Conan the Barbarian (2011)
 | ||
| Starring | Luis Barboo, Sandahl Bergman, Franco Columbu, Ben Davidson, Leslie Foldvary | |
| Directed by | Marcus Nispel | |
| Produced by | Fredrik Malmberg | |
| Written by | Thomas Dean Donnelly, Joshua Oppenheimer, Sean Hood | |
| Released | August 11, 2011 | |
| Runtime | 112 minutes | |
| Country | United States | |
| language | English | |
| Preceded by | Conan the Barbarian (1982) | |
| IMDB Info | 0082198 on IMDb | |
| Buy it from | Amazon.com on DVD | |
This article is about 2011 version of "Conan the Barbarian (2011)" American sword and sorcery film based on the character of the same name created by Robert E. Howard. The film is a new interpretation of the Conan myth, and is not related to the films featuring Arnold Schwarznegger "Conan the Barbarian (1982)"
|
Back in 1982, when this film first came out I remember being absolutely spellbound by the production. It was as if Conan had stepped right out of Robert E. Howard's books. I remember some grumbling, because the script was not perfectly true to the original books. But, frankly, I did not give a darn. Valeria (Sandahl Bergman) was the perfect warrior maiden, Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones) was the snake worshipper from hell, and Arnold Schwarzenegger was totally out of sight as the nearly inarticulate Conan. What a glare he had! I don't mean to slight the rest of the cast, all the actors are great. Garry Lopez as Conan's sidekick and Mako as the wizard provide comic relief. And who can forget Max Von Sydow as King Osric. In a world that expected science fiction and fantasy movies to be hokey, grade B schlock, 'Conan the Barbarian' proved that it didn't have to be that way. No small part of what makes the film work are the elaborate sets and cinematography. Director John Milius strove to give the film something of the flavor of a history that could have happened, and succeeded. In addition, he makes up for the lack of dialog by presenting a continuous flow of carefully orchestrated and framed film sequences.
I was struck while watching it this time how much the dialog and action work to build the thematic structure. Often events or dialog will foreshadow action to come. In Valeria's death scene, she asks Conan to keep her warm. And in the next scene we find him building and lighting a funeral pyre where no fire had burnt before. In the background, the mound with its sacred stones echoes similar shapes seen throughout the film. This kind of thoughtful work is only to be expected of Milius and De Laurentis, but in 1982, it was far beyond the norm for this genre.
Two features are added for the DVD. The first is a running film analysis by Schwarzenegger and Milius, which is every bit as good as the movie itself. A the second is a feature on the film's production done 20 years after the fact. It is quite interesting to hear what the acting and production teams thin about the film in retrospect.
Violent and sexy, the film's core is built of constant action and spectacle, with very little dialog. Sudden moments of filmic stillness act to emphasize the intense and often gory fight scenes. This and several moments when there is apparent mistreatment of animals give the film its R rating. Of course, the controversy only added to the film's popularity at the time. Even today, this manages to be a surprising film. By all means make and effort to seek it out.
Chat rooms • What links here • Copyright info • Contact information • Category:Root