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Orphaned and enslaved as a boy when a snake cult destroys
his village, the Cimmerian Conan grows up to become a fearsome
warrior and a formidable thief. Then one day, he is given
the opportunity to take his revenge on Thulsa Doom, the leader
of the cult, although the price will be high...
Are
you tired of seeing Conan the Barbarian being barbarically
butchered whenever it is shown on terrestrial TV? Well, now
you can own it, uncut and beautifully restored, on DVD. In
its unexpurgated glory, complete with sex (Conan beds three
different women before the first hour has elapsed) and violence
(beheadings and spurting blood a-plenty), the movie is certainly
spectacular, boasting excellent combat scenes and gorgeous
Spanish location work.
The
plot, however, is distinctly episodic. Until the second half
of the film, in which Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger) takes
on the snake cult, incidents just seem to happen one after
the other. The young Conan grows up as a slave, then gains
his freedom for no adequately explained reason. Thereafter
he meets a witch (Cassandra Gaviola), then picks up a sidekick
(Gerry Lopez), and then meets the woman of his dreams (played
with a formidable physical presence by Sandhal Bergman).
Schwarzenegger
is not famed for his acting abilities. In this, one of his
earliest film roles, his skills are even less well developed
than they would ultimately become, while his accent is at
its most impenetrable. Fortunately, Conan is a hero of few
words! And as far as physical characteristics go, his casting
is perfect.
James
Earl Jones is appropriately menacing and powerful as Conan's
nemesis, Thulsa Doom. This is a villain worthy of Conan, and
also a role worthy of the man who voiced one of the meanest
bad guys in the whole of movie history: Darth Vader. As Doom
(such a cool name), Jones even gets to virtually reprise his
famous "I am your father" line!
The
DVD's extra features include an enlightening 50-minute documentary,
a commentary by Schwarzenegger and director John Milius, a
few deleted scenes (these are impressive finds considering
the film's age), two trailers, production and cast notes,
design drawings and production photographs.
Although
far from flawless, there is nevertheless an epic feel to Conan
the Barbarian, which has been vividly brought to life
once more by this impressive release.
Chris
Clarkson
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£15.99
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