Synopsis:
Calgary Cinematheque Presents: Conan the Barbarian (1982)
Debuting in the pages of pulp magazine Weird Tales in the 1930s, Conan the Barbarian was devised by his creator Robert E. Howard to express a philosophy of rugged individualism, unhindered freedom, and a critical view of modern ideals of civilization and progress. The character's popularity had surged thanks to the Frank Frazetta illustrated paperback editions of the 1960s, and the Marvel comics adaptation of the 1970s, and so the film rights were snapped up by legendary producer Dino de Laurentiis.
In Conan, notorious right-wing filmmaker John Milius (Magnum Force, Red Dawn, Clear and Present Danger) found a muse to express his support for ideals of freedom, honour, and strength as the hero battles a death cult led by the villainous Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones), a cult that resembles the hippie movement, the Manson Family, and Jamestown all rolled into one. Screenwriter Oliver Stone (Platoon, Wall Street, JFK) creates a mythic world where characters speak very little but express deeply held philosophies in instantly memorable dialogue when they do. The film's score by Basil Pouledouris (RoboCop) propels an incredibly visual storytelling style from Milius that manages to respect its audience's intelligence and express a clear philosophical stance all while delivering on primal themes of violence and sex.
In 1982, just one year after the election of Ronald Reagan as US President, audiences embraced Howard and Milius' strong man with a sword, as embodied in the new star who would come to be the face of a decade of action movies - Arnold Schwarzenegger, propelled from bodybuilder to worldwide icon thanks to his performance as the muscle bound Conan.
Genre: Action, Fantasy
Director: John Milius
Stars: Arnold Schwarzenegger, James Earl Jones, Max von Sydow
Running time: 2 hr 09 min
Rating: 14A
~ READ BEFORE ARRIVING - - - Debit, credit, and tap only for payment. No cash accepted.
