ask for.
Subotai should have been there for the sequel.
I always thought about that line! There are a lot of lines in this movie that pertain to friendship and loyalty
@@EponymousRex in the books, conan always had changing companions, for various reasons...
@@EponymousRex I always thought, if Conan had had Subotai and Valeria, he wouldn't have needed the rest of those clowns in the sequel XD
@@EponymousRex The whole vibe of that movie would have been 1235324% better.
Conan is an old school character, from stories written nearly 100 years ago. Conan was conceived of and written before 'The Hobbit" was published, but after Tarzan. Slightly before Superman and Batman.
"She's weird but he's still going to do her" Dasha understands
agreed
Yep, that's an accurate description of 100% of guys who are into women!😂
dudes, eh.
"Anyone can have a 'relationship,' but if you're with a woman who's so crazy in bed that 'if you don't wear your Kevlar to bed one night, you might not live to see the light of day' ... ... that's sexy." #KenTitus
I just gave like #69, how appropriate
This movie as one of the most epic soundtracks
The Conan the Barbarian soundtrack was Basil Poledouris' masterpiece. It is one of the greatest scores of all time.
Probably among top 10 all time movie soundtracks... (worldwide)
💜💜💜💜💜🐍🗡️⚔️🗡️💪💜💜💜💜💜
Fun fact. The entire movie was made in Spain, actually the actor who plays Conan as a child is Jorge Sanz, he would become a very fine and famous actor in my country
Coincidentally I was watching videos on film locations in Spain over the past weekend. Some very beautiful places.
@@azcoder thanks ☺️🇪🇦
My father always called this movie ‘The MANLIEST Opera Ever,’ because there’s only about 20 minutes of dialogue and about 2 hours of awesome music! Thank you, Basil Poledouris!
9:13 "Ohh! (big smile) She's horny! Oooh!" Dasha's so cute and hilarious.
completely agree with you, Dasha is just to cool.
@@Flastew yes she is!
First he accidentally stumbled at great sword, then he accidentally stumbled at hot horny woman :D
- What is best in life?
- To crush enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the reactions of Dasha!!
What is best on the internet?
To troll your enemies, to see them butthurt before you, and to hear the lamentations of their followers!
@@timmooney7528 qué ice ette?
"hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper" - Cohen the Barbarian
@@chrism7395There's my fellow Pratchett fan.
@@chrism7395 Ook-tastic response there...
This is one of those rare movies that got everything right in a worlds collide fashion. It goes that extra distance in ways really not seen in big budget films anymore. It can also be enjoyed by so many different types. From the D&D nerd pointing and saying that the barbarian made his will saving throw at the end, to the bladesmith saying "That's what you get for quenching in the snow!", to a TH-cam reactor that notices little things that I have missed for over 40 years. Cheers.
Yeah, THIS flicks pretty unique and exceptional among Shwarznegar flicks. It’s a little more artistic (though it's still essentially an action adventure popcorn flick), is darker toned, has a more Euro quality (probably because it was an international production), and aint jam crammed with dialogue in contrast to Shwarzenegar’s other later flicks which characters blab constantly to the point of obnoxiousness (complete with stupid famous one-liners).
On another note, I think they’re eating the human body parts (in the soup) as an APHRODISIAC to enhance that orgy of theirs (THAT’s something that some weird cults actually do believe in as I understand).
Alfred Hitchcock referred to "pure cinema" as those parts of a movie where the story is told simply through sequences of images, without dialogue. Many of his movies have long stretches without dialogue. He said that you should be able to watch a movie with the sound off and still understand the story through the images alone. What I love about Conan the Barbarian is how much of it consists of these "pure cinema" sequences. There is very little dialogue in the movie, and yet the viewer can follow the story through the images alone (and the musical score which provides a perfect accompaniment to the images). The movie doesn't need to explain everything, it isn't afraid to be subtle, it trusts that the viewer is smart enough to pick up on all the little details it shows without commenting on them or drawing attention to them through dialogue. This is great cinema!
Conan is chased underground by wolves. Conan finds sword and leaves underground. Next scene he is wearing wolf pelts.
Midnight's Edge did an amazing review of Conan the Barbarian and broke down what the Riddle of Steel was actually about. Go check it out!
Spoiler Alert - Both Conan's father and Thulsa Doom were wrong. Conan's father believed that you cannot trust much in the world, but you can trust steel, the sword. However, in the end Conan shatters his father's sword. The sword broke.
Thulsa Doom said steel is nothing next to flesh: the strength of the hand that wields the sword. However, Doom's flesh broke upon the blade of steel as he was decapitated.
So what was true strength? What is the answer to the Riddle of Steel? Pure will. Conan's will to avenge his people and bring down Thulsa Doom was indomitable. Conan's father's sword shattered when used against Conan. Doom's flesh split when it came against Conan. Conan's will broke both flesh and steel.
Or something like that. It's been many years since I watched that breakdown.
And he learned that you can trust other people. Valeria and Subatai could have just went their own way. But instead they came for him, rescued him and nursed him back to health.
Good take. I like to think of it in terms of a classic riddle. What is the steel compared to the hand that wields it? Nothing. What is the hand compared to the will that impels it? Nothing.
Adamantine WILL!
@@ArgosySpecOpsAdamantium doesn't exist.
The reason the sword shatters is Conan was fated to kill Doom with the sword he 'found'. It belonged to an Atlantean king, Thulsa caused the downfall of Atlantis, Conan was their instrument of revenge.
"For us, there is no spring. Just the wind that smells fresh before the storm." - Conan
I've always loved this line. Much more meaningful than the more quoted lines.
Robert E. Howard was a brilliant writer that created Conan. The film is great but the books are the type that just aren't written anymore. Absolutely worth reading.
Conan: No rest, no sleep like other men. And yet the spring wind blows, Subotai. Have you ever felt such a wind?
Subotai: They blow where I live too. In the north of every man's heart.
Conan: It's never too late, Subotai.
Subotai: No. It would only lead me back here another day. In even worse company.
Conan started as a series of pulp stories written in the early 1930's by Robert E. Howard, a writer from Texas.
Maybe the best action/fantasy movie ever made? Simple, limited dialogue, BEAUTIFUL score and sets. I think this movie is close to perfect and I'm glad you liked it! Keep the great work, your reactions always brighten my day.
THIS was still pretty early in Arnold's acting career and before he became a total Hollywood megastar and a lot of the stuff that 's now popularly characteristic of his movies hadn't been established yet, including the heavy dialogue with cheesy catch-lines. Other early Arnold flicks are Pumping Iron and The Villain.
Oh man, The Villain would be a great one to see Dasha react to. Like a live-action Wile E. Coyote movie.
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!
One of my favorite movies of all time. Most definitely my most beloved soundtrack of all time. Basil Poledouris, the composer, slays it every time. And this is his Magnum Opus. Perfection.
Honestly it's hard to choose between this one's soundrtrack and "The Hunt for Red October" 's one
11:35 "there is a gigantic there is gigantic snake."
and that's what she said. ☺️
"Conan! What is best in life?"
"To push the like button, to subscribe, and to set notifications to all so you never miss new content."
24:36: Subotai comes through in the clutch. I love how he was the one that saved the princess. Conan was the main character but I love that they didn't downplay Subotai. He was a great companion and seemed equally as skilled as Conan.
Some of the things you say are so unintentionally hilarious!! Calling a massacre of a village a "Surprise Visit" or when you realize he was enslaved and forced to turn the grinding wheel for years and years and said "...and I thought MY job was boring"! 🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
"He saw she was crazy and he did her anyway..." yup, you just summed up most men lol The crazy ones are usually the best in bed. Just don't marry them hahaha
"Accidentally stumbled on a hot, horny woman." That made me chuckle. I guess after years of suffering, good fortune decided to make up for lost time. :p
This is the movie that put Ah-nold on the map, two years before the release of The Terminator. It's (loosely) based on a series of 1930s pulp fantasy stories by Robert E. Howard, about the titular warrior, Conan the Cimmerian, who lived in a prehistoric period on earth called the Hyborian Age. Conan's world is meant to be ours, but some 20,000 years before the civilizations we know of came into being. Conan was Howard's second barbarian hero, following Kull of Atlantis (who lived 8000 years before the Hyborian Age in what Howard called the Thurian Age, and is Conan's direct ancestor). Other stories set in the Hyborian Age include the adventures of Red Sonja (which also received a feature film adaptation in the 80s, starring Brigitte Nielsen and Arnold himself. Sandahl Bergman, who plays Valeria in this film, also appears as the villain. In fact, Arnold's character was SUPPOSED to be Conan, but they couldn't get the rights so they just filed the serial numbers off and called him Kalidor). Sonja herself wasn't actually created by Howard, first debuting in the 1970s in licensed fiction, though she was inspired by an earlier character from one of Howard's stories.
The rights to Conan are now owned by Marvel, and in fact has appeared in various Marvel comics since 1970 (with a brief stint from 2003 - 2018 when they were owned by Dark Horse). Major X-Men villain Selene (an immortal psychic vampire and necromancer with periodic aspirations of godhood) was a contemporary of Conan, and while not exactly allies, they did work together against a mutual enemy (so despite Apocalypse's claims to the contrary, Selene is actually the earliest known mutant, being some 15,000 years older). Conan occasionally turns up in the present day Marvel Universe, as well as stories in his own time, and is on friendly relations with Dr. Doom, of all people.
Mako, who plays the narrator/Akiro, is a film legend in his own right, with over 165 acting credits to his name, including many very well-known films and series such as MASH, The Sand Pebbles, and Columbo, and voice work such as Uncle Iroh in Avatar: The Last Airbender, and Splinter in the posthumously released 2007 animated Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles.
"Is [the teeth] optional?" I love your thought processes.😁
It's not really discussed in the movie, but the sword Conan discovers in the tomb is Atlantean, making it thousands of years old.
Conan is popularly depicted wearing nothing but a loincloth, because "barbarian." However, in the original Howard stories he was an EXTREMELY intelligent and cultured man, who would dress in the fashion of whatever places he was visiting.
Although Valeria was created by Robert Howard and first appearing in the last Conan story he wrote before his suicide in 1936, the Valeria in the film is mostly based on another Conan character, the pirate queen Bêlit. Although Howard's version of Valeria was a friend and ally of Conan, they weren't lovers as depicted in the film.
"Conan is not a very talkative guy but he does get the job done." LOL
Thulsa Doom was not originally a Conan Villain, and was instead an enemy of Conan's ancestor, Kull, though Conan had some dealings with him in later stories. Conan's main nemesis is a wizard named Thoth-Amon (though in kind of a "Fifth Element" sort of way, where the hero and villain never actually meet in the original Howard stories).
There are SO many great lines in this movie. "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. 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 to HELL with you!" may be one of the all-time great epic speeches in film.
The music during the Battle of the Mounds, especially as Rexor and Thorgrim lead their horsemen in the initial charge, is just amazing.
The moment where Valeria's spirit intervenes and blinds Rexor is STRAIGHT from Norse Mythology: In that moment when she comes back to fulfill her promise she has become a Valkyrie.
While popular culture likes to make the Valkyries out as badass warrior women, that's actually NOT the role they play in battle in Norse myth. The Valkyries don't fight themselves. Instead, if you're in battle and your sword breaks, or you lose your footing, or the sun gets in your eye and blinds you, giving your enemy the opening they need to kill you, THAT'S the Valkyries at work. They engineer the circumstances of your demise, but they don't actually kill you themselves before taking you to Valhalla. And this is exactly how Valeria aids Conan: Not by defeating his enemies for him, but by causing Rexor to misstep, allowing Conan to do so himself.
One thing I love about the movie is just how understated the finale is. There's no grand final battle between Conan and Doom. Conan just walks up smites his ass.
I love how astute your analyses of characterization and motivations are, IE observing Conan finally having peace. If you're not writing, I think you seriously ought to give it a try. You've got a fantastic grasp of genre convention.
Conan the Barbarian was ENORMOUSLY influential, inspiring a slew of similar films in the 80s, a genre called Sword and Sorcery. Among them are Beastmaster and its sequels of dubious quality, Masters of the Universe, (and the He-Man animated series it was based on, and He-Man's spinoff She-Ra) the Sword and the Sorcerer, NUMEROUS really bad knock-offs of the sort that got roasted on Mystery Science Theater, (the Deathstalker and Ator series, in particular) and even animated films like Ralph Bakshi's classic Fire and Ice. The first Beastmaster was probably the most successful of them, and was so ubiquitous on cable in the 80s that stations TBS and HBO were jokingly called "The Beastmaster Station" and "Hey, Beastmaster's On!" respectively.
Conan had its own sequel, Conan the Destroyer, which isn't as good but still fun (it also features Wilt Chamberlain, with Andre the Giant in an uncredited role...And they make ARNOLD look puny! Also, Grace Jones). Arnold has been trying to get a third and final film, King Conan, made for decades.
This is one of my favorite musical scores from any movie. The character of Conan comes from the series of stories by Robert E. Howard, and the crucifixion on a tree is actually from the story "A Witch Shall Be Born". The villain, Thulsa Doom, is also from Howard's fiction, but not from the Conan series. The cult of followers prepared to die for him is probably inspired by the Jonestown massacre, which had occurred only four years before the movie came out. This was not Schwarzenegger's first movie, but it was his first time playing the leading role.
CONAN THE BARBARIAN a film made in times when character development mattered unlike today's cinema offerings.
which is why we both CARE about Con-an & believe in what he is able to do.
when reviewers try to predict what's going to happen, it makes you wonder why they bother watching.
27:02 "Is very strange. I have been in the revenge business so long, now that it's over, I don't know what to do with the rest of my life."
- "Have you ever considered piracy? You'd make a wonderful Conan the Buccaneer!"
Where he meets Belit the Pirate Queen, the real love of his life.
"What is best in life?"
"To blave."
@@rickdeleon7386 Miracle Max, you miracled yourself into the wrong movie!
I really like this extended version, his added dialogue with his friend, showing the princess having a change of heart and helping lead Conan in the back way to kill Doom. Good stuff
AFAIK the princess leading Conan to kill Doom at the end was always there.
@@Ambaryerno my old vhs and dvd copies didn’t have it.
Yes, Dasha, you are correct! Practical effects are always a superior to CGI because the practical effects are actually real.
Yep, even if they're a little cheesy or obvious they'll always be better because your brain knows it's a physical object, most cgi sucks, especially now where they half ass it.
Mostly agree but I still like CGI for touch up work.
@@ADADEL1 Agreed, CGI should complement not replace practical effects.
@@captbunnykiller1.0 Mad Max Fury Road is a stellar example of CGI used how it should be, just to touch up shots and add in whatever you couldnt do for real. Stunning stunt sequences in that movie as a result of it being like 80% real vehicles and explosions.
6:30 I've noticed that Dasha is a pretty non-judgemental person and that it makes her more open minded and therefore more perceptive than many other TH-camrs.
The fact that she only lived with her parents for 18 years before moving 5,000 miles away from her home...I'd say they did a wonderful job with her upbringing.
@@MrKINSM I absolutely agree.
23:50, the guy who got impaled on Conan’s booby trap is actor Sven-Ole Thorsen. He is also a champion bodybuilder and close friend of Schwarzenegger. Throughout the years he will appear in other movies with Arnold.
He was in the movie Gladiator playing Tigris of Gaul the retired chamption brought out to fight Maximus in rigged arena duel.
Sven-Ole Thorsen*
Holy shit!!! THATS why he looked so familiar!
He’s been in a few other of Arnold’s films. In Predator, he’s the Russian that Arnold blows out the wall with his grenade launcher after saying “knock, knock”; a security guard in The Running Man; and in Red Heat at the bath house that Arnold fights with in the snow, interrogates for Viktor’s whereabouts and then knocks him out cold.
@@hulkslayer626 Ya it just clicked for me as well.
@@EdwardVonKhil Thanks that danged autocorrect jumped in
The reason everyone was suspicious of Conan at the Mountain of Power was that, unlike every other priest who had a small metallic medallion around his neck, Conan was wearing the big jade decoration he took from the temple in Zamora earlier. This rather gave away the fact that he was one of the thieves.
that and he said infinity instead of nothingness
or was it emptiness?
yeah this^
"How do you expect to reach emptiness without knowing your own body?"
It was the most epic fantasy adventure popcorn movie of the 80s. Arnold just stands out 💪.
I remember that back in the 80s, there were so many barbarian warrior movies that came after and were basically copycats of Conan The Barbarian. There were tons of them and the majority of them were vastly inferior. Though Beast Master was quite decent.
I don't know if you noticed, but the broken sword he kills Thulsa Doom with was Conan 's father's sword. It made the revenge more meaningful
You'd have to be dumb or blind not to notice.
@@scottneil1187 half the reactors I've watched didn't know
@@stephenniehaus8635 Very surprising!
The music is what spoke in this movie. Basil Poledouris, amazing maestro and composer
For another good yet violent action adventure swordplay flick I suggest Shogun Assassin (1980).
The special edition DVD commentary by the director really shows what a labor of love this project was for everyone involved.
John Milius was a legend
@@scottneil1187 I heard that Walter from the Big Lebowski was based on him.
"Stake" is often used for a sharp wood pole like those or the more general term "spike" for any fixed pointy thing. Most common usage would be wooden stake and metal spike.
My uncle used to have Conan comic books in the late 70s, so I just wanted to see the movie when it came out. Just knew he was a Cimmerian and did know the story world and in retrospect the civilizations were a hodgepodge out of historical context, but I enjoyed the comic books where problems were solved with the sword and brute force and knew the movie was going to be violent.
Loved the books and Marvels 80's comic run, so damn good.
Best of the Conan movies IMHO, even if it didn't follow the actual stories. Love the introduction by Mako. That gravel voice of his worked perfectly.
I'm glad you got this movie. This movie is a master class in show don't tell storytelling and a lot of modern reactors have trouble following the story without constant dialogue explaining everything that is happening.
King Ozrick=Max Von Sydow,,,,what a Fantastic Actor!!!!!🎉
My all time favorite sword and sorcery movie. Well, tied with The Beastmaster 1982.
I don't put these in the same genre as Lord of the Rings, although I suppose I could.
A big part of my childhood was pretending to be a warrior with a sword and I would go shirtless out into the woods with friends and slay imaginary foes while performing feats of strength.
I cannot emphasize enough just how big a role Conan and Beastmaster played on my life. It created my first hobby/interest and paved the way for my future interests. Very formative part of my youth.
It will be interesting to see how this reaction goes, but I'm not foolish enough to expect the same impact it had on me. Different times, different ages, different people. Should still be fun though!
I tend to do the same. While you can't argue that LOTR changed the game I agree it kind of deserves its own category. Conan and Beastmaster were top-tier 'swords and sorcery' films and were a huge part of my childhood. I also throw in 'Dragonslayer' from 1981. A surprisingly solid film with the best dragon I've ever seen in cinema, even to this day. The design was incredible.
they are not the same. lotr is a fairytale for adults. conan is s+s .. its very macho male action .. lotr is not that.
Dragonslayer was absolutely an amazing film. The thing it lacked - for me - was the jacked masculine hero that I always aspired to be. There's nothing wrong with Galen, but as a kid I wanted to be masculine and strong as well as noble and good. Galen was not a bad hero by any stretch, but as a kid and also a fan of He-Man, I aspired to be built like a brick shithouse swinging a sword into evil villains and rescuing the girl. Even to this day, that persona appeals to me.
I agree with you about the special effects in Dragonslayer. Vermithrax was an amazing achievement of its time and it still holds up to this day. There is something about the practical effects of the dragon that exceed even the CGI of Smaug. Don't get me wrong, there are still some spots it didn't age well - such as Galen on the back of Vermithrax - but IMO I see something in practical effects like those used for Vermithrax that is lost in even great CGI.
Another great movie from this time period and genre is Excalibur. You might be able to fit in Clash of the Titans 1981, but that may be more at home in Sword and Sandals genre.
@@GetFitwithDogs Clash of the Titans would definitely fit in with the S&S genre. Another solid film with some great claymation use. Doesn’t hold up quiet as well as other titles, but is a fun romp, even today.
I can see what you mean for with Galen as well. He definitely wasn’t the normal ‘hero’ that you usually see in films like this. Even going back to the late 50s and 60s he would be seriously out of place.
But I think that plays well into the story of being the ‘2nd string’ choice for the quest…lol. His gear was pretty bad ass though. The spear and shield was super cool.
@@GetFitwithDogs you go back far enough and titans is actually a religious story :)
"I think it didn't have a lot of dialogue" lol....Arnold didn't have a lot of ability to speak english at the time. He was an Austrian body builder extraordinare at this point, it's insane how well he's done for himself.
You might not have noticed but the villain in this movie is James Earl Jones. He is known the world over as the voice of Darth Vader in the original Star Wars Trilogy.
Also Mufasa from The Lion King
@@jahu5440And Eddie Murphy’s father in Coming To America. He was also one of the wise men in Franco Zeferelli’s Jesus Of Nazareth. And, of course, he was the voice of CNN.
1. Conan's mom was a serious hottie!😍😋😈
2. The first woman he encounters was a harpy.
3. Filmed primarily in Spain.
4. James Earl Jones is the MAN.🤩
5. One of the best endings ever.
6. "Conan the Destroyer" doesn't suck.
7. "Do you want to live forever?"
Conan the Destroyer isn't a bad movie, but there is a lot of tonal whiplash if you're expecting something more artistic like this movie. There's a lot of campy BS. Destroyer didn't have John Milius, and instead the guy who did the Conan comics wrote it.
She's a witch not a harpy. Harpies are nothing like that.
@@scottneil1187 According to the graphic novel she is
I thought you could never get rid of harpies??
@@dr.burtgummerfan439 I give you the witch. That "harpy" didn't necessarily die.
I love how you called it a surprise "visit", instead of surprise attack.
Dasha has the greatest remarks: "And I thought my job was boring..." And "Women Hey..." That's what I'm here for Dasha!❤ I think you missed a good chance for a "that's what she said" at 11:54 you said: "He's giving her the biggest one..." Haha lol I'm glad you liked this Epic soundtrack!! Fun reaction to one of my favorite Arnold movies!! Thanks Dasha ❤️💛
This is one of my favorite Arnold movies. The actress playing Conan's mother in the beginning is so gorgeous!
Conan the Destroyer (1984) ❤❤❤
Red Sonja (1985) ❤❤❤
When Conan fights the last warrior in the great battle at the end, a bit of trivia that many people but not all people will see, is that the sword he cuts in half is the sword his father forges at the beginning of the movie. To make the whole ordeal, his whole life, and life and death come full circle, he uses the hilt and lower remnant of the blade of his father's sword to kill the villain/murderer who killed his father and stole the same sword.
👍
Also, seeing the decorative hilt broke the spell Thulsa Doom was enchanting him with
A special double issue of Cinefantastique dedicated to the making on "Conan the Barbarian" said there was a very lifelike prosthetic of Conan's mother's severed head that could roll its eyes, open and close its mouth and stick out its tongue, but it didn't show any pictures of it. Practical effects like that are fascinating, so I've tried to find pictures or videos of that head, but I haven't been able to find any.
Dasha, in case no one has told you recently, your English progression is nice. Good job. 👍
💖Thank you for watching this. It is probably my favorite movie ever. I can put it on anytime. It has gotten me through some hard times. It gives me strength.
You're the best Dasha💖
my Dad wore out 3Albums of this soundtrack
How can you wear out albums?. I've got tapes from the 70's that still work fine and records from the 50's that are perfectly fine too.
COnan is considered the proginetor of the Sword & Sorcery genre.
Robert E Howard, was a writer from Texas iirc, who would write short stories and send them to a Pulp magazine specialised in Fantasy/Scyfy stories called "Weird Tales magazine" that would be published monthly.
Howard was one of the readers favorite author, along side a certain HP LOvecraft and his Call of Cthulu Mythos, who was also a writer for the Magazine.
Howard was a troubled man and he took his own life at the age of 30-35 iirc, but his Legacy as become immortal and made him one of the Greatest modern.
Howard had the VERY SERIOUS believe that Conan was real and that he was visiting him at night in his dreams and threatened him to write down Conan's saga or else he would take an Axe to the face...
The Sword & Sorcery genre is one of the many genres of the modern fantasy, the more classic Fantasy geren is the "High Fantasy", where elves, gnomes and dwarfs and Orcs are common, Spellcasters are everywhere and Magic is VERY present in the lives of this world's inhabitants in a way or another.
The Sword and Sorcery is more of a "Low" fantasy setting, Magic exists, buts its old, rare and misunderstood, those who practice it are viewed with suspicion by non magic practitioners and often chased or persecuted.
Non human races are either exctinct or so rare that people can go lifetimes without meeting one and often they are so Obscure and Alien that their objectives and ways of thinking is deemed "Inhumane" and horrible.
While the High fantasy is set in this ficticious 14-17th century era of Medival age, Sword & Sorcery is more between 4th and 8th Century era of the Bronze to early iron Age.
If the cultures depicted in High fantasy are mostly of Northern/Central European style of cultures and architectures.
S&S is closer to Middle eastern, Asian in its depiction, armors, architectures and cultures are somewhere between Egyptian, Persian, Mongolian and Chinese or even Vikings if you go North.
S&S tends to be darker than High fantasy, even tho it is not neccesary part of the Dark Fantasy genre
All time classic film!
Film facts: Arnold had to lean out to do this film, whereas Mamoa had to bulk up!
-The name of the soup was "split pea and HAND".
-There was a franchise planned for Conan, like the Bond movies but after the sequel and Red Sonja under performed, it was scuttled.
-The scene where Conan is drunk, was almost cut because the producer thought it lessened him but the director won out and it was kept in.
-The swordmaster was the actual sword instructor for the movie.
-The woman that is given to Conan was a pornstar who didn't know anything about the scene, that was to be filmed. Her reaction to seeing Arnold was genuine because that was the first time she saw him.
Both Thulsa Doom and Conan's father are wrong. The strongest of steel will rust, the strongest of flesh will rot but the strongest of wills lasts forever.
Conan survives because of the strength of his will and he overcomes/defeats Thulsa Doom because of the strength of his will.
Also... Conan commits a huge blasphemy by praying to Crom for something.
You don't ask crom for things, you thank him for the gift he's given you.
Crom answers Conan prayer but makes him pay for it, for the rest of his life... And he's gonna live for a long time.
I don't think you noticed the sword. The opening credits show his father making a sword, he used it to fight, but when he was killed the big guy took it and STILL had it. When Conan broke the sword he had, it was his fathers sword, thats why he held it up in the air. He also used that half sword to cut off Thulsadooms head.
Don't know if you noticed but the sword that Conan broke in battle and used to kill Thulsa Doom was the sword his father was forging at the beginning of the film. So the revenge was even more full circle.
The story, or legend, of Conan is based on a series of books from about 100 years ago. At a time when western authors started looking back at humanities ancient past, and dreamed of the possibilities, and also the likely harsh realities of life at that time. In any event, it was an enjoyable series of books to read as a teenager.
"He's giving her the biggest one!" Dying.
(20:54) Subotai is the realest friend.
Music by Basil Poledouris. He also did:
"Conan the Destroyer"
"Red Dawn"
"The Hunt For Red October"
"Robocop"
"Starship Troopers"
"Quigley Down Under"
This movie is based on a group of novels . The screenplay was written by Oliver stone ,this also was one of Arnold's first starring movies .
The shape he got into this led him to to go back to competing in the bodybuilding competitions for a bit .
This was Arnie's real breakout role. What cemented him was dogging James Cameron to let him take the role of the _Terminator_ in 1984, because he wanted a role where he showed as little skin as possible, and was cast as a villain.
Well, that only worked halfway then.
From what I heard, Arnie was originally going to play Kyle Reese.
"Oh! He's giving her the biggest one! Ohhh!"
That's what she (Dasha) said...
"it was a surprise visit." lol a bit of an understatement. 😼
understatement indeed.
A lot of people don’t realize the giant wheel he is pushing in the beginning is giant mill with a giant Mill stone ( you can see it in some shots) for crushing wheat into flour to make bread
I really need one of those (the Wheel of Pain.) Good for regular exercise and bread making.
The soundtrack for this movie is amazing
I really like that she's watching the version with the extended dialogue between Conan and Subotai before the Battle of the Mounds. That wasn't in the original cut and it's shocking to hear Conan actually have that much dialogue.
the soundtrack to the conan movies have remains in my head since i was a kid.. I'm 33 now lol used to get in trouble for busting conan sword moves on my cousins with my toy sword lol
Hardly anyone notices that Conan used his fathers broken sword to behead Thulsa!
Glad you watched and enjoyed it.
Still one of my favorite movie soundtracks.
Great reaction Dasha. When I was a kid I read the comic book this movie was based on. You pick up on many subtle points that most miss. I think you would enjoy the sequel
Great reaction...
I don't know if you noticed, but the sword that broke was his father's sword that they took in the beginning. That is the same sword that Doom used to kill his mother. That's why Conan used that same sword to kill Doom in the end.
Dasha, I'm glad that you enjoyed this, there's a sequel to this film, "Conan The Destroyer" which is good as well and I think that you would like it.
Yes! I love this movie! Thanks for your reaction!
This movie launched Arnold's career! He had fun filming it, but never thought any movie fans would like it!
greatest soundtrack ever.
Arnold was still learning English at this time (and earlier roles) and through The Terminator. That's why they didn't give him much dialog in these films. They used a narrator (Mako) instead in this film.
This is very loosely inspired by a series of short stories and novellas by Robert E. Howard. The current owner of Conan is a video game company called Funcom that sells a survival game called Conan Exiles. And yes, you get to bash people over the head, chain them up, and drag them back to a wheel where you make them work until they learn to follow your orders.
One of the most original and interesting choices this movie made is the narrator. He knows Conan. He meets him twice. But otherwise is not part of the story. Slaughterhouse 5’s narrator is much like that. It’s not the “unreliable narrator” used in literature, but a mostly-reliable narrator like Ice-T’s narration of Hugo Stiglitz.
* When they were doing the casting for this film, they were looking at 2 different actors to play Conan. Obviously, one was Schwarzenegger, but the other actor was "Franco Columbu"(the actor who played the "other" Terminator in the film "The Terminator"). Although I love a lot of Schwarzenegger's movies, I truthfully think that "Columbu" would've made a better Conan. He looks more like the Conan on the cover of all of the Conan novels like: *Conan* *the* *Adventurer* and *Conan* *the* *Buccaneer* also *Conan* *the* *Unconquered.* It's kind of cool that Metallica wrote a song about Conan. It's called *Wherever* *I* *May* *Roam.* If you listen carefully to the lyrics, then you'll know that they're singing about Conan.
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@DashaReacts
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- Fun fact about this movie...
Arnold was indeed quite muscular in this movie, but initially the director actually considered Arnold too muscular, so he had to tone down a bit for the role of 'Conan'.
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DASHA! WHAT IS BEST IN LIFE! (Of course to crush your enemies, to see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.)
I have quoted this film for so many years.
"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, and why we died. All that matters is that today, two stood against many. Valor pleases you, so grant me this one request. Grant me revenge! And if you do not listen, the HELL with you!"
I've loved this movie since I was a kid. I'm glad you liked it.
the film was shot in Spain and the beautiful actress is a Spanish actress named Nadiuska and the Conan boy is a Spanish actor named Jorge Sanz
greetings!!
Love this movie, one of Arnold’s best honestly. It’s such a classic and nostalgic 80s vibe. Plus the music is amazing, the perfect score for a film like this
RIP James Earl Jones. Anyone else would have hammed this role up, but his Thulsa Doom was an ice cold monster.
This was Arnold,’s first movie, and he still had a strong Austrian accent, which is why they left him with as little dialogue as possible.
A surprise visit. So cute
Arnold without dialog is peak acting. 🤣 Damn, I love Arnie.
"Whatever doesn't kill us makes us stronger" you are right to disagree with it. It is a mistranslation of the original German, a popular mistranslation. I have been told it should read "Whatever doesn't destroy us makes us stronger." I never thought the popular translation made sense myself and decades later I learned of the mistake. Lots of people have mistranslated Nietzsche's "Übermensch" to mean superman when it actual means "Overman".
I've always like how Thulsa Doom answer the Riddle Of Steel. I know that it was not the correct one, but he was so convinced of the answer that he created a cult.
This is the true movie
The song for when Conan's village is destroyed by Thulsa Doom (Riders of Doom) was used by Nintendo for 3 different Legend of Zelda game trailers. Legend of Zelda itself takes much inspiration from the Conan movies.