Conan the Barbarian with Arnold Schwarzenegger: DVD Cover
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Conan the Barbarian Director: John Milius Cast: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Max von Sydow, Sandahl Bergman

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  • DVD Release Date: 05/30/2000
  • Original Release: 1982
  • Rating: Rated R
  • Sales Rank: 9,825

Viewer Rating: (4 ratings)

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  • Overview
  • Editorial Reviews
  • Scenes
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Scenes

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

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Scene Index

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]

Scene Index

Editorial Reviews

Director John Milius reset the standard for sword-and-sandal epics with this rough-hewn 1982 fantasy, and pumped up the career Arnold Schwarzenegger in the bargain. Recalling some of the low-budget glee of earlier peplum pics by Hammer Films, Conan boasts a script co-written by Milius and Oliver Stone and offers a chronically laconic hero bent on revenge and pumped up like, well, Mr. Universe. Conan (Schwarzenegger), possessed of an insatiable thirst to avenge his parents' death at the hands of warlord Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), escapes slavery to become a fearsome gladiator, hardened in both body and spirit by backbreaking labor. Freed from bondage, Conan pursues a life of petty crime, gaining a group of followers/friends including a statuesque woman warrior, Valeria (Sandahl Bergman), a thief (Gerry Lopez), and a wizard, (Pearl Harbor's Mako), until fate offers him a chance for revenge against Doom. Jones attacks his villainous role with dead-eyed menace, and Max von Sydow makes a fine turn as Osric, the king who bids Conan to rescue his daughter (Valérie Quennessen). But it is Schwarzenegger's steely gaze and stilted delivery that make the movie -- and seem to make it an even more joyful romp with the passing years. The yeasty brew of minimal dialogue and maximum barbarism, cinematographer Duke Callaghan's use of the Italian and Spanish locations, and Basil Poledouris's sweeping score all yield a film with an almost operatic air of grandeur. Unlike most of the imitators to bank on Conan's success, Milius's film is presented straight-faced and without camp -- an honorable accomplishment that even its sequel, Conan the Destroyer, fell shy of achieving. Daniel Craft, Barnes & Noble

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Customer Reviews

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  • Ratings: 4Reviews: 2

Conan the Barbarianby Anonymous

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May 11, 2004: This is the film that started it all; both for Schwarzenegger's film career and for all of the sword and sorcery movies that would try (most in vain) to imitate it. Before Beastmaster; before Ladyhawke; before Sword and Sorcerer; there came Conan. The story is simple and draws the audience into a credible yet imagined past of warriors and sorcerers. James Earl Jone's performance as the evil cult leader/sorcerer Thulsa Doom was the anchor in what otherwise could have been a complete flop. Max Von Sydow's brief role also gave weight to the acting. This is a role Schwarzenegger was born to play without a doubt. Another element which brought the movie to an epic status was John Milius' decision to retain Basil Poledoris for the music; a brilliant composition that carried the theme of the story with elegance (Oliver Stone wanted to use disco music.) Sandahl Bergman is the least convincing actress who was completely miscast as Queen Valeria; appearing to be more interested in accentuating her out-of-place Bay Watch appearance than playing her actual role. Mako and Jerry Lopez also delivered good performances in this film. Get the original release instead of the director's cut. The extra scenes inserted in the director's cut were originally deleted for a reason: the scenes consist of poor dialogue that doesn't add anything to the film. You also don't have the option of watching it without the added scenes in the director's cut. Stay with the original edition even if the sound and picture isn't as good.

This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen / Mono edition.

Conan the Barbarianby Anonymous

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April 10, 2002: ''Lord of the Rings'' was accussed as '' just another mega-budget hype'' , ''Willow'' was thought by many as a bed-time story and ''the 13th warrior'', simply,as boring. Even though I adore all of the aforementioned films, I have to follow the ''everyone is entitled to an opinion'' dogma. However when it comes to ''Conan the barbarian'' I simply cannot find any negative points to whine about - unless you are a Titanic/Legends of the Falls fan, in which case why bother watching it anyway? Starting from the usual weakness in Arnie's movies: himself. Not only is he delivering the role of a seldom-speaking often-slaying barbaric warrior, not only is the physical resemblance to the hero amazing, but,furthermore (thanks to the fact he was still a nobody back then, as far as Hollywood was concerned) he avoids the trap others have fallen into:he adopts himself to the legend rather than the other way round (see Sly's rape of ''Judge Dread'' for instance). Backed by the majestic performance of J.E.Jones as Thal Sa Doom, the mesmerazing spiritual villain, and spot-on sidekick acting from excellent supporting cast (led by M. von Sydoff)further enhance the brilliance of directing and the power of the story(O.Stone's surealistic approach is evident in the children of doom cult). As for the score composed by my compatriote V.Poliduris, one word comes to mind: breathtaking. Then its the small details one should not neglect: Hand 2 hand combats of pure perfection with the ideal dosage of gory sound&visual effects, the absence of dodgy sentimental scenes,the true-fanity of the extras & Spanish background and the unexpected katharsis of the drama, a relief to vewers (like me)who are fed up to their ears with the unwritten rule of ''this-is-the-closing-duel-where-the-bad-guy-always-gets-it-after-10min-or so'' Most of all, though, you need to appreciate the bigger picture. There are no hidden messages, no moral mumbojumbo, no ''american way of life''jingles and no hideous happy endings. Conan is born by pain, lives in pain and learns how to deal with it. His world is a muthical, magical kingdom where triumph & death walk hand by hand. Its truly beautiful how this mixture of heroism, cynicism, pure evil and not so pure good, and supernatural intervention, is binded in this movie. All together, its the uncompromising spirit of its hero, which justifies the title of this review

This review was written about the DVD Wide Screen / Mono edition.