There been a lot of good females characters todays females characters are poor writing. Conan is a pulp character from the thirties later turned into comics. Best 3 tales with female charcters Are Queen of the Black Coast, A Witch shall be born and Red Nails. I forgive you for wearing glasses since I glasses too😂 5:2
Valeria is one of the great heroines of the classic fantasy movies. Not a two-dimensional hero, but a selfish character, that grows to care for someone else so much she gives her life for him. And well played by Sandahl Bergman, who not only had to endure sex scenes with Arnie who at this time allegedly didn't get that he was just supposed to act; she also almost lost a finger, during a sword-fight with an untrained extra; because they used real (blunt) swords throughout the movie.
@@RhetoricalThrill she was my all time favorite female heroine. She left a lasting impression on me as a little kid watching this, (other than my flowering manhood lol). It made see strong women as both cool and sexy. creatives today should look to the past to see what real strong women are, not the fake caricatures they have now
@@RhetoricalThrillduring filming the actress accidentally had the tip of her finger cut off during one of the sword fights, she insisted on continuing because she claimed her character wouldn't give up over losing a finger. Also the scene when the arrows are being shot at the giant snake were real, the director is an expert archer and actually shot the arrows close to Arnold's head
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33 Sandahl Bergman was a dancer and ballerina prior to shooting this movie. That means being used to pain and sacrificing your body. A phenomenal performance she gave
7:56 If you're wondering why Conan's owner let him go, the context is there in the preceding scene. Conan's owner (the red-bearded man, maybe the same red-haired youth who whipped young Conan when he first arrived at the wheel) has just hired Conan out to the warlords. They're feasting because they've just won another battle, with Conan's help. The Chieftain says, "My fear is that my sons will never understand me," then he asked _that_ question. The Chieftain's son speaks up and gives a good answer, but it wasn't the answer the Chieftain wanted to hear, so he asks Conan instead, who provides the perfect answer. This proves three things: 1. The Chief's fears have just been validated: his sons really don't understand him. 2. The Chief just realized that Conan, the fighting slave, understands him better than his own sons do. 3. The Chief's son has just been embarrassed by his father in front of his siblings and the other warriors. This is going to breed resentment. The son doesn't just feel jealous of Conan, he maybe even feels threatened by him. Conan's owner picked up on this and realized he was suddenly in the middle of a dangerous situation. The Chief's son might make an attempt on him and Conan, or even against his own father. Red Beard knew he had to get Conan out of there before he was caught up in some patricide plot, and as long as he was traveling with Conan through the Chief's country, Conan would be a liability, so he had to set him free and get rid of him to save his own skin. At least, that's my interpretation of what happened, after viewing the film many times.
@@RhetoricalThrill I don't think the boy and man are the same character. The boy is only maybe 5 years older than Conan, while the man later on is clearly 20+ years older.
That analysis is flat out brilliant! So much subtle social detail in that scene which I had never seen before but now I just can’t unsee it! I love this film and your analysis has just added another element to enjoy whenever I re-watch it in the future!
Soundtrack is still one of my most played Sountrack ever. Basil Poledouris really can make epic soundtracks. You give Arnold's glistening muscles, Poledouris soundtrack and James Earl "Darth Vader" Jones as bad guy. Classic with capital C.
I think so too! Even if it doesn’t look perfect, at least when it’s practical you know it exists and you could touch it. Full CG often takes me out of a scene.
There’s actually a deleted scene that puts into full perspective the bond between Conan and Subotai. Just before Thulsa Doom’s riders show up, Conan basically tells Subotai, “Hey bro, the odds are insanely stacked against us. Chances are, we’re both going to die. I can’t run because I have to face my destiny, but this really isn’t your fight, so you can take off.” Subotai replies with, “Even if I were to run, where would my travels take me? I’d only end up in another place, and facing another battle, only that time I may very well face it alone. If I’m going to die in battle, I’d rather die fighting alongside my brother.” That was some deep shit there. I really wish they had kept it in the movie.
I agree. That philosophical conversation between Conan and Subotai is great, voicing the regrets of their pasts. "Almost 20 years of pointless combat!...."
Some things you appear to have missed. Valeria promised Conan that if she was dead and he was fighting for life, she'd come back to fight by his side, and she did. The broken sword was Conan's father's sword so that makes the revenge more pertinent. Thulsa hypnotizes people. His mother, everyone along the way, even Conan in the end until he snapped out of it. It's the ultimate revenge movie, very poignant
The part about the broken sword being his father's is especially important for 2 reasons. 1. This was the sword at the beginning of the film that his father told him he could trust. I believe this is why he does the victory pose after the fight in the ruins. He has reclaimed his father's sword. 2. When Thulsa is hypnotizing him he says "my son". Having his father's sword in hand when he called him his son caused Conan to snap out of the hypnosis.
Isn’t that the Atlantean sword tho?Thulsa Doom took his father’s sword when he killed Conan’s mother. Still, steel breaking was the antithesis of what Conan’s father said. In the end it was flesh that was stronger. Conan’s friends were stronger and more trustworthy than steel.
@@wightrat1207 It also undermines his fathers words. At the beginning, he says, "this you can trust," yet the blade breaks in the heat of the battle. Edit: the next poster pointed that out as well.
Not based on a comic, but there are many comics based on the same source material: stories written by Robert E. Howard in the late 1920s/early '30s in publications like Weird Tales Magazine, alongside his contemporary and associate, H.P. Lovecraft. Regarding Conan's mother, as you've now seen, Thulsa Doom is a member of a nearly extinct race of snake men. He hypnotized the woman with his eyes, so that she wouldn't struggle or fight.
I was a child during the 60's sword and sandal era with Hercules, Sinbad, and others forming my fantasy library along with the classics. Really enjoyed this version. The next was made with kids in mind and that's fine - kids get a Conan movie with Arnold too.
@@zogwort1522 There were published Kull stories, but the first Conan story was a rewritten Kull tale that had been rejected by publications. Which came full circle when they made the Kull movie in 1997, which was supposed to be a Conan movie and whose story is based on "The Hour of the Dragon."
I spent my teenage years reading Conan comic books that I thought I would grow up to be a comic book illustrator. I’ve read all of Robert E Howard’s Conan novels. I didn’t know who Arnie was at the time when I saw pictures of him as Conan I couldn’t wait to see the film. When he finally said his first words: “to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women”. I said “PERFECT!” Basil Poledouris’ music for Conan the Barbarian is a classic and is still played on stage around the world by symphony orchestras. I grew up watching actor William Smith, Conan’s dad, always playing the heavy. He was originally offered the role of Conan. The naked tattooed Pict scout in the opening battle scene was played by Arnie’s body-builder buddy Franco Colombo, who appeared with Arnie in the first Terminator movie, playing another Terminator in a flashback dream scene. The guy with the hammer is Sven-Ole Thorsen, a good friend of Arnie and has appeared in every single one of his films. ‘Red hair’ Conan’s master who eventually released him was the boy who originally chained young Conan to the ‘Wheel of Pain’. The ‘sword master’ who slapped Conan was Arnie’s real sensei for the film. The guy he kicked for laughing was Arnie’s stand-in. Conan’s buddy Subotai was Gerry Lopez a champion surfer in real life. The drug-dealer in the marketplace trying to sell them Stygian Lotus was the director John Milius. At the time, one of the first films where the actors were actually and properly trained to use swords. Arnie learned Kendo. I just love watching him swing that blade! I never became a comic book illustrator, but I’ve done book covers, including a book for Sword and Sorcery Fantasy wargames.
Thank you for all the excellent info! I love that Arnie gets his pal in his movies like that, and I didn't realize the boy who chained him was the guy who released him 😭
So did I along with my brother and father and I still have most of them. If you ever get the chance, read the complete chronicles of Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard who created the character. I believe he also created King Kull and Solomon Cain.
Interestingly, almost all of Howard's stories were just that- stories in magazines. Hour of the Dragon is a novel and that's it. Reading them, you can pick out the various elements from the stories that pull along the movie. They are for the most part excellent stories, although Howard was an insane SOB who thought _Conan would kill him if he didn't finish a story_ as in thought Conan would show up. Flipping lunatic. But he could write. My favorite may be Tower of the Elephant. REH did indeed create King Kull (and in the same overall mythic world as Conan, but at a different time period) and Solomon Kane.
@@bbb462cidWith respect, Howard didn’t actually believe that Conan would show up and kill him. He said that the stories came to him as naturally (and non-sequentially) as if Conan had appeared and told them to him. The story that he thought Conan was real were spread after his death.
@@AmericanAurochs Anytime anyone starts of "with respect" that person means to say something else. I have _read_ that. I wasn't there. Were you? I have _read_ that Howard actually relayed that information. Not Howard's friend, or his biographer, or his dog, mailman, taxicab driver or bartender. I also didn't dream it up while meditating. I won't refute that Howard said what you claim. Why are you so quick to refute what I related? Because you don't like it?
"Do you know what horrors lie beyond that wall?" "No..." "Then you go first" That still cracks me up, great writing and she delivers it so deadpan. Valeria is a brilliantly written character, especially for 40+ years ago.
"The steel is broken... How do we feel about this?" To me, that is the riddle of steel. Steel is only as strong as the wielder and even steel can break beneath Crom's Atlantean sword. But Conan's body and will, forged by pain and revenge, are more resilient than steel.
Yep. And when Conan recovered earlier in the film and was looking at his hands contemplatively, he was thinking about what Thulsa Doom said the solution to the riddle was.
It also proves what Conan's father said to be wrong: ultimately the sword failed, and Conan found that he could in fact place his trust in man and woman and beast
The broken sword he stares at and then uses to behead Thulsa Doom was the sword his father was making in the beginning of the film. That's why he stared at it.
He stared at it because it broke which went against his father's teaching abt how steel is the only thing he can trust. But thulsa is Conan's spiritual father because he taught Conan to trust himself and his own will
Your selection these days are so refreshing compared to other reaction channels. The glasses is no problem at all. Conan was very popular back in the 80's when I was in primary school. I think I first saw this somewhere between '85 to '87, not 100% sure, but I do remember being blown away by it. Love how most of our parents back in the 80's didn't care what we watched.
Thanks! And yeah, my parents were very hands off when it came to movies. My favorite thing to watch when I was 7 was a tape my granny recorded that had Beetlejuice and Spaceballs on it 🤣
I rarely watch reaction videos mainly because I hate them, think they are phony, and a lazy way for You tubers to make videos because they don't know how to actually make content I only watched this because I loved the works of Robert E Howard. I also loved the Conan the Barbarian Marvel comics when they first came out. Originally they stayed mostly true to form and respected his work. The movie on he other hand I hated with a passion. Most R Howard fans hated it, too. I never liked Arnold and thought his acting to be atrocious. But the story was what I hated the most.
@@mythrapi73 everyone has the right to their opinions, of course. I came across the reaction format some time ago and I liked it because it was different from a traditional review format. I can't speak for anyone else of course, but I'm always genuine and tell the truth. Just like anything else, there's a wide range as far as effort involved. I'm sure there are people who do the bare minimum and are in it to make money fast with minimal effort but I do my best to make a transformative piece of entertainment every time. I've seen a lot in these comments about the original books, and they sound pretty great! I'd like to check some out when I get some time. Thank you for taking the time to comment, and I hope you have a good day 😊
To your question at the start, yes that was Mako. The tomb scene is the one I always wonder about. At the time this flick was made, Marvel Comics had the licenses to both Conan & Kull the conqueror. They implied very heavily (in the comics & magazine) that Kull was Conans ancestor. So was this or was this NOT the tomb of King Kull? On the DVD/Blu Ray of this scene, it's called the "Atlantean Kings Tomb" or some such. If it is Kulls tomb, that makes it poetic that Conan would use Kulls sword to take out Thulsa Doom; finishing what his ancestor was unable to. In the lore Thulsa Doom is Kulls enemy, not Conans (Thoth Amon is Conans). Regarding the riddle of steel, did Conan know the answer? His father didn't know the answer. Thulsa Doom was also wrong. We never knew of Conan take, I guess that was for the audience to decide. To what you said around 28:10, Conan was wise to pray INDIRECTLY to Crom. In the lore, Crom takes a dim view of those who directly pray to him. His view goes something like this, "I gave you what you needed to survive & thrive when you were born." Praying to him for "more" afterward is greedy, in his eyes. Annoy him enough, he might actually curse you rather then grant your request.
Conan was a Fantasy Anti-Hero Character conceived by Robert E Howard back in the early 1930s. Howard died in the late 30s, but Conan did not. Conan lived on as other authors picked up the ball and continued to write tales of Conan. He did become a very successful Comic Book Character in the late 60s n 70s... which leads to a movie franchise, as this movie can attest to.
I always thought Conan was kind of a goofy big dumb barbarian until I found the books by accident. Conan is one of the best written characters of any genre that I've read. He's actually incredibly intelligent (he's able to speak and read most of the known languages in the world of his time), resourceful, charismatic, brave, and roughly chivalrous. He's almost more of a force of nature than a man. The movies are good, but they don't really do him justice. Schwarzenegger was an excellent physical portrayal though. If a little on the short side of what Conan should be. Anyway, this was a well done fantasy movie. Glad you enjoyed it, and as always it was a treat to watch along with you.
In the director’s cut, there’s scene where Conan tells Subotai of childhood. He tells him of the winters winds that would smell of spring. Subotai said that he knew those winds. “They blow where I live too. In the north of every man's heart.”
Arnold just has that charisma about him. His character doesn't talk that much in this movie, but he still dominates the screen. Much like Stallone in the first Rambo movie those two guys were stars, and you knew it just by looking at them.
7:50 Conan had become so powerful that his owner had started to fear him and let him go. 8:30 The leather scabbard had petrified around the blade. 9:00 Conan went from being chased by dogs to wearing dog pelts!
Arnold actually got injured during that scene running from the dogs. He fell down that stone he was supposed to climb. I saw it in a behind the scenes/documentary. Don't know if it's still online or not.
At 8:30, the feeling I always got that the film was trying to portray, was that the skeleton having been buried with his sword was probably a warrior king of some sort. And his spirit was approving of the fact his blade would be swung again. And his spirit swelled so much that his physical remains "trembled" enough to topple over. Not just because Arnold was cleaning the blade to see what condition it was in.
I think that's just crud that accumulated, not the old scabbard. The guy on the throne probably didn't put it in a scabbard before setting it beside his throne.
@@tonyb7615 I've seen a lot of people say that it was the Atlantean king giving his approval, but I always saw it as the skeletal remains last attempt to hold on to his sword.
During the fight scene where the sword broke, that was the sword his father made at the beginning. Arnold broke it with the Atlantean king's sword he found when he was released.
I'm glad you recognized the music off the bat. This soundtrack is one of the best ever composed, and yes, it carries the movie forward scene after scene after scene. If you've watched the movie many times you'll know exactly which sequences were scored as the music will bring that emotion and memory up.
Conan started as pulp fiction stories for "Weird Tales" magazines in the 1930's, by Robert E. Howard. It was considered adult action-adventure fantasy. Then it became a series of novels/books finished by L. Sprague De Camp (1950's) after Howard passed away. Eventually, it did become a popular comic book series in the 1960's. Of the two Arnold as Conan movies, this one is closest to the original adult fantasy stories. "Conan the Destroyer" feels more like the comics for younger audiences.
Non-verbal character story telling is kind of a lost art, that it's coming back into fashion is kind of nice. Conan: The Barbarian, Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and quite a few other movies of the time were fantastic at conveying meanings through simple gestures and expressions.
"Conan the Barbarian", "The Road Warrior", and what are some of the "quite a few"? I'd hardly call Max a non-verbal character in the original "Mad Max" movie: he was married and had a wife in that film; he had a number of lines. Your comment is useless and of no importance. If you're going to state something, don't just relate it, show it!
@@Eadbhard Max does have lines but communicates verbally less and less as the film progresses, and even when he is more verbal, he still tends to do more communication through facial expressions and gestures. The same goes Conan in the first film. He talks only once in the first 3rd of the film, mainly communicating through looks and gestures. Even with Valeria it mostly action rather than words does he communicate with her. You seem to have confused non-verbal with silent. Silent characters never talk, never communicate. Non-verbal characters let action speak for them, and communicate (mostly) non=verbally.
@@nooneofimportance2110 No, I did not confuse anything. The main protagonists in 'Conan" and "The Road Warrior" are exactly what you have described, but Max in the first "Mad Max" movie does not fit into this category. The character in that film had fewer lines only after his wife and child were killed by the bikers, and that comprised just the last 20 minutes of the movie. Even then, Max had words with that auto mechanic, and he also gave Johnny the Boy his fateful ultimatum - these utterances alone were equal to nearly half the lines Max spoke in "The Road Warrior". I'm still waiting for you to provide examples of "non-verbal story telling". According to you, during that time period, "Quite a few other movies" had characters "conveying meanings through simple gestures and expressions." What are some of those "quite a few" movies?
@@Eadbhard The Beast Master, not Dar, but the interactions between Dar and the monsters from the tree. Other examples would be Vampire Hunter D, and unfortunately most of the rest are quasi porn B-movies not worth watching as all the A-list stuff I was going to bring up had a lot more dialog than I remembered. I thought Sword of the Valiant, might qualify, but alas not. Life Force and the Hunger though do qualify. I would have included Erotikill, but it's basically a censored version of an Italian porno. And the stuff I was going to include, upon revisiting weren't really examples. So congratulations, I can't provide more examples.
@@RhetoricalThrill It did the most IMO to start the sub-genre "Sword and Sorcerer". I'm also in love with the deeper lore written by Robert E. Howard. You should check it out if it interests you!
I have the soundtrack on CD. Listened to it recently while driving. It is amazing how at every track, sometimes even every note, I have the movie before my eyes and the scenes where it was played.
@@RhetoricalThrill the composer also did the soundtrack for RoboCop (1987). I can hear the style similarity between the two movies. Same way John Williams' soundtracks are recognizable :)
So, really weird piece of trivia that people seem to either not know or never mention, but in the final fight between Conan and Rexor in the ruins, John Milius made the absolutely insane decision to do the fight using the "hero blades", that is the ones used for close-ups that had live (i.e. sharp) blades. That's why the choreography has them awkwardly clashing the blades high above their heads and watching very carefully where the blades are at all times. [Edit] I also just remembered some of the other absolutely buck wild things that happened regarding safety while this was being filmed. 1. They shot _actual_ arrows at the animatronic snake while Arnie was holding on to it, and IIRC nobody on set had any archery experience which could have very easily led to someone hitting Arnie. 2. During the fight at the orgy, Sandahl Bergman (Valeria) accidentally cut the finger off one of the extras. 3. The cultist that jumps off the ledge? Yeah, that was done for real, and was a record-breaking stunt (a record I believe it still holds) 4. The vulture Arnold bites? Actual vulture carcass.
I believe the only one on set with any archery experience was the director John Milius and I also believe he was the one who shot the arrows at the fake snake.
This was the best musical score ever written. I will fight anyone who disagrees. Loved your reaction, uour references were dpot on and funny, eyes wideshut, lemmy...perfect. you didn't really miss much. For this I will subscribe and and tell your tales. If you don't go into this film expecting anything it does surprise you. It's not a B movie by any stretch.
Arnold only had 2 movies, so he was still learning. Gery Lopez (Subotai) was a professional surfer ( he was a really big deal in the late 70s early 80s) and not an actor. He turned them down 3 times before agreeing to do the film. That's why the other actors had more dialog.
This is the first proper movie Arnold was in, he could speak English but couldn't properly enunciate yet, so James Earl Jones gave him pointers throughout filming
Now that you've heard the music, you'll hear it pop up in movie trailers when they don't have the original score set. That music is also great for driving in remote areas on rainy nights, or fantasy RPGs with a lot of running. There was a lot of nice visual elements in this film. His crossed arm salute after winning a pit fight come back at the end when he salutes the crowd after killing Thusa Doom is one of the better ones. Valeria coming back from the dead to fight as his side, as she promised, is another.
They say its a macho movie. But look at all the different women roles in this masterpiece. You have his beautiful mother who had a sword to defend herself, a sultry powerful witch, a princess seduced by the darl side and conans valkrie warrior girlfriend.
This was one of the first movies I had on DvD. The director's commentary track was awesome. He referred to the cauldron in the "kitchens" scene as filled with split pea and hand.
This movie was a live action personification of all Dungeon and Dragons Pen and Paper RPG games come to life. It pretty much has every known character class in that game.
I have so many of the tracks from this score still in my general playlists. There's a track for every mood, and some absolute stone-cold classics that you can bop along to.
Some of the lack of dialog was due to this being one of Arnold's first films and he wasn't much of an actor at that time, so his lines were kept to a minimum. In the scenes with Sandahl Bergman (Valeria) it's Sandahl that does all the talking while he stays silent.
While not as good I do enjoy the pure fantasy aspect of it also to see our favorite barbarian in a knock down drag out with the wizard as nothing but a demonic beast, so good.
The way I've always thought about why he was let go was that I think his Master knew that he would either escape or die trying eventually, (all that reading and education and even the fighting had expanded his mind and his ideas of possibilities) and there was a good chance he would take his Master to the grave with him. Add to the fact he had probably made his Master rich, and I assume the Master decided it was safer to let him go - it would give the Master a better chance of living a long life to enjoy his wealth. In short, Conan was a VERY DANGEROUS slave, and by freeing him - and to be fair , educating him first, it's possible Conan would hold no grudge or at least no deadly grudge for his slavery.
There’s a truth to that. But I feel Conan’s master did care for him. He was crying as he set Conan free. I see it as the equivalent of letting your favorite dog go.
It seemed as though he respected him too. One of the finer aspects of Milius's direction is how he can convey so much through nuance and subtlety. In previous scenes Redhair's facial expressions alone seem to convey his growing respect and even empathy for Conan. That's why he ultimately frees him.
@@ciaranmeeks9431 There's probably something to that. Redhair was drunk when he freed Conan which suggests it wasn't just a rational decision devoid of emotion. Sometimes people have to get drunk to do things like end relationships or take scary risks. I can believe he had been thinking about or even planning to release Conan at some point, but had mixed feelings. I think he made Redhair proud to own him.
I saw this movie in a theater with my dad in about 1982 or 83. It sparked an interest in history, literature, and REAL ancient weaponry and how it might've been used in REAL combat that persists to this day. The original Conan the Barbarian film is, in my opinion, the best of any of the sword and sandal films that came out in the late 70's or early 80's. And I would encourage anyone who likes the film? To find a copy of the book, it's based on and read it. It covers a lot of the tiny gaps and backstory on Conan and his Hyborean Age.
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.
all agreed, except #2 in the uncut version, they tell and show, that they brought women to him while he was as arena slave, to "lay" with him and so he gives them strong children... so he very well knew about women...
The music for this movie is extremely important and carries many of the scenes. This is another example why film music rules and should be more appreciated by people. This is the greatest Basil Poledouris film score, basically his opus. I tend to favor Basil's score to "Destroyer" a tad more. But both "Conans" are my favorite by Poledouris.
Conan the Barbarian is an absolute classic in adventure/sci-fi genre: - Creates the hero's journey by having him at his lowest and building him up through trial and combat - The loyal friends who each have their role Subotai and Akiro - Valeria subverts expectations by being a capable warrior but also inspiring Conan while not undermining him - Classic repeatable lines: "Do you want to live forever?", "What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven in front of you, and hear the lamentation of the women.", "Contemplate this on the tree of woe.", "...but that is another story."
@@RhetoricalThrill Oh, and I just share this video with a bunch of my 80s groups on Facebook as well as my Conan the barbarian group. Which already has a bunch of likes.👍❤️
"Is he the only one left? He can push it easily now..." Conan, possessor of the strength of twenty children! 💪 Arnold truly is a fantastic embodiment of Conan. Look up some of the Frank Frazetta Conan artwork to see what I mean.
@@RhetoricalThrillthink about it: You wonder where he got the protein to grow muscles and then you wonder where the other kids went... Basically he ate the other kids.
Also, to answer a question many casual viewers have, the Wheel was meant to be a giant mill grinding grain. Director John Milius also intended it to be metaphorically symbolic of adversity and toil in general being the source of strength in a person.
Fun Fact: when they built the Wheel of Pain it was so well designed that it could be pushed with very little effort. A lot of the shots of the wheel being pushed have people off-camera pushing against the wheel.
As cheesy as it is, this movie did so much to advance the sword and sorcery genre. There are a lot of films out there that exist solely due to the success and enduring enjoyment of this one. I'm still waiting for a Conan movie that's actually faithful to Robert E. Howard's novels, though.
Definitely, it's pretty much all downhill from here as far as budget, star power, and overall quality. Probably hundreds of copycat attempts out there.
Even though the movie is not really faithful to the source material , it's an absolute Sword & Sorcery classic. In the books Conan's tribe was never slaughtered & he never sold to slavery as a child. He just decides to wander out into the world after participating in a big battle as a 17 year old young warrior, inspired by the tales of great kingdoms & beautiful cities from his grandfather who was a legendary warrior/ metal smith. Also in the books/comics, Conan isn't just a dumb brute but extremely intelligent to the point where he often defeats his enemies by cunning, exploiting the fact that everybody thinks he's some dumbass muscle. He also has a very dry sense of humor and sometimes acts very selfish. Ironically, the Jason Momoa Conan movie, portrays him much more faithful to the source material, but people hated it and just wanted more dumb ''Ahhh-nold swinging my swoahd'' . Oh and just like in the movie, he often comes across some badass warrior chicks, like Valeria or Belit the pirate queen. Besides the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, I can also recommend the ''Savage Sword of Conan'' comic series, from the 70's/80's by Marvel and the ''Conan-The Nemedian Chronicles'' by Dark Horse from the 00's.
The problem with the remake was it was just forgettably average. I can't remember any of the dialogue, and can barely remember any of the scenes. (Same goes for the Robocop, Total Recall, and Clash of the Titans remakes that came out around that time). Whereas the original was a very good movie with a lot of very memorable scenes and quotes, and the sequal while not nearly as good was at least still memorable.
30:36 In regards to the movie rapidly jumping from one scene to to another at the top of the mountain...I've seen the deleted scenes where the princess (angered by Thulsa's betrayal) shows Conan a secret path that leads to the top of the mountain and even distracts several guards allowing Conan to kill them quietly from behind. This explains how Conan was able to just suddenly 'appear' unchallenged at the top of the mountain for his final showdown with Thulsa Doom in the theatrical release. After witnessing Conan decapitate Thulsa Doom she leaves with him to return to her father's kingdom in the final scene. It's too bad they cut all those scenes out. In the theatrical release the princess is just a spoiled brat with no redeeming qualities. In the deleted scenes she comes to realize the lie she is living and helps Conan put an end Thusla Doom and his snake cult before returning home.
Odd, in all the versions ive seen over the decades on TV, usually shes there at the end and she goes with him back to her father, but ive not seen one where she shows him inside the way into the mountain... or maybe I have now that I think about it.
The scarcity of dialogue is due to Arnold's very limited English (at the time), and very thick accent. Just like in The Terminator, they made a conscious decision to limit how much he actually had to speak. At least they didn't dub him, like they did in Hercules in New York. Another fun early Arnold movie, at least imo, is The Villain, co-starring Ann-Margret and Kirk Douglas. It's kind of a Looney Tune Western.
Interesting! He sounded not too far off to other things I've seen him in, so he must have worked pretty hard. It's got to be tough to give a good acting performance in a second language, but I thought he did well!
I would like to recommend Conan The destroyer, from 1984. And I would like to recommend Willow from 1988. And I would also like to recommend the Beast master from 1982.
Yes, that is the voice of Uncle Iro and he also provided the voice for Aku from Samurai Jack. His name is Mako a very well known Japanese actor. He's been in a lot of films.
It you think that there are some scenes that are overly long... Than you should watch the *extended* version! Film fact: 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. 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.
oh damn! I realized later that the sword breaking meant that Conan's father was wrong about steel being more trustworthy than anything else, but I didn't know he was wrong to ask for Crom's help
I first saw the movie in 1982. I lived in a small Iowa town and the guy who ran the TV repair shop had the only satellite dish in town. One Saturday night, he moved his giant projection TV out onto pickup tailgae out on the sidewalk so that everyone could watch the movie. I was great
The dead king's skeleton moved because the sword was removed, destabilizing the body. Or.... He was bowing to the new king: Conan. Open for interpretation i suppose but i prefer the latter, especially with the way the music peaks at the end.
I swear to god it was like waving around, but on second look it did just kind of fall 🤣 I still think you're right, the king was passing the sword on to a worthy successor
I'll never forget seeing this on opening weekend. Me and a friend went to a real late showing like 11pm. I was living in a very military base rich area... so the audience was mostly young enlisted guys. When Conan visited the 'witch's' hut, when she turned into a 'fireball' and flew outside the audience was almost completely silent. I guess we were all wondering "Wait... was she a witch? Or some sort of vampire? What the hell?" When Conan appeared at the door of the hut wild eyed, a black dude in the audience screamed "Bet that's the beat piece of pussy he's ever had!" Theater blew up laughing to say the least. Dudes timing was impeccable.
Thank you. To answer your question, and every other reactor I've seen watch this, The Warlord who owns Conan frees him because they share the same view of the world and what is best in life, while the Warlord's own sons do not.
@@RhetoricalThrill Aren't you adorable? Believe me, sunshine, with you on screen, that screechy voice prattling off every mediocre thought that enters that little pin head, nobody's getting it up for hours afterward. Buy some new jokes.
@@RhetoricalThrill If your voice was playing, I think Ron Jeremy would have trouble keeping it up. Listening to that voice is being used as a punisment for shoplifting in some counties.
This movie is a legit fantasy masterpiece. Deep, mythically rich and immaculately made. I've found that most people who talk s** t about it either saw it every young and only remember the giant mechanical snake scene. Or they saw the awful sequel and conflate one with the other.
Basil Poledouris was the composer for this movie and wrote all the scores used. Much of the story was told though scenery and music. The rumor is they did this because Arnold's English mastery was lower at this time in his career. I recommend this movie sound track. Basil also did the scores for the second movie: Conan the Destroyer made in 1984. Mako, the Japanese American actor who played Akiro the Wizard is the guy who did the intro and exit exposition. Like Basil, Mako is in the second movie! :D
Conan's author Robert E Howard was the father of the sword and sorcery genre. His pulp stories inspired much of the fantasy fiction of the last century. Conan appeared in Marvel comics and even exists in the same universe as the Marvel super heroes. There was comic recently called Savage Avengers where Conan time traveled to the present day and joined forces with the Punisher and Venom.
@@RhetoricalThrill - Yes I liked the semi-historical setting. It takes place during the period between the sinking of Atlantis and the rise of ancient Egypt. Howard called this fictional period, the Hyborian Age. Conan is one of the Cimmerian people. .
Now re-watch this movie with the DVD Commentary track on. Arnold and the director were drunk and Arnold doesn't remember the movie! He asks questions the whole time! ArnoCorps wrote a song called Exactly and the lyrics are from the commentary track! Meta!
Swords & Sorcery is probably my favorite fantasy genre. This movie really did make a lot of hay with less is more philosophy, show don’t tell, etc. You really understand how hate and burning desire for revenge are what kept him alive pushing the wheel, being strengthened by his torment. The only words were the narrator: “his was a tale of woe.”
Something I don't see many people make a connection of is that when Conan is a child being chained to the water pump (which is the thing that he turns, to pump water into an aqueduct btw), the kid that is closing the chains has red hair and his black cloak looks like it's made of feathers. Years later, who comes to collect Conan? An adult with red hair and a cloak that looks like it's made of feathers. And yes, the soundtrack goes hard in this movie. I have "The Battle of the Mounds" on my highway driving playlist and it is VERY hard not to speed when I'm listening to it!
@@RhetoricalThrill Another kind of 'nod' that only people who have read the comics would get is that the Tomb of the Dead King where he gets his sword is the Tomb of Kull the Conqueror who was a barbarian from Conan's distant past who built a kingdom from the might of his own hands. The reason this sounds similar to Conan's destiny is that Conan is supposed to be the Reincarnation of Kull and in each life he's orphaned as a child, overcomes slavery and builds a kingdom. It's useless to know this and it's barely even hinted at in the movie, but it was nice they kept it in for the long time readers of the Conan books and comics.
This movie did subversion of expectations the right way. Valeria saves Conan -twice. And without undermining Conan's strength and heroism.
Exactly! And some people act like they just recently invented good female characters 🤣
Well said.
There been a lot of good females characters todays females characters are poor writing. Conan is a pulp character from the thirties
later turned into comics. Best 3 tales with female charcters
Are Queen of the Black Coast,
A Witch shall be born and Red Nails. I forgive you for wearing glasses since I glasses too😂
5:2
Valeria is one of the great heroines of the classic fantasy movies. Not a two-dimensional hero, but a selfish character, that grows to care for someone else so much she gives her life for him. And well played by Sandahl Bergman, who not only had to endure sex scenes with Arnie who at this time allegedly didn't get that he was just supposed to act; she also almost lost a finger, during a sword-fight with an untrained extra; because they used real (blunt) swords throughout the movie.
@@RhetoricalThrill she was my all time favorite female heroine. She left a lasting impression on me as a little kid watching this, (other than my flowering manhood lol). It made see strong women as both cool and sexy. creatives today should look to the past to see what real strong women are, not the fake caricatures they have now
“Valeria” the archetype of all Warrior girls in this genre and the only one to win a Golden Globe portraying one. Let’s call her Xena’s grandma.
She was a really good character too!
@@RhetoricalThrillduring filming the actress accidentally had the tip of her finger cut off during one of the sword fights, she insisted on continuing because she claimed her character wouldn't give up over losing a finger.
Also the scene when the arrows are being shot at the giant snake were real, the director is an expert archer and actually shot the arrows close to Arnold's head
@@RhetoricalThrill Valeria is awesome - maybe the most developed character, absolutely kickass and a true equal to Conan.
She was supposed to be akin to Brunnhilde
@@the98themperoroftheholybri33
Sandahl Bergman was a dancer and ballerina prior to shooting this movie. That means being used to pain and sacrificing your body.
A phenomenal performance she gave
7:56 If you're wondering why Conan's owner let him go, the context is there in the preceding scene. Conan's owner (the red-bearded man, maybe the same red-haired youth who whipped young Conan when he first arrived at the wheel) has just hired Conan out to the warlords. They're feasting because they've just won another battle, with Conan's help.
The Chieftain says, "My fear is that my sons will never understand me," then he asked _that_ question. The Chieftain's son speaks up and gives a good answer, but it wasn't the answer the Chieftain wanted to hear, so he asks Conan instead, who provides the perfect answer. This proves three things:
1. The Chief's fears have just been validated: his sons really don't understand him.
2. The Chief just realized that Conan, the fighting slave, understands him better than his own sons do.
3. The Chief's son has just been embarrassed by his father in front of his siblings and the other warriors. This is going to breed resentment. The son doesn't just feel jealous of Conan, he maybe even feels threatened by him.
Conan's owner picked up on this and realized he was suddenly in the middle of a dangerous situation. The Chief's son might make an attempt on him and Conan, or even against his own father. Red Beard knew he had to get Conan out of there before he was caught up in some patricide plot, and as long as he was traveling with Conan through the Chief's country, Conan would be a liability, so he had to set him free and get rid of him to save his own skin.
At least, that's my interpretation of what happened, after viewing the film many times.
That’s really insightful, and makes sense! I didn’t make the connection between the red haired slave master and the red haired boy either 😮
@@RhetoricalThrill I don't think the boy and man are the same character. The boy is only maybe 5 years older than Conan, while the man later on is clearly 20+ years older.
I've seen this movie countless times, and never thought about this. Thank the gods for other peoples' perspectives!
"hot water, good dentishtry and shoft lavatory paper" ~ Cohen the Barbarian.
That analysis is flat out brilliant! So much subtle social detail in that scene which I had never seen before but now I just can’t unsee it! I love this film and your analysis has just added another element to enjoy whenever I re-watch it in the future!
The score was written for this movie. An absolu masterpiece. Definitely a top 5 in cinema.
More like the film was created for the score
Mako was such a treasure. Brought so much energy from this movie to Samurai Jack, to Avatar.
He really was, peace to him and his loved ones
Soundtrack is still one of my most played Sountrack ever. Basil Poledouris really can make epic soundtracks. You give Arnold's glistening muscles, Poledouris soundtrack and James Earl "Darth Vader" Jones as bad guy. Classic with capital C.
Woefully underseen, in my opinion. I barely had knowledge of it.
The Conan soundtrack is one of the few movie soundtracks I bought. Seriously one of the best.
Paul Verhoeven was a huge fan of Basil's work, so much he was hired to do the scores for RoboCop & Starship Troopers.
Great for working out to.
Don't forget his work on Robocop. Another epic theme.
The difference between cgi and real objects in a film makes all the difference
I think so too! Even if it doesn’t look perfect, at least when it’s practical you know it exists and you could touch it. Full CG often takes me out of a scene.
There’s actually a deleted scene that puts into full perspective the bond between Conan and Subotai.
Just before Thulsa Doom’s riders show up, Conan basically tells Subotai, “Hey bro, the odds are insanely stacked against us. Chances are, we’re both going to die. I can’t run because I have to face my destiny, but this really isn’t your fight, so you can take off.”
Subotai replies with, “Even if I were to run, where would my travels take me? I’d only end up in another place, and facing another battle, only that time I may very well face it alone. If I’m going to die in battle, I’d rather die fighting alongside my brother.”
That was some deep shit there. I really wish they had kept it in the movie.
I LOVE IT 😭
I agree. That philosophical conversation between Conan and Subotai is great, voicing the regrets of their pasts. "Almost 20 years of pointless combat!...."
Why would they cut that?
I mean the movie has a 2-3 good battle scenes but all most people remember the speech’s and mindsets.
Some things you appear to have missed. Valeria promised Conan that if she was dead and he was fighting for life, she'd come back to fight by his side, and she did. The broken sword was Conan's father's sword so that makes the revenge more pertinent. Thulsa hypnotizes people. His mother, everyone along the way, even Conan in the end until he snapped out of it. It's the ultimate revenge movie, very poignant
I did hear what she told Conan, I just didn’t take it literally until I saw it so it took a minute 😂 Thanks for the extra info!
The part about the broken sword being his father's is especially important for 2 reasons.
1. This was the sword at the beginning of the film that his father told him he could trust. I believe this is why he does the victory pose after the fight in the ruins. He has reclaimed his father's sword.
2. When Thulsa is hypnotizing him he says "my son". Having his father's sword in hand when he called him his son caused Conan to snap out of the hypnosis.
Isn’t that the Atlantean sword tho?Thulsa Doom took his father’s sword when he killed Conan’s mother. Still, steel breaking was the antithesis of what Conan’s father said. In the end it was flesh that was stronger. Conan’s friends were stronger and more trustworthy than steel.
@@zerobyte802 Conan has two swords in the final scene. The Atlantean sword is sheathed and he kills Doom with his father's broken sword.
@@wightrat1207 It also undermines his fathers words. At the beginning, he says, "this you can trust," yet the blade breaks in the heat of the battle.
Edit: the next poster pointed that out as well.
Not based on a comic, but there are many comics based on the same source material: stories written by Robert E. Howard in the late 1920s/early '30s in publications like Weird Tales Magazine, alongside his contemporary and associate, H.P. Lovecraft.
Regarding Conan's mother, as you've now seen, Thulsa Doom is a member of a nearly extinct race of snake men. He hypnotized the woman with his eyes, so that she wouldn't struggle or fight.
I was a child during the 60's sword and sandal era with Hercules, Sinbad, and others forming my fantasy library along with the classics. Really enjoyed this version. The next was made with kids in mind and that's fine - kids get a Conan movie with Arnold too.
I see, so it's an older character that has been adapted many times. Thank you!
@@zogwort1522 If I remember right, Howard eventually retconned Kull as Conan's father, making him half-Atlantean. Might've been the comics, though.
@@zogwort1522 There were published Kull stories, but the first Conan story was a rewritten Kull tale that had been rejected by publications. Which came full circle when they made the Kull movie in 1997, which was supposed to be a Conan movie and whose story is based on "The Hour of the Dragon."
I had a postcard from Lovecraft to Howard, when Lovecraft was visiting Quebec. Donated it to the Howard museum in Cross Plains, Texas.
The wheel Conan pushes is real. It's used for crushing grain.
I spent my teenage years reading Conan comic books that I thought I would grow up to be a comic book illustrator. I’ve read all of Robert E Howard’s Conan novels. I didn’t know who Arnie was at the time when I saw pictures of him as Conan I couldn’t wait to see the film. When he finally said his first words: “to crush your enemies, see them driven before you and hear the lamentation of their women”. I said “PERFECT!” Basil Poledouris’ music for Conan the Barbarian is a classic and is still played on stage around the world by symphony orchestras. I grew up watching actor William Smith, Conan’s dad, always playing the heavy. He was originally offered the role of Conan. The naked tattooed Pict scout in the opening battle scene was played by Arnie’s body-builder buddy Franco Colombo, who appeared with Arnie in the first Terminator movie, playing another Terminator in a flashback dream scene. The guy with the hammer is Sven-Ole Thorsen, a good friend of Arnie and has appeared in every single one of his films. ‘Red hair’ Conan’s master who eventually released him was the boy who originally chained young Conan to the ‘Wheel of Pain’. The ‘sword master’ who slapped Conan was Arnie’s real sensei for the film. The guy he kicked for laughing was Arnie’s stand-in. Conan’s buddy Subotai was Gerry Lopez a champion surfer in real life. The drug-dealer in the marketplace trying to sell them Stygian Lotus was the director John Milius.
At the time, one of the first films where the actors were actually and properly trained to use swords. Arnie learned Kendo. I just love watching him swing that blade! I never became a comic book illustrator, but I’ve done book covers, including a book for Sword and Sorcery Fantasy wargames.
Thank you for all the excellent info! I love that Arnie gets his pal in his movies like that, and I didn't realize the boy who chained him was the guy who released him 😭
So did I along with my brother and father and I still have most of them. If you ever get the chance, read the complete chronicles of Conan the Barbarian by Robert E. Howard who created the character. I believe he also created King Kull and Solomon Cain.
Interestingly, almost all of Howard's stories were just that- stories in magazines. Hour of the Dragon is a novel and that's it. Reading them, you can pick out the various elements from the stories that pull along the movie. They are for the most part excellent stories, although Howard was an insane SOB who thought _Conan would kill him if he didn't finish a story_ as in thought Conan would show up. Flipping lunatic. But he could write. My favorite may be Tower of the Elephant.
REH did indeed create King Kull (and in the same overall mythic world as Conan, but at a different time period) and Solomon Kane.
@@bbb462cidWith respect, Howard didn’t actually believe that Conan would show up and kill him. He said that the stories came to him as naturally (and non-sequentially) as if Conan had appeared and told them to him.
The story that he thought Conan was real were spread after his death.
@@AmericanAurochs Anytime anyone starts of "with respect" that person means to say something else. I have _read_ that. I wasn't there. Were you? I have _read_ that Howard actually relayed that information. Not Howard's friend, or his biographer, or his dog, mailman, taxicab driver or bartender. I also didn't dream it up while meditating. I won't refute that Howard said what you claim. Why are you so quick to refute what I related? Because you don't like it?
"Do you know what horrors lie beyond that wall?"
"No..."
"Then you go first"
That still cracks me up, great writing and she delivers it so deadpan. Valeria is a brilliantly written character, especially for 40+ years ago.
"The steel is broken... How do we feel about this?"
To me, that is the riddle of steel. Steel is only as strong as the wielder and even steel can break beneath Crom's Atlantean sword. But Conan's body and will, forged by pain and revenge, are more resilient than steel.
Yep. And when Conan recovered earlier in the film and was looking at his hands contemplatively, he was thinking about what Thulsa Doom said the solution to the riddle was.
I’m glad he figured it out, it took me a couple viewings 😂
It also proves what Conan's father said to be wrong: ultimately the sword failed, and Conan found that he could in fact place his trust in man and woman and beast
@@kevinedw2002 Very true! Conan trusts Subatai and Valeria with his life. Subatai never lets him down and Valeria comes back to save him again.
Cimmerian steel weak.
Atlantean steel stronk!
There's also subtle symbolism in his father's sword breaking lest it be used aginst his son.
The broken sword he stares at and then uses to behead Thulsa Doom was the sword his father was making in the beginning of the film. That's why he stared at it.
He stared at it because it broke which went against his father's teaching abt how steel is the only thing he can trust. But thulsa is Conan's spiritual father because he taught Conan to trust himself and his own will
Your selection these days are so refreshing compared to other reaction channels. The glasses is no problem at all. Conan was very popular back in the 80's when I was in primary school. I think I first saw this somewhere between '85 to '87, not 100% sure, but I do remember being blown away by it. Love how most of our parents back in the 80's didn't care what we watched.
Thanks! And yeah, my parents were very hands off when it came to movies. My favorite thing to watch when I was 7 was a tape my granny recorded that had Beetlejuice and Spaceballs on it 🤣
@@RhetoricalThrillThat's a great combination. 😂
I rarely watch reaction videos mainly because I hate them, think they are phony, and a lazy way for You tubers to make videos because they don't know how to actually make content
I only watched this because I loved the works of Robert E Howard. I also loved the Conan the Barbarian Marvel comics when they first came out. Originally they stayed mostly true to form and respected his work.
The movie on he other hand I hated with a passion. Most R Howard fans hated it, too. I never liked Arnold and thought his acting to be atrocious. But the story was what I hated the most.
@@mythrapi73 everyone has the right to their opinions, of course. I came across the reaction format some time ago and I liked it because it was different from a traditional review format.
I can't speak for anyone else of course, but I'm always genuine and tell the truth. Just like anything else, there's a wide range as far as effort involved. I'm sure there are people who do the bare minimum and are in it to make money fast with minimal effort but I do my best to make a transformative piece of entertainment every time.
I've seen a lot in these comments about the original books, and they sound pretty great! I'd like to check some out when I get some time. Thank you for taking the time to comment, and I hope you have a good day 😊
@@RhetoricalThrill If you like Spaceballs i think you will love Galaxy Quest, if you've not seen it already.
To your question at the start, yes that was Mako. The tomb scene is the one I always wonder about. At the time this flick was made, Marvel Comics had the licenses to both Conan & Kull the conqueror. They implied very heavily (in the comics & magazine) that Kull was Conans ancestor. So was this or was this NOT the tomb of King Kull? On the DVD/Blu Ray of this scene, it's called the "Atlantean Kings Tomb" or some such. If it is Kulls tomb, that makes it poetic that Conan would use Kulls sword to take out Thulsa Doom; finishing what his ancestor was unable to. In the lore Thulsa Doom is Kulls enemy, not Conans (Thoth Amon is Conans).
Regarding the riddle of steel, did Conan know the answer? His father didn't know the answer. Thulsa Doom was also wrong. We never knew of Conan take, I guess that was for the audience to decide.
To what you said around 28:10, Conan was wise to pray INDIRECTLY to Crom. In the lore, Crom takes a dim view of those who directly pray to him. His view goes something like this, "I gave you what you needed to survive & thrive when you were born." Praying to him for "more" afterward is greedy, in his eyes. Annoy him enough, he might actually curse you rather then grant your request.
I love the extra background info, thank you!
Had to scan through to make sure someone answered that. (Uncle Iroh). His narration is perfect in this piece and the intro is flawless.
Conan was a Fantasy Anti-Hero Character conceived by Robert E Howard back in the early 1930s. Howard died in the late 30s, but Conan did not. Conan lived on as other authors picked up the ball and continued to write tales of Conan. He did become a very successful Comic Book Character in the late 60s n 70s... which leads to a movie franchise, as this movie can attest to.
Oh wow, that's pretty awesome that different people can make their own mark on a character like that!
I always thought Conan was kind of a goofy big dumb barbarian until I found the books by accident. Conan is one of the best written characters of any genre that I've read. He's actually incredibly intelligent (he's able to speak and read most of the known languages in the world of his time), resourceful, charismatic, brave, and roughly chivalrous. He's almost more of a force of nature than a man. The movies are good, but they don't really do him justice. Schwarzenegger was an excellent physical portrayal though. If a little on the short side of what Conan should be. Anyway, this was a well done fantasy movie. Glad you enjoyed it, and as always it was a treat to watch along with you.
In the director’s cut, there’s scene where Conan tells Subotai of childhood. He tells him of the winters winds that would smell of spring. Subotai said that he knew those winds. “They blow where I live too. In the north of every man's heart.”
There is some very beautiful language in this movie. I need to find this directors cut
"Went from the Temple of Doom right into Eyes Wide Shut."
Nice, but I would've gone "Went from the Temple of Doom to the Temple of Poon."
DAMMIT HOW DID I MISS THAT OPPORTUNITY???
The success of this film is the reason why there are many fantasy films that are written like.
Arnold just has that charisma about him. His character doesn't talk that much in this movie, but he still dominates the screen. Much like Stallone in the first Rambo movie those two guys were stars, and you knew it just by looking at them.
You said it! I feel like there aren't really "movie stars" anymore. There's actors, even great ones, but no one with that kind of presence.
Soldier with Kurt Russel was extremely good and Kurt doesn't talk thru the whole movie.
7:50 Conan had become so powerful that his owner had started to fear him and let him go.
8:30 The leather scabbard had petrified around the blade.
9:00 Conan went from being chased by dogs to wearing dog pelts!
Arnold actually got injured during that scene running from the dogs. He fell down that stone he was supposed to climb. I saw it in a behind the scenes/documentary. Don't know if it's still online or not.
At 8:30, the feeling I always got that the film was trying to portray, was that the skeleton having been buried with his sword was probably a warrior king of some sort. And his spirit was approving of the fact his blade would be swung again. And his spirit swelled so much that his physical remains "trembled" enough to topple over. Not just because Arnold was cleaning the blade to see what condition it was in.
I think that's just crud that accumulated, not the old scabbard. The guy on the throne probably didn't put it in a scabbard before setting it beside his throne.
@@robertmiles1603 the skeleton was dead when they put the sword there. He was buried with his stuff by his followers.
@@tonyb7615 I've seen a lot of people say that it was the Atlantean king giving his approval, but I always saw it as the skeletal remains last attempt to hold on to his sword.
During the fight scene where the sword broke, that was the sword his father made at the beginning. Arnold broke it with the Atlantean king's sword he found when he was released.
I'm glad you recognized the music off the bat. This soundtrack is one of the best ever composed, and yes, it carries the movie forward scene after scene after scene. If you've watched the movie many times you'll know exactly which sequences were scored as the music will bring that emotion and memory up.
How it’s not got more recognition is beyond me
Conan started as pulp fiction stories for "Weird Tales" magazines in the 1930's, by Robert E. Howard. It was considered adult action-adventure fantasy. Then it became a series of novels/books finished by L. Sprague De Camp (1950's) after Howard passed away. Eventually, it did become a popular comic book series in the 1960's. Of the two Arnold as Conan movies, this one is closest to the original adult fantasy stories. "Conan the Destroyer" feels more like the comics for younger audiences.
I used to own 47 different Conan paperbacks. Later probably a couple hundred Conan and King Conan comic books. Young men? Great fantasy hero material.
There are that many? Wow!
@@RhetoricalThrillyep the comics collection i own had reached the 300+ issues...
Non-verbal character story telling is kind of a lost art, that it's coming back into fashion is kind of nice. Conan: The Barbarian, Mad Max, The Road Warrior, and quite a few other movies of the time were fantastic at conveying meanings through simple gestures and expressions.
When done right, it’s downright amazing!
"Conan the Barbarian", "The Road Warrior", and what are some of the "quite a few"? I'd hardly call Max a non-verbal character in the original "Mad Max" movie: he was married and had a wife in that film; he had a number of lines.
Your comment is useless and of no importance. If you're going to state something, don't just relate it, show it!
@@Eadbhard Max does have lines but communicates verbally less and less as the film progresses, and even when he is more verbal, he still tends to do more communication through facial expressions and gestures.
The same goes Conan in the first film. He talks only once in the first 3rd of the film, mainly communicating through looks and gestures. Even with Valeria it mostly action rather than words does he communicate with her.
You seem to have confused non-verbal with silent. Silent characters never talk, never communicate. Non-verbal characters let action speak for them, and communicate (mostly) non=verbally.
@@nooneofimportance2110 No, I did not confuse anything. The main protagonists in 'Conan" and "The Road Warrior" are exactly what you have described, but Max in the first "Mad Max" movie does not fit into this category.
The character in that film had fewer lines only after his wife and child were killed by the bikers, and that comprised just the last 20 minutes of the movie. Even then, Max had words with that auto mechanic, and he also gave Johnny the Boy his fateful ultimatum - these utterances alone were equal to nearly half the lines Max spoke in "The Road Warrior".
I'm still waiting for you to provide examples of "non-verbal story telling". According to you, during that time period, "Quite a few other movies" had characters "conveying meanings through simple gestures and expressions." What are some of those "quite a few" movies?
@@Eadbhard The Beast Master, not Dar, but the interactions between Dar and the monsters from the tree.
Other examples would be Vampire Hunter D, and unfortunately most of the rest are quasi porn B-movies not worth watching as all the A-list stuff I was going to bring up had a lot more dialog than I remembered.
I thought Sword of the Valiant, might qualify, but alas not. Life Force and the Hunger though do qualify. I would have included Erotikill, but it's basically a censored version of an Italian porno.
And the stuff I was going to include, upon revisiting weren't really examples.
So congratulations, I can't provide more examples.
"Feels like an epic dark fantasy"
It is THE dark fantasy
I can see how this influenced a lot of what came after it!
@@RhetoricalThrill It did the most IMO to start the sub-genre "Sword and Sorcerer". I'm also in love with the deeper lore written by Robert E. Howard. You should check it out if it interests you!
I have the soundtrack on CD.
Listened to it recently while driving.
It is amazing how at every track, sometimes even every note, I have the movie before my eyes and the scenes where it was played.
Of course a score is always made to fit a film, but this one just feels like a perfect fit
Same here - the music of this film is worthy of a Wagnerian opera.
This is still my favorite Schwarzenegger movie ever. The score is amazing.🔥👍
Yes. Have always loved the music. I bought the soundtrack on cassette way back in the 1980s, still have it.
I honestly can’t get over that score. The composer went above and beyond!
@@RhetoricalThrill the composer also did the soundtrack for RoboCop (1987). I can hear the style similarity between the two movies. Same way John Williams' soundtracks are recognizable :)
Akiro has some pretty good lines, too.
"Can you summon demons, wizard?"
"Yes. Anger me, and I will summon a demon more ferocious than all in HELL!!!"
And then they just laugh at each other! The wizard was my favorite 😂
So, really weird piece of trivia that people seem to either not know or never mention, but in the final fight between Conan and Rexor in the ruins, John Milius made the absolutely insane decision to do the fight using the "hero blades", that is the ones used for close-ups that had live (i.e. sharp) blades. That's why the choreography has them awkwardly clashing the blades high above their heads and watching very carefully where the blades are at all times.
[Edit]
I also just remembered some of the other absolutely buck wild things that happened regarding safety while this was being filmed.
1. They shot _actual_ arrows at the animatronic snake while Arnie was holding on to it, and IIRC nobody on set had any archery experience which could have very easily led to someone hitting Arnie.
2. During the fight at the orgy, Sandahl Bergman (Valeria) accidentally cut the finger off one of the extras.
3. The cultist that jumps off the ledge? Yeah, that was done for real, and was a record-breaking stunt (a record I believe it still holds)
4. The vulture Arnold bites? Actual vulture carcass.
I thought that Bergman had a finger almost sliced off by an extra, not the other way around.
I believe the only one on set with any archery experience was the director John Milius and I also believe he was the one who shot the arrows at the fake snake.
This was the best musical score ever written. I will fight anyone who disagrees. Loved your reaction, uour references were dpot on and funny, eyes wideshut, lemmy...perfect. you didn't really miss much. For this I will subscribe and and tell your tales. If you don't go into this film expecting anything it does surprise you. It's not a B movie by any stretch.
My humblest thanks to you 😊💜
Arnold only had 2 movies, so he was still learning. Gery Lopez (Subotai) was a professional surfer ( he was a really big deal in the late 70s early 80s) and not an actor. He turned them down 3 times before agreeing to do the film. That's why the other actors had more dialog.
This is the first proper movie Arnold was in, he could speak English but couldn't properly enunciate yet, so James Earl Jones gave him pointers throughout filming
He sounded fine to me, so kudos to Mr. Jones!
You have a charming personality: fun, funny, smart, and very likeable. Great reaction!
Why thank you! 😊
The king is the actor who played priest in " The Exocist ". Also in many great movies and a Stephen King movie " Needful Things ".
His greatest role, of course, is as Brewmaster Smith in "Strange Brew"
And also played Emperor Ming in Flash Gordon.
Also did the Father from the Sound of Music if memory serves.
Now that you've heard the music, you'll hear it pop up in movie trailers when they don't have the original score set. That music is also great for driving in remote areas on rainy nights, or fantasy RPGs with a lot of running.
There was a lot of nice visual elements in this film. His crossed arm salute after winning a pit fight come back at the end when he salutes the crowd after killing Thusa Doom is one of the better ones. Valeria coming back from the dead to fight as his side, as she promised, is another.
A lot of great moments and things that paid off, but weren’t “in your face”
James Earl Jones' every line of dialogue in this movie is a massive quotable meme.
But remember the advice about how to be a Dark Overlord: "don't turn into a giant snake; it never helps."
Personally, I always thought that immediately after getting his sword, he winds up wearing wolf-skins was hilarious....
They never say her name on camera, but Conan's girlfriend is named Valeria. The sword he snapped was the one they stole from his father.
Great reaction! I’m a huge collector and fan of Conan comics and memorabilia. The music in this was almost like another character!
That music is special! It’s like it came together perfectly
They say its a macho movie. But look at all the different women roles in this masterpiece. You have his beautiful mother who had a sword to defend herself, a sultry powerful witch, a princess seduced by the darl side and conans valkrie warrior girlfriend.
I agree, I think there’s plenty here for everyone to enjoy!
Women counting and in general count this that and the other is a modern thing
To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentations of their women.
I saw this when I was 5 years old in the 80s and it blew my mind. One of my favorite movies and favorite movie score of all time.
I wore out the pause button when I was younger . . .
I bet that was amazing!
Why do you cry?
He won't cry, so I cry for him.
one of those lines...
just great....
I love that line so much!
Subotai, a true friend 💜
This was one of the first movies I had on DvD. The director's commentary track was awesome. He referred to the cauldron in the "kitchens" scene as filled with split pea and hand.
😂 split pea and hand
A cauldron of split pea soup? :P I think the cannibal soup sounds more appealing.
6:00 it has a function. It’s a mill. They say so in the making of.
This movie was a live action personification of all Dungeon and Dragons Pen and Paper RPG games come to life. It pretty much has every known character class in that game.
That makes total sense!
I have so many of the tracks from this score still in my general playlists. There's a track for every mood, and some absolute stone-cold classics that you can bop along to.
I can't find the one that plays in the tower they rob.
@@theJACK__ I believe it's called 'Civilisation', try searching for that. Unfortunately I don't have the full track list to hand.
cool
thanks!@@theaikidoka
Some of the lack of dialog was due to this being one of Arnold's first films and he wasn't much of an actor at that time, so his lines were kept to a minimum. In the scenes with Sandahl Bergman (Valeria) it's Sandahl that does all the talking while he stays silent.
I think it worked out well!
Great reaction! Thanks for watching one of my favorite Christmas movies!
Thank you for watching it! 😊
Can't wait for you to do the sequel Conan the Destroyer, its such a fun film, a bit different but really fun.
While not as good I do enjoy the pure fantasy aspect of it also to see our favorite barbarian in a knock down drag out with the wizard as nothing but a demonic beast, so good.
The narrator for these Conan film is Mako also the voice AKU from Samurai Jack
The way I've always thought about why he was let go was that I think his Master knew that he would either escape or die trying eventually, (all that reading and education and even the fighting had expanded his mind and his ideas of possibilities) and there was a good chance he would take his Master to the grave with him. Add to the fact he had probably made his Master rich, and I assume the Master decided it was safer to let him go - it would give the Master a better chance of living a long life to enjoy his wealth. In short, Conan was a VERY DANGEROUS slave, and by freeing him - and to be fair , educating him first, it's possible Conan would hold no grudge or at least no deadly grudge for his slavery.
There’s a truth to that. But I feel Conan’s master did care for him. He was crying as he set Conan free. I see it as the equivalent of letting your favorite dog go.
It seemed as though he respected him too. One of the finer aspects of Milius's direction is how he can convey so much through nuance and subtlety. In previous scenes Redhair's facial expressions alone seem to convey his growing respect and even empathy for Conan. That's why he ultimately frees him.
@@ciaranmeeks9431 There's probably something to that. Redhair was drunk when he freed Conan which suggests it wasn't just a rational decision devoid of emotion. Sometimes people have to get drunk to do things like end relationships or take scary risks. I can believe he had been thinking about or even planning to release Conan at some point, but had mixed feelings. I think he made Redhair proud to own him.
I saw this movie in a theater with my dad in about 1982 or 83.
It sparked an interest in history, literature, and REAL ancient weaponry and how it might've been used in REAL combat that persists to this day.
The original Conan the Barbarian film is, in my opinion, the best of any of the sword and sandal films that came out in the late 70's or early 80's.
And I would encourage anyone who likes the film?
To find a copy of the book, it's based on and read it.
It covers a lot of the tiny gaps and backstory on Conan and his Hyborean Age.
That’s awesome that it gave you a lifelong interest like that, I love it! And I plan on checking out the books sometime too 😊
That along with Excalibur which came out in 1981 and Conan which came out in 1982 was the two best fantasy movies back to back.
Still one of my fave films. Saw it at the cinema when released. Awesome soundtrack too. Great reaction, glad you enjoyed it!
Glad you enjoyed it!
Basil Poledouris always goes hard. The music man.
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.
all agreed, except #2 in the uncut version, they tell and show, that they brought women to him while he was as arena slave, to "lay" with him and so he gives them strong children...
so he very well knew about women...
7. They get away with a Llama bestiality shot by immediately following it with punching a camel.
Destroyer sounds like another one with wildly different opinions, I’ll have to see for myself!
I think most will agree lesser than the first part though. @@RhetoricalThrill
Apparently the actress who played his mother was homeless for a while, has schizophrenia and is currently living in a mental institution.
19:20 Mentioned the men who looks like a 80s metal band. Theres a band inspired from this franchise a band called Manowar.
That name sounds very familiar, actually, I love that they came from this movie!
The music for this movie is extremely important and carries many of the scenes. This is another example why film music rules and should be more appreciated by people. This is the greatest Basil Poledouris film score, basically his opus. I tend to favor Basil's score to "Destroyer" a tad more. But both "Conans" are my favorite by Poledouris.
Great music elevates even a great movie!
Conan the Barbarian is an absolute classic in adventure/sci-fi genre:
- Creates the hero's journey by having him at his lowest and building him up through trial and combat
- The loyal friends who each have their role Subotai and Akiro
- Valeria subverts expectations by being a capable warrior but also inspiring Conan while not undermining him
- Classic repeatable lines: "Do you want to live forever?", "What is best in life? To crush your enemies, see them driven in front of you, and hear the lamentation of the women.", "Contemplate this on the tree of woe.", "...but that is another story."
It’s awesome, and I love all the things you can see that influenced later movies 💜
Arnie did do a few earlier films but only watch them if you're a masochist 🤣. This was his breakout movie.
Especially Hercules in New York
@@armorborgwarclass "I am tired of ze same owld peopul, ze same owld fassus"
Been waiting for this one. And I plan on sharing it with all my 80s, Facebook groups.❤
I sincerely appreciate it! I hope people enjoy 😊
@@RhetoricalThrill Oh, and I just share this video with a bunch of my 80s groups on Facebook as well as my Conan the barbarian group. Which already has a bunch of likes.👍❤️
"Is he the only one left? He can push it easily now..."
Conan, possessor of the strength of twenty children! 💪
Arnold truly is a fantastic embodiment of Conan. Look up some of the Frank Frazetta Conan artwork to see what I mean.
I bet he has the strength of at least a hundred children!
@@RhetoricalThrillthink about it:
You wonder where he got the protein to grow muscles and then you wonder where the other kids went...
Basically he ate the other kids.
Also, to answer a question many casual viewers have, the Wheel was meant to be a giant mill grinding grain. Director John Milius also intended it to be metaphorically symbolic of adversity and toil in general being the source of strength in a person.
Fun Fact: when they built the Wheel of Pain it was so well designed that it could be pushed with very little effort. A lot of the shots of the wheel being pushed have people off-camera pushing against the wheel.
@@dungeonsanddobbers2683 Didn't it famously spin around and bonk someone?
Mako did a GREAT job in any role he played. I really think my fave is as Po-han in "The Sand Pebbles". RIP Mako 2006.
I haven’t seen enough with him, only Airbender and Samurai Jack. Probably some other cartoons, but I’d never seen his face before. RIP indeed
As cheesy as it is, this movie did so much to advance the sword and sorcery genre. There are a lot of films out there that exist solely due to the success and enduring enjoyment of this one.
I'm still waiting for a Conan movie that's actually faithful to Robert E. Howard's novels, though.
Definitely, it's pretty much all downhill from here as far as budget, star power, and overall quality. Probably hundreds of copycat attempts out there.
I might have to check those novels out!
I saw the movie several times before I even noticed Conan never says a word to Valeria after they first meet. It's a masterpiece of cinema, no doubt.
Even though the movie is not really faithful to the source material , it's an absolute Sword & Sorcery classic.
In the books Conan's tribe was never slaughtered & he never sold to slavery as a child. He just decides to wander out into the world after participating in a big battle as a 17 year old young warrior, inspired by the tales of great kingdoms & beautiful cities from his grandfather who was a legendary warrior/ metal smith.
Also in the books/comics, Conan isn't just a dumb brute but extremely intelligent to the point where he often defeats his enemies by cunning, exploiting the fact that everybody thinks he's some dumbass muscle. He also has a very dry sense of humor and sometimes acts very selfish. Ironically, the Jason Momoa Conan movie, portrays him much more faithful to the source material, but people hated it and just wanted more dumb ''Ahhh-nold swinging my swoahd'' .
Oh and just like in the movie, he often comes across some badass warrior chicks, like Valeria or Belit the pirate queen.
Besides the original Conan stories by Robert E. Howard, I can also recommend the ''Savage Sword of Conan'' comic series, from the 70's/80's by Marvel and the ''Conan-The Nemedian Chronicles'' by Dark Horse from the 00's.
The problem with the remake was it was just forgettably average. I can't remember any of the dialogue, and can barely remember any of the scenes. (Same goes for the Robocop, Total Recall, and Clash of the Titans remakes that came out around that time). Whereas the original was a very good movie with a lot of very memorable scenes and quotes, and the sequal while not nearly as good was at least still memorable.
30:36 In regards to the movie rapidly jumping from one scene to to another at the top of the mountain...I've seen the deleted scenes where the princess (angered by Thulsa's betrayal) shows Conan a secret path that leads to the top of the mountain and even distracts several guards allowing Conan to kill them quietly from behind. This explains how Conan was able to just suddenly 'appear' unchallenged at the top of the mountain for his final showdown with Thulsa Doom in the theatrical release. After witnessing Conan decapitate Thulsa Doom she leaves with him to return to her father's kingdom in the final scene.
It's too bad they cut all those scenes out. In the theatrical release the princess is just a spoiled brat with no redeeming qualities. In the deleted scenes she comes to realize the lie she is living and helps Conan put an end Thusla Doom and his snake cult before returning home.
That does explain a lot!
Odd, in all the versions ive seen over the decades on TV, usually shes there at the end and she goes with him back to her father, but ive not seen one where she shows him inside the way into the mountain... or maybe I have now that I think about it.
1:08 Yes, that's the original voice both of Aku *and* General Iroh.😢
17:44, told you!
Uncle Iroh is one of the best characters ever 💜 and Aku is awesome
I love seeing people react to this movie. I saw this in about 85 when I was 7ish 😬 This movie is still epic 40 years on. Great job!
Absolutely epic!
The scarcity of dialogue is due to Arnold's very limited English (at the time), and very thick accent. Just like in The Terminator, they made a conscious decision to limit how much he actually had to speak. At least they didn't dub him, like they did in Hercules in New York. Another fun early Arnold movie, at least imo, is The Villain, co-starring Ann-Margret and Kirk Douglas. It's kind of a Looney Tune Western.
Interesting! He sounded not too far off to other things I've seen him in, so he must have worked pretty hard. It's got to be tough to give a good acting performance in a second language, but I thought he did well!
The broken sword was the one Conan's father made and stolen when they raided the village.
This is story telling At its finest. Don't need tonsnof dialog
Not when you do it right! It was great!
Did anyone mention that the Thief is Gerry Lopez, very famous in the surfing world as "Mr. Pipeline". 🤙😎
I've gotten a few comments about him, and I love that he's a surfer! I wouldn't have guessed in a million years
I would like to recommend Conan The destroyer, from 1984. And I would like to recommend Willow from 1988. And I would also like to recommend the Beast master from 1982.
Beast Master is on the list, and I'll think about the Conan sequel! Willow is a very dear favorite of mine, that I wish more people would see!
@@RhetoricalThrill Have you ever watched red Sonia? It is super cheesy, but worth mentioning since we're on the sword and sorcery category.❤️
Yes, that is the voice of Uncle Iro and he also provided the voice for Aku from Samurai Jack. His name is Mako a very well known Japanese actor. He's been in a lot of films.
I’d never seen him in person, but yes, a fantastic actor in live action or voice. May he rest in peace.
Good movie, epic soundtrack!
INCREDIBLE score!
This movie is a masterpiece, love it !
It you think that there are some scenes that are overly long... Than you should watch the *extended* version!
Film fact: 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.
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.
oh damn! I realized later that the sword breaking meant that Conan's father was wrong about steel being more trustworthy than anything else, but I didn't know he was wrong to ask for Crom's help
I first saw the movie in 1982. I lived in a small Iowa town and the guy who ran the TV repair shop had the only satellite dish in town. One Saturday night, he moved his giant projection TV out onto pickup tailgae out on the sidewalk so that everyone could watch the movie. I was great
That is awesome!
The dead king's skeleton moved because the sword was removed, destabilizing the body. Or.... He was bowing to the new king: Conan. Open for interpretation i suppose but i prefer the latter, especially with the way the music peaks at the end.
I always loved that moment. I took it as the ancient king's spirit was finally moving on, because a worthy man had come to claim the sword.
I swear to god it was like waving around, but on second look it did just kind of fall 🤣 I still think you're right, the king was passing the sword on to a worthy successor
I'll never forget seeing this on opening weekend. Me and a friend went to a real late showing like 11pm. I was living in a very military base rich area... so the audience was mostly young enlisted guys.
When Conan visited the 'witch's' hut, when she turned into a 'fireball' and flew outside the audience was almost completely silent. I guess we were all wondering "Wait... was she a witch? Or some sort of vampire? What the hell?"
When Conan appeared at the door of the hut wild eyed, a black dude in the audience screamed "Bet that's the beat piece of pussy he's ever had!"
Theater blew up laughing to say the least. Dudes timing was impeccable.
AHAHAHA I love it!
Thank you.
To answer your question, and every other reactor I've seen watch this, The Warlord who owns Conan frees him because they share the same view of the world and what is best in life, while the Warlord's own sons do not.
I’m glad I’m not the only one who didn’t put it together 😂
I made it less than two minutes.
Less than two.
My apologies to your girlfriend. They make pills for that, though.
@@RhetoricalThrill Aren't you adorable? Believe me, sunshine, with you on screen, that screechy voice prattling off every mediocre thought that enters that little pin head, nobody's getting it up for hours afterward.
Buy some new jokes.
@@RhetoricalThrill There's nothing thrilling about your rhetoric, princess.
@@RhetoricalThrill If your voice was playing, I think Ron Jeremy would have trouble keeping it up. Listening to that voice is being used as a punisment for shoplifting in some counties.
@@RhetoricalThrill If I was your boyfriend, I'd have to take pills.
This movie is a legit fantasy masterpiece. Deep, mythically rich and immaculately made.
I've found that most people who talk s** t about it either saw it every young and only remember the giant mechanical snake scene. Or they saw the awful sequel and conflate one with the other.
Yeah, I’ve missed a lot of good stuff before because I put too much stock in opinions 💜
yeah in the second one GRACE JONES is tougher than Conan.
I love your commentary. "You drive a hard bargain."
Heeheehee
Basil Poledouris was the composer for this movie and wrote all the scores used. Much of the story was told though scenery and music. The rumor is they did this because Arnold's English mastery was lower at this time in his career. I recommend this movie sound track. Basil also did the scores for the second movie: Conan the Destroyer made in 1984.
Mako, the Japanese American actor who played Akiro the Wizard is the guy who did the intro and exit exposition. Like Basil, Mako is in the second movie! :D
Conan's author Robert E Howard was the father of the sword and sorcery genre. His pulp stories inspired much of the fantasy fiction of the last century. Conan appeared in Marvel comics and even exists in the same universe as the Marvel super heroes. There was comic recently called Savage Avengers where Conan time traveled to the present day and joined forces with the Punisher and Venom.
I had no idea he was so iconic!
@@RhetoricalThrill - Yes I liked the semi-historical setting. It takes place during the period between the sinking of Atlantis and the rise of ancient Egypt. Howard called this fictional period, the Hyborian Age. Conan is one of the Cimmerian people. .
Oh Rhetorical.....i forget how much i love your reactions. Made my Saturday night.😊
I’m glad to be of service 😊
The quote you were talking about is an actual quote by genghis khan
Interesting, thank you!
One of the greatest movies ever made.
"How did he get so big on slave food?"
That made me think maybe that's where the other children went!
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
YES!?!
as we seen in the orgy scene, Doom's cult are cannibals.
🤔
The reason he took his time killing conans mother was because he used his serpents gaze to mesmerize her into lowering her guard.
Aha!
Now re-watch this movie with the DVD Commentary track on. Arnold and the director were drunk and Arnold doesn't remember the movie! He asks questions the whole time! ArnoCorps wrote a song called Exactly and the lyrics are from the commentary track! Meta!
That’s hilarious!
Swords & Sorcery is probably my favorite fantasy genre. This movie really did make a lot of hay with less is more philosophy, show don’t tell, etc.
You really understand how hate and burning desire for revenge are what kept him alive pushing the wheel, being strengthened by his torment. The only words were the narrator: “his was a tale of woe.”
I love this type of story too. Dark but not Game of Thrones level nihilism.
yes Mako played the wizard, who narrated the opening, he was also the voice of Uncle Iroh on avatar.
Something I don't see many people make a connection of is that when Conan is a child being chained to the water pump (which is the thing that he turns, to pump water into an aqueduct btw), the kid that is closing the chains has red hair and his black cloak looks like it's made of feathers. Years later, who comes to collect Conan? An adult with red hair and a cloak that looks like it's made of feathers. And yes, the soundtrack goes hard in this movie. I have "The Battle of the Mounds" on my highway driving playlist and it is VERY hard not to speed when I'm listening to it!
I very much did not make that connection, no 🤣
@@RhetoricalThrill Another kind of 'nod' that only people who have read the comics would get is that the Tomb of the Dead King where he gets his sword is the Tomb of Kull the Conqueror who was a barbarian from Conan's distant past who built a kingdom from the might of his own hands. The reason this sounds similar to Conan's destiny is that Conan is supposed to be the Reincarnation of Kull and in each life he's orphaned as a child, overcomes slavery and builds a kingdom. It's useless to know this and it's barely even hinted at in the movie, but it was nice they kept it in for the long time readers of the Conan books and comics.