Conan the Barbarian (1982)
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A barbarian seeks to avenge his parents' deaths at the hands of a snake cult leader.
The story
After a band of raiders led by the cult leader Thulsa Doom massacres his village and kills his parents, a young man named Conan is sold into slavery. He survives into adulthood, becoming a powerful gladiator and eventually gaining his freedom. After finding an ancient sword in an Atlantean tomb, Conan begins to wander the world. He eventually joins forces with a thief and a brigand to navigate a dangerous land filled with mythical dangers, ultimately seeking out the villainous Thulsa Doom to exact his revenge.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After his parents are murdered by Thulsa Doom's raiders, Conan is enslaved but eventually escapes and becomes a gladiator. He finds an ancient sword and travels the world with a thief named Subotai and a brigand named Valeria. They raid the Tower of Serpents and are later tasked by King Osric to rescue his daughter, Princess Yasmina, from Doom's influence. Conan infiltrates Doom's Temple of Set, where he is captured and tortured. He is rescued by Subotai and Valeria and healed by the Wizard of the Mounds. During a final assault on the temple, Valeria is killed by a magical arrow. Conan eventually confronts Doom in front of his cultists, beheads him with his father's sword, and burns the temple to the ground before returning the princess to her father.
- First release year
- 1982
- Runtime (minutes)
- 129
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- John Milius
- Writers
- John Milius · writer; Oliver Stone · writer
- Cast and characters
- Arnold Schwarzenegger · Conan; James Earl Jones · Thulsa Doom; Sandahl Bergman · Valeria; Gerry Lopez · Subotai; Mako · Wizard of the Mounds; William Smith · Conan's father; Valérie Quennessen · Osric's daughter; Ben Davidson · Rexor
- Genres
- sword-and-sorcery
- Themes
- revenge; survival
- Tone and mood
- epic; violent
- Setting
- A mythical fantasy world featuring Cimmerian lands, the city of Zamora, and the Temple of Set.
- Premise and plot tags
- fantasy; action
- Source material / true-story basis
- Robert E. Howard's Conan
- Awards and nominations
- Saturn Award · Best Fantasy Film · 10th · Nominated; Saturn Award · Best Costumes · 10th · Nominated; Saturn Award · Best Make-up · 10th · Nominated; Saturn Award · Best Actress · 10th · Won; Golden Globe Award · New Star of the Year—Actress · 40th · Won; Golden Raspberry Award · Worst Actor · 3rd · Nominated
- Production trivia
- Arnold Schwarzenegger performed most of his own stunts.; The film's score was ranked as the second best soundtrack of 1982 by a critic.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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