A Look at the Lens: Conan the Barbarian

Cheesy, but wonderfully inventive. Strange almost psychedelic scenes, a bombastic soundtrack, mixing the sense of light humour or absurd magic with the reaving and solemnity of the rise of a king and demise of a tyrant. Conan the Barbarian from the beginning works as a pulp story planted onto the screen, matching the same style of the earlier science fiction and fantasy genre that cared more about style and grandiosity as opposed to political commentary or laboured worldbuilding.

And the quotes, by Heaven the quotes. I don’t mean in fun, although there are certainly humorous and enjoyable parts about clipped scenes. Theres a rich sense of mythology condensed within a single film, the elements of high fantasy at its very best:

“Steel isn’t strong boy. Flesh is stronger. The strength and power of flesh! What is steel, compared to the hand that wields it?!”

“No one, not even you will remember if we were good men or bad. Why we fought, or why we died. No. All that matters is that two stood against many. That’s what’s important.”

Beneath the haminess at times, certainly the loudness of the delivery, points about love of a daughter when wealth fail, or the “riddle of steel” are the kind of questioning that classic sagas and epics loved to press to the audiences of antiquity, these bonding discussions placed between family or companions becoming akin to family.

We see bad acting often, earnestness in storytelling rarely. Show the barbarian as a character clearly muscular, straightforward and distinctive in their speech, clever casting given at this time no one realised what a name Arnold Schwarzenegger would become. Makoto Iwamatsu would become a legend in his own right, for the power of his voice, and his wry wit as a younger actor is very captivating her as a foil to Schwarzenegger and Sandahl Bergman. And considering James Earl Jones is the voice of Darth Vader, it’s quite impressive for the actor to give an intriguing physical portrayal, with a voice melding strength and persuasion with a manipulative cultist quality.

Conan the Barbarian is a very intriguing mood piece, a film like Excalibur or The Road Warrior which stands the test of time due to fascinating landscapes. Sparce, but potent dialogue and a quest you follow start to finish also brings to mind the cult classic The 13th Warrior, and Conan the Barbarian is in many ways the father of both the hyperborean adventurer, and the fantastical wanderer in cinema.

Conan the Barbian has the benefit of being a simple heroic struggle to follow, something philosophical for those who want to consider a story featuring an intentionally cerebral and manipulative villain against a straightforward barbarian hero. It’s the closest to a Warhammer Fantasy or good D&D film we will likely ever get, and a very good adaptation of Robert E. Howard.

There’s fighting, the glorification of endurance, and also the humour of finding friends and love due to the haphazard nature of the world. Place a simple body in horrendous circumstances, give a rugged and plain adolescent all the physical power of the world, and then show a quest where someone must fight and outthink the demonic and the uncaring. Conan can be appreciated in different ways and different levels, a very intentional touch and why it survived the test of time. If someone wants an amusing look into the past or a simple action film, that’s what they get. Like Spaghetti Westerns you see a lot of evocative cinematography.

There’s also very clear thematic elements which, as with Conan’s god Crom, are intentionally apathetic and far away in order to encourage the audience member to think what they make of all the characters, kingdoms and hordes. What is best in life? How do we proceed through pain, and do we not find and appreciate glory as it comes in the gratification of exerting our will, but also acting against oppression and in the furtherance of what is right?

I honestly wish both Elric of Melnibone and Starship Troopers both got a clear, classic 1980s style film which brought a sense of the wonder and character of the page to screen in the way we got Conan the Barbarian. You can do a lot worse than a film which attempts to depict within an effective timeframe the entirety of a hero’s growth and rise, with a promised destiny awaiting.  

Resource:

Milius, J (Director). Milius, J and Stone, O (Writers). Conan the Barbarian. 1982.