Originally created by Robert E. Howard, the character of Conan first appeared in a short story in 1932. Eventually, Conan would come to be written by others, and then he would find himself in a comic book. Now, with Conan the Cimmerian returning to the big screen in 2011, Universal Studios is also releasing the first two Conan movies to Blu-ray.
As described in one of the bonus features on Conan the Barbarian (1982), the character's journey to the big screen the first time around was something of a tortuous one. A number of drafts and concepts were gone through before the final script, written by Oliver Stone and then rewritten by John Milius (who also directs the film) went into production. As for Conan in these first two films—the other being 1984's Conan the Destroyer—he is played by Arnold Schwarzenegger, at a time when the actor turned politician turned actor was still muscle-bound and not particularly good delivering dialogue. The only other actor to appear in both films is Mako, who is Conan's wizard companion and tells the tale.
Milius' take on Conan may not make for the best of films, but it is at the very least good at what it does. Virtually all the heavy-lifting in the film is done by the excellent score of Basil Poledouris, with dialogue kept to an utter minimum at all times. The film is by no means a silent movie, but it is almost shocking to witness the complete dearth of lines Schwarzenegger is able to utter as the titular character. Odd though it may be, Milius' tactic works, and every time Conan does say something those in the audience will shudder at just how wooden Schwarzenegger sounds when he delivers them.
The film is not about Conan talking, it is about Conan fighting and Conan maiming. Conan the Barbarian is a bloody, brutal film which features the Cimmerian's upbringing, learning the ways of battle, and looking to revenge the destruction of his village and death of his parents. The movie explains its plot not by having Conan do a lot of talking and thinking out of his problems, but by giving Schwarzenegger a really good supporting cast and having them talk when dialogue is required.
Conan is sent on a quest by King Osric (Conan wants to go because it fits with his need for revenge), played by Max von Sydow, and the villainous tribe of snake-worshipping bad guys are led by Thulsa Doom, played by James Earl Jones. Our hero is helped on his way by his friend Subotai (Gerry Lopez) and the woman he falls in love with, Valeria (Sandahl Bergman), as well as his wizard friend.
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