It’s been over four decades since the iconic duo of John Milius (Jeremiah Johnson) and Oliver Stone wrote, “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women.” The words were growled by the irreplaceable Arnold Schwarzenegger in Conan the Barbarian.
The brutal and epic fantasy adventure film was based on the character created by Robert E. Howard. Alongside Schwarzenegger, the biggest action star of the 1980s, the film starred James Earl Jones, Max von Sydow, Sandahl Bergman, and Mako.
Conan the Barbarian may have looked like a typical fantasy film on the surface, but within its core, it was a bloody revenge flick that still paves the way for today’s films, like Mortal Kombat or The Northman. As a child, Conan was broken down to nothing as he watched Thulsa Doom (Jones) murder his father simply for the sword he made, murder his mother for the hell of it, and send him into slavery. It was there that Conan would become the gladiatorial beefcake audiences would recognize, and there he would finally be convinced of his destiny to seek out his parents’ killer.
Somehow, while sporting the worst hair in any fantasy film ever, James Earl Jones is incredibly imposing as a former raider and current leader of an unnamed snake cult. Possibly the most frightening thing about him is that by the time Conan reaches him, he doesn’t even remember the village he burned and the people he butchered; he tells Conan he did it for one simple reason: the steel sword his father had made.
Ah. It must have been when I was younger.
There was a time, boy, when I searched for steel, when steel meant more to me than gold or jewels.
During the writing process, Oliver Stone based Thulsa Doom’s snake cult off of The Flagellants, a religious cult in Medieval Europe that would routinely whip themselves as penance in order to invite God’s mercy and forgiveness during the Bubonic Plague in hopes that he would save them a gruesome sickness and assured death.
Schwarzenegger went all-in for the role of Conan. It seems 6’2, 260lb muscly stuntmen are hard to come by because Schwarzenegger did all his own stunts for the film, including horseback riding, martial arts training, extensive voice-coaching, and training with an 11-pound broad sword for two hours a day. Even the dogs that attacked Conan in the film were dangerous, as director John Milius stated that Schwarzenegger was actually running for his life from dogs that would routinely viciously attack their trainers. Schwarzenegger’s commitment had a lot to do with the intent of the franchise, as five total films were planned, with only one coming to completion with Conan the Destroyer in 1984.
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Though the film has plenty of decapitations and snake-cult orgies, there’s also a weirdly fun adventure film baked into the brutality. A level of silly camaraderie bounces between Conan and his hired mercenary friends, especially The Wizard, played by Mako, who also provides the unmistakable voice behind the narrator and is instantly recognizable as Aku in Samurai Jack.
Conan the Barbarian also boasted one of the best fantasy scores ever made, with Basil Poledouris and Zoë Poledouris consistently fluctuating between a booming battle-scene soundtrack and light-hearted tunes that are more reminiscent of Howard Shore’s Lord of the Rings score. The score was a massive undertaking, using a 90-piece orchestra and being backed up by a choir of 24 people.
There comes a time, thief, when the jewels cease to sparkle, when the gold loses its luster, when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is a father’s love for his child.
One of the most special things about the film was its set designs and ability to pull you into the world of the Hyborian age. Though much less recognized, Conan’s cinematography and sets were easily on par with huge ‘80s adventure epics like Temple of Doom and Willow. Ron Cobb, the main production designer behind Conan, worked on Aliens and The Abyss, while Conan’s set decorator, Emilio Ardura, worked on The Last Crusade, Kingdom of Heaven, and Gladiator. More than 200 workers were used to build the sets in Spain, and 1500 extras were used to fill them up.
The film ended with a grizzled Conan upon his throne and the narrator speaking of his many successes and honors. Though, with the announcement of The Legend of Conan, an upcoming legacy sequel to the ‘80s films, I wonder if King Orsic’s words of wisdom will also ring true for King Conan.
