Conan the Barbarian [Collector's Edition]

Director: John Milius John Milius

Overview

"One of actor Arnold Schwarzenegger's first forays into Hollywood cinema, Conan the Barbarian is the story of one man's quest for vengeance among a dangerous and barbaric land. This is the second release of this film on DVD by Universal, and the image quality on this 2.35:1 anamorphic widescreen transfer looks miles above the previous release. Colors are very vibrant and full while the black levels are deep and dark. Only a slight amount of grain shows up in a few spots, and edge enhancement/digital artifacting is never present. The audio is presented in Dolby Digital 1.0 Mono and sounds passable. Of course, this being a Mono soundtrack, the depth and fidelity are missing, though overall, the bulk of the dialogue, effects, and music are free of any excessive distortion or hiss. Also included on this disc are French subtitles. This edition of Conan the Barbarian is a ""collector's edition"" and sports some fine new extra features. The first is a commentary track by director John Milius and Arnold Schwarzenegger. This is a very enlightening commentary track with both participants sounding very chatty and friendly. A brand new 53-minute documentary, ""Conan Unchained,"" written, directed, and produced by Laurent Bouzereau, is a great retrospective on the film which includes interviews with many of the actors and filmmakers. Featuring lots of behind-the-scenes information and interviews, this is a great retrospective piece for fans. About six minutes of deleted scenes are included that don't add much to the proceedings. A special effects clip shows a shot with and without the inserted special effects. Finally there is an archive gallery with images and artwork from the film, two theatrical trailers, production notes, cast and filmmaker bios, and a DVD-ROM section with additional production materials and web links. Like mad dogs to rare beef, fans of the film should drool over this DVD for years to come."

Product Details

Release Date:	05/30/2000
UPC:	0025192056420
Original Release:	1982
Rating:	R
Source:	STUDIO DISTRIBUTION SERVS LLC
Region Code:	1
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[monaural]
Language:	English
Time:	2:09:00
Sales rank:	20,809

Special Features

Extended version with bonus footage; "Conan Unchained, the Making of Conan"; Feature commentary with director John Milius and actor Arnold Schwarzenegger; Deleted scenes; Special effects; The Conan archives; Theatrical trailers

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Arnold Schwarzenegger	Conan
James Earl Jones	Thulsa Doom
Max von Sydow	King Osric
Sandahl Bergman	Valeria
Ben Davidson	Rexor
Cassandra Gaviola	Witch
MAKO	Wizard
William Smith	Conan's Father
Luis Barboo	Red Hair
Franco Columbu	Pictish Scout
Leslie Foldvary	Snake Girl
Gary Herman	Guard
Erick Holmey	Officer,Turanian War Officer
Akio Mitamura	General
Nadiuska	Conan's Mother
Jorge Sanz	Young Conan
Jack Taylor	Priest
Sven-Ole Thorsen	Thorgrim
Kiyoshi Yamasaki	Sword Master
Luis Bar-Boo	Red Hair
Ron Cobb	Black Lotus Street Peddler
Valérie Quennessen	Princess
Cassandra Gava	The Witch
Pilar Alcón	Orgy Slave Girl
Florencio Amarilla	Man
Dragon Dronet	Pit Fighter
Donald Gibb	Osric's Guard
Andrea Guzon	Breeding Woman
Corrie Jansen	Beautiful Woman Jumping to her Death
Olvido Lorente	Guerrera
Celia Milius	High Priestess
Sab Shimono	Voices
Gerry López	Subotai
Kiyoshi Yamazaki	Sword Master
Gerry Lopez	Actor
Basil Poledouris	Composer

Technical Credits

John Milius

Oliver Stone

Edward Summer

Robert E. Howard

John Milius	Director,Screenwriter
Oliver Stone	Screenwriter
Raffaella De Laurentiis	Producer,Executive Producer,Producer
Buzz Feitshans	Producer
D. Constantine Conte	Executive Producer
Edward R. Pressman	Executive Producer,Producer
Edward Summer	Screenwriter
Dennis Bartlett	Special Effects
Wayne Artman	Sound Effects
Bub Asman	Sound Effects,Sound/Sound Designer
Tom Beckert	Sound Effects
Fred J. Brown	Sound Effects
Shelley Browning	Sound Effects
Robert E. Howard	Screenwriter
Nick Allder	Special Effects
José Luis Ayestarán	Stunts
William Smith	Stunts

Editorial Reviews

If John Milius has a specialty as a director, it's making enjoyable films out of highly questionable material. In his directorial debut, Dillinger, he made the cold-blooded gangster an almost lovable figure without toning down the story's violence a bit. Here he uses Robert E. Howard's pulp hero to justify a militaristic worldview just a little to the left of a backwoods militia. Social Darwinism transported to a mythic past, Conan presents a kill-or-be-killed world in which the musclebound Schwarzenegger logically sits at the top of the food chain. Working in top form, Milius has the smarts to pull it off. The world he presents seems strangely plausible and complete, filled out with merchants, cults, and other fixtures. The action sequences are staged excitingly and, like fellow film school pals Lucas and Spielberg, he fills the film with classic film references, with one segment borrowing especially effectively from Kwaidan. On some levels it might be reprehensible, but it's entertainingly reprehensible, particularly in the fleshed out director's cut form found on the DVD version.