About me:Rules are for children and slaves, but that doesn't mean break them. I'm a mother and anarchist (phi...
Member since:26.11.2005
Reviews:5
Review rated by 10 Ciao members on average: somewhat helpful
This is the first of three Conan the Barbarian films, and it far outshines the others. Arnold Schwarzeneger was not the first choice for the lead in the movie, but now one cannot imagine that anyone else could have been more appropriate. This is the movie that made Arnie famous as a celluloid acion hero. The story is from a series of books of the same name, written by Robert E Howard, in the 1930s.
Howard was the father of the "sword and sorcery" genre of literature. He was also the author of tales about similar characters: Red Sonia, Soloman Kane and Kull the Conqueror. To some extent, the idea of Conan was inspired by the works of the philosopher Frederik Nietsche. Conan is the Superman and embodies the idea of "what does not kill me makes me stronger". After he is captured by the merciless warriors of a snake-worshipping cult, who kill his parents and all adults in his village, Conan and all the children are sold into slavery. They are made to trudge constantly around in circles to push a heavy wheel (some kind of mill). This goes on relentlessly for years until all of the slaves have died except for one young man, Conan. He then is forced to become a gladiator, something he does so well that eventually his captors respect him and give him freedom. Now, driven by the need to avenge his parents' murder he sets out in search of the cult responsible. When one thinks of barbarians the most likely image anyone would have is of Arnie with his sword and fur clothing. There is also a very good soundtrack to this film , composed by Basil Poledouris, which is available seperately. The quality of the music proves that this film is a significant blockbuster . Despite being myth and fantasy, the tale draws you in and seems exciting and believable. The casting is perfect in this respect, whether or not it is true to the characters in the books.
Howard felt that supernatural forces may have related the stories about Conan, who he described as being "from the Hyborian Age, which men have forgotten but which remains in classical names, and distorted myths.
In a letter to fellow author, Clark Ashton Smith, Howard said,"Conan seemed suddenly to grow up in my mind without much labor on my part and immediately a stream of stories flowed off my pen- or rather off my typewriter - almost without effort on my part. I did not seem to be creating but rather relating events that had occured." "The character took complete posession of my mind."
There are some accounts that say Howard had been reading a rare occult book before he began to write Conan. People who had ever read this book had always died a gruesom death, such as their throat ripped out. Howard went from having a slight body-type to having a very muscular physique just like Conan, while this remarkable urge to write posessed him.
Howard had always made his contempt for suicide clear, yet in 1936 he was found to have apparantly shot himself deliberately , and due to his strong constitution his death took several hours. Some say that he met this fate because he read this book.
Conan the Barbarian is one of my top five favourite films and I think everyone should have this in their collection. The DVD has several special features. Audio Commentary by Director John Milius and Arnold Schwarzeneger. "Conan Unchained", the making of Conan documentary. Deleted scenes sequence. Special Effects Split screen Video "The Conan archives" Theatrical trailers Production notes Cast&filmmakers pages Scene access Interactive Menus
I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you add to this, or if you change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, please let me know and I'll re-rate.
The overall rating of a review is different from a simple average of all individual ratings.
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by (10%):
by (80%):
02.12.2005 12:24
Thanks for letting me know about the update. Re-rated for you.
01.12.2005 22:42
Extras are added, so vh ... Best regards, Sven (Zoobremia)
30.11.2005 17:50
I see you've posted this as a DVD review, but you've not mentioned the DVD. Are there any extras? If so, what are they and are they any good? If you add to this, or if you change it to be posted as a "Film Only" review, please let me know and I'll re-rate.