Conan the Barbarian

UPC: 025192056420

Studio: Universal Studios

MPAA Rating: R   Contains:[Violence, Graphic Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Profanity]

Summary: John Milius's jingoistic direction and pulpy screenplay fit perfectly into this film version of the Robert E. Howard fantasy story of the sword and sorcery hero, Conan the Barbarian. Complementing Mulius's heavy metal production is Arnold Schwarzenegger's leaden acting, which in any other context would be deadly, but here (as in The Terminator) corresponds nicely with the whole sonorous project. The story begins when a horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for years on The Wheel of Pain. The Wheel of Pain seems to have as its only purpose the building up of Conan's muscles, so it's no surprise that one day Conan grows up to become Arnold Schwarzenegger. As the sole survivor of the childhood massacre, Conan is released from slavery and taught the ancient arts of fighting. Transforming himself into a killing machine, Conan travels into the wilderness to seek vengeance on Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), the man responsible for killing his family. In the wilderness, Conan takes up with the thieves Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) and Subota (Gerry Lopez). The trio comes upon a weird snake cult, linked to Doom, and Conan wants to trek off to Doom's mountain retreat to kill him. But he is prevented from doing that by King Osrik (Max Von Sydow), who wants the trio of warriors to help rescue his daughter who has joined Doom in the hills. ~ Paul Brenner, Rovi

Category: Action

Awards: New Star of the Year - Female – null New Star of the Year - Female – Hollywood Foreign Press Association

Features: Extended version with bonus footage
"Conan Unchained, the Making of Conan"
Feature commentary with director John Milius and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Deleted scenes
Special effects
The Conan archives
Theatrical trailers

Conan the Barbarian

Format: DVD

Release Date: 05/30/2000

Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 Cinemascope

Audio: 1 USA & territories, Canada

Runtime: 129 Minutes

Sides: 1

Number of Discs: 1

Language(s) English

Subtitles: English,French

Region: USA & territories, Canada

Chapters: Chapter List
0. Chapter List
1. The Days Of High Adventure (Main Titles) [5:32]
2. The Barbarian Raid [11:21]
3. The Pit Fighter [3:58]
4. A Warrior's Education [4:12]
5. The Tomb Of Crom [4:53]
6. The Witch [10:22]
7. The Temple Of The Serpent [11:23]
8. King Osric's Plea [10:08]
9. The Wizard [6:25]
10. The Prisoner Of Doom [10:21]
11. The Wizard's Spell [8:39]
12. Swords Against The Cult [11:01]
13. A Cimmerian Will Not Cry [:38]
14. The Stand Against Thulsa Doom [4:53]
15. Doom's Day [12:24]
16. A King By His Own Hand (End Titles) [9:32]

Keith Phipps

If John Milius has a specialty as a director, it's making enjoyable films out of highly questionable material. In his directorial debut, Dillinger, he made the cold-blooded gangster an almost lovable figure without toning down the story's violence a bit. Here he uses Robert E. Howard's pulp hero to justify a militaristic worldview just a little to the left of a backwoods militia. Social Darwinism transported to a mythic past, Conan presents a kill-or-be-killed world in which the musclebound Schwarzenegger logically sits at the top of the food chain. Working in top form, Milius has the smarts to pull it off. The world he presents seems strangely plausible and complete, filled out with merchants, cults, and other fixtures. The action sequences are staged excitingly and, like fellow film school pals Lucas and Spielberg, he fills the film with classic film references, with one segment borrowing especially effectively from Kwaidan. On some levels it might be reprehensible, but it's entertainingly reprehensible, particularly in the fleshed out director's cut form found on the DVD version. ~ Keith Phipps, Rovi

Cast and Crew: Franco Columbu  Actor 
Luis Barboo  Actor 
Leslie Foldvary  Actor 
Sven Ole Thorsen  Actor 
Akio Mitamura  Actor 
Gary Herman  Actor 
Jorge Sanz  Actor 
Jack Taylor  Actor 
Nadiuska  Actor 
Kiyoshi Yamazaki  Actor 
Erick Holmey  Actor 
William Smith  Actor 
D. Constantine Conte  Executive Producer 
Dino de Laurentiis  Producer 
Raffaella de Laurentiis  Producer 
Buzz Feitshans  Producer 
John Milius  Director 
John Milius  Screenwriter 
Basil Poledouris  Composer (Music Score) 
Edward R. Pressman  Executive Producer 
Oliver Stone  Screenwriter 
Arnold Schwarzenegger  Actor 
James Earl Jones  Actor 
Max von Sydow  Actor 
Sandahl Bergman  Actor 
Ben Davidson  Actor 
Cassandra Gaviola  Actor 
Gerry Lopez  Actor 
Mako  Actor 
Valerie Quennessen  Actor 

Country: USA