Post by Kaz ~:~ on Dec 9, 2016 8:03:29 GMT -6
Directed by: John Millus
----------------------------
Plot Summary:
A sword is forged by a blacksmith, who then shows it to his young son, Conan, as he tells him of the "Riddle of Steel", an aphorism on the importance of the metal to their people, the Cimmerians. One day, the Cimmerians are massacred by a band of warriors led by Thulsa Doom; Conan's father is killed by dogs, and his sword is taken by Doom to decapitate Conan's mother. The children are taken into slavery and then chained to a large mill, the Wheel of Pain. Conan survives into adulthood, building his muscles after years of pushing the heavy grindstone. His master eventually trains him to be a gladiator; after winning many pit fights and receiving training and education in the East, Conan is freed. He soon stumbles upon a warrior's tomb and retrieves a fine sword. He then encounters a prophetic witch and befriends Subotai, a thief and archer.
Following the witch's advice, Conan and Subotai go to the city of Zamora to seek out Doom. There they meet Valeria, a female brigand. They burgle the Tower of Serpents, stealing jewels and other valuables from a shrine, slaying a giant snake in the process. After escaping with their loot, the thieves celebrate, and Conan and Valeria become lovers. The city guards capture the trio and bring them to King Osric, who requests they rescue his daughter — now a zealot in Doom's cult — for a handsome reward. Subotai and Valeria refuse to take up the quest; Conan, motivated by his hatred for Doom, sets off alone to the villain's Temple of Set.
Disguised as a priest, Conan infiltrates the temple, but he is discovered, captured, and tortured. Doom lectures him on the power of flesh, which he demonstrates by compelling a girl to leap to her death. He then orders Conan crucified on the Tree of Woe. The barbarian is on the verge of death when he is discovered by Subotai and brought to the Wizard of the Mounds, who lives on a burial site for warriors and kings. The wizard summons spirits to heal Conan and warns that they will "extract a heavy toll", which Valeria is willing to pay. These spirits also try to abduct Conan, but he is restored to health after Valeria and Subotai fend them off.
Subotai and Valeria agree to help Conan complete Osric's quest and infiltrate the Temple of Set. As the cult indulges in a cannibalistic orgy, the thieves attack and flee with the princess. Valeria is mortally wounded by Doom after he shoots a stiffened snake at her. She dies in Conan's arms and is cremated at the Mounds, where Conan prepares with Subotai and the wizard to battle Doom. By using booby-traps and exploiting the terrain, they manage to slay Doom's warriors when they arrive. Valeria reappears for a brief moment as a Valkyrie to save Conan from a mortal blow. After losing his men, Doom shoots a stiffened snake at the princess, but Subotai blocks the shot with his shield and the villain flees to his temple.
Conan sneaks back to the temple where Doom is addressing the members of his cult. He confronts Doom, who attempts to mesmerize him, but the barbarian resists and uses his father's recovered sword to behead his nemesis. After the disillusioned cultists disperse, Conan burns down the temple and returns the princess.
----------------------------------
-----------------------------------
Cast:
Arnold Schwarzenegger - Conan the Barbarian
Gerry Lopez - Subotai
Sandahl Bergman - Valeria
James Earl Jones - Thulsa Doom
Max von Sydow - King Osric
Mako Iwamatsu - Wizard of the Mounds
William Smith - Conan's Father
Sven-Ole Thorsen - Thorgrim
Ben Davidson - Rexor
Cassandra Gava - Witch
Valerie Quennessen - Osric's Daughter
Jorge Sanz - Young Conan
Nadiuska - Conan's Mother
------------------------------------
Characters::
A man lies on the ground as a naked female figure, wielding a sword, stands between him and a winged monster.
The death and supernatural return of Bêlit in "Queen of the Black Coast" (as illustrated by Hugh Rankin in Weird Tales) is mirrored by the fate of Valeria in the film.
The character, Conan, and the world of Hyboria were based on the creations of pulp-fiction writer Robert E. Howard from the 1930s. Published in Weird Tales, his series about the barbarian was popular with the readership; the barbarian's adventures in a savage and mystical world, replete with gore and brutal slayings, satisfied the reader's fantasies of being a "powerful giant who lives by no rules but his own". From the 1960s, Conan gained a wider audience as novels about him, written in imitation of Howard's style by L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, were published. Frank Frazetta's cover art for these novels cemented Conan's image as a "virile, axe-wielding, fur-bearing, cranium-smashing barbarian". John Milius, the film's director, intended the film's Conan to be "a Northern European mythic hero". Danny Peary described Conan as "muscular, majestic, brainy, yet with ambivalent scruples". Don Herron, a scholar on Howard and his stories, disagreed, noting that the personality of Conan in the film differs greatly from that of the literature. The Conan in the books detests restrictions to his freedom and would have resisted slavery in a violent fashion, whereas the film version accepts his fate and has to be freed. Robert Garcia's review of the film in his American Fantasy magazine states that "this Conan is less powerful, less talkative, and less educated than Howard's".
The female lead, Valeria, has her roots in two strong female characters from Howard's Conan stories.[20] Her namesake was Conan's companion in "Red Nails", while her personality and fate were based on those of Bêlit, the pirate queen in "Queen of the Black Coast". According to Kristina Passman, an assistant professor of classical languages and literature, the film's Valeria is a perfect archetype of the "good" Amazon character, a fierce but domesticated female warrior, in cinema. Rikke Schubart, a film scholar, said Valeria is a "good" Amazon because she is tamed by love and not because of any altruistic tendencies. Valeria's prowess in battle matches that of Conan and she is also depicted as his equal in behavior and status. The loyalty and love she displays for Conan makes her more than a dear companion to him; she represents his "possibilities of human happiness". Her sacrifice for Conan and her brief return from death act out the heroic code, illustrating that self-sacrificing heroism brings "undying fame". Valeria's name is not spoken in the film; the only scene where she was named, her self-introduction, was cut.
Milius based Conan's other companion, Subotai, on Genghis Khan's main general, Subotai, rather than on any of Howard's characters. According to film critic Roger Ebert, Subotai fulfills the role of a "classic literary type—the Best Pal." He helps the barbarian to kill a giant snake and cuts him down from crucifixion; the thief also cries for his companion during Valeria's cremation, with the explanation that he is Conan, a Cimmerian. He won't cry, so I cry for him."