Conan the Barbarian (1982)
The definitive "Sword
and Sandal" fantasy, Conan The Barbarian comes newly released
in spectacular DVD from Universal Home Video. Despite its popularity
at the time of its theatrical release (and its subsequent cult
status), Conan has never been adequately appreciated for its
artistic merits, which are many.
Conan The Barbarian was far-reaching in its influence, spawning
a sequel (Conan the Destroyer), and two more films based on Howard's
characters (Red Sonja and Kull The Conqueror). TV series like
Hercules and Xena, and even the recent Roman epic Gladiator,
all owe a debt to the style of Conan.
Inspired by author Robert E. Howard's pulp pastiche of ancient
mythology, the film offers up a captivating script by Oliver
Stone and John Milius, who also directed the film. Magnificent
swordplay and battle scenes are plentiful throughout, and are
some of the best ever put on screen. An offbeat cast populates
the film, with athletes like Schwarzenegger, football player
Ben Davidson, and surfer Gerry Lopez, playing opposite veteran
character actors like James Earl Jones, Mako, and Max Von Sydow.
Perhaps the athletes do not turn in the most refined performances,
but they unquestionably look (and to a certain extent are) the
characters they play. This lends an incalculable verisimilitude
to their performances, which no amount of acting ability could
achieve. And Director Milius' approach embraces such diverse
stylistic influences as Frank Frazetta and Akira Kurosawa, while
Basil Poledouris' score immerses the production in operatic splendor.
Unfortunately, the film's soundtrack is in mono (the original
sound elements were sadly lost, so remixing for stereo was impossible).
However, this release does include some never before seen footage,
particularly at the finale of the film, (which was originally
cut down for theatrical release, while an ongoing commentary
by Milius and Schwarzenegger is accessible on a separate audio
track. If this weren't enough, the DVD also includes a superb
hour-long documentary on the making of Conan, featuring interviews
with all the principal cast and crew, and covering just about
everything one could ever want to know about the film.
Paul Andrew MacLean
Shelton CT 06484 USA
(800) 232-2224 voice
(800) 775-2729 fax
LadyJanet@RenaissanceMagazine.com