By Adrian Smith
Continuing
the inevitable rollout of classic (and not so classic) movies to the latest
home video format, Fox Studios have released Conan the Barbarian as a
region-free Blu-ray in the UK, just in time to help stir up interest in the
forthcoming remake in September (although that film is being distributed by
rival studios Lionsgate).
It
is hard to imagine now, given Schwarzenegger's legendary status in the film
industry, that in 1982 he was a relatively unknown actor. As a former Mr
Olympia he had achieved some level of fame through the body-building
documentary Pumping Iron in 1977, where he infamously smoked marijuana.
Several years before that, his first film role had seen him take the lead, under the name Arnold Strong, in Hercules
in New York (1969). One of the funniest bad movies of all time, it did
little for his career at the time, and until Conan the Barbarian, other
film and TV roles mainly consisted of bit parts, playing heavies and body
builders.
It
was his starring role in Pumping Iron that brought Schwarzenegger to the
attention of Hollywood, and a property was sought out that would suit his
particular screen presence, ideally a role that needed an imposing physique and
little in the way of dialogue. The Conan Marvel comic book series, based on the
fantasy novels by Robert E. Howard, with its highly stylish depictions of this
towering, muscle-bound hero, provided the inspiration and a script was
developed. That process took four years, and included a major rewrite by Oliver
Stone.
The
story, evidently based on Viking culture and mythology, depicts the evils
committed by a snake cult lead by the messianic Thulsa Doom (James Earl Jones).
He makes the mistake of killing everyone in young Conan's village, including
his parents. Conan and the other children are put into a life of back-breaking
slavery. Young Conan grows up to be the hugely over-developed Arnold
Schwarzenegger. His muscles do not go unnoticed, as he's soon put to work as a
gladiator, stabbing, gouging and pummelling those brave or unlucky enough to be
put into the ring with him. Eventually he manages to secure his freedom, and
goes on a quest to find the cult that killed his parents. Along the way he has
sex with a witch, makes friends with foxy warrior Valeria (former dancer
Sandahl Bergman, who performed all her own stunts) and thief Subotai, and
learns that Thulsa Doom has taken the King's daughter. With the King financing
his quest, he sets off into the desert (Almeria, Spain, a location seen in
hundreds of films, but perhaps best known for The Good, The Bad and The Ugly)
to confront Doom and his bloodthirsty minions.
Schwarzenegger
acquitted himself remarkably well. It must have been a daunting prospect to
take the lead role in a big budget Hollywood epic with limited acting
experience, but he carried it off. His Austrian accent is somewhat at odds with
the American/ Olde English mix from the rest of the cast, but as most of his
scenes are played without dialogue, this is not too much of a problem. This
film was just two years before his major iconic breakthrough with The
Terminator, when his name became a guarantee for explosive, no nonsense
macho action. The film is surprisingly violent, with blood sprays and crunching
bones throughout, as well as a liberal sprinkling of bare breasts, some of
which challenge Arnie's muscular chest in size. Although the film is supposed
to be set in a distant land, in a distant time, it is still clearly the early
1980s. The hairstyles and liberal use of hairspray went on to inspire a
generation of bands like Whitesnake or Wild Boys-period Duran Duran, and in the
climactic battle, Conan and friends appear to be wearing make up styled by
Kiss. James Earl Jones in particular is quite unintentionally amusing. He gives
a menacing and charismatic performance, but the wig he is saddled with makes it
hard to take him seriously. The film also has a terrific orchestral score from
Basil Poledouris, which is suitably grandiose and helps to charge the historical
atmosphere.
Although
sword and sandal-type fantasy epics had been churned out by the hundreds during
the 1960s (most notably in Italy, where they were known as Peplum and featured
such characters as Hercules, Goliath and Samson), by the 1980s the genre was
seen as unfashionable. The success of Star Wars had lead to a focus on
space operas and science fiction movies, so Conan the Barbarian did not
seem like the most likely of commercial prospects. Yet to everyone's surprise
the film took in many millions at the box office, spawned one sequel, Conan
the Destroyer (1984) and a spin-off (Red Sonja, 1985), and boosted
the fortunes of the fantasy film throughout the rest of the decade. Oliver
Stone had plans to make a whole series of Conan films, like a fantasy-based
James Bond, but sadly this was not to be. A third sequel was cancelled in 1987
due to Schwarzenegger's filming commitments on Predator and Conan never got off the ground again.
This
new Blu-ray release of Conan the Barbarian has excellent picture
quality, as one would expect.. The film is beautifully shot, and the optical
effects have aged well. The sound reproduction has perfect clarity, and when
the swords and axes begin to swing it feels as though you are in the middle of
the battle. It appears that all of the extras, of which there are several, have
been brought over from the 2005 DVD release, and are presented in standard definition,
which is fine but it does jar somewhat when you've just watched the feature in
HD. There is an exhaustive documentary alongside other shorts focusing on the
weaponry and special effects, and the commentary from John Milius and
Schwarzenegger contains some interesting anecdotes, although you can find most
of those in the documentary.
Conan the Barbarian is probably
remembered by many fans as a classic of the action film genre and whilst it is
certainly entertaining, it is by no means without faults. There is something
inherently amusing about an oiled muscular torso running around in furry
underpants, no matter how many heads he splits open. It remains to be seen what
a new take on the source material will yield.
Click here to order from Amazon UK