Conan the Barbarian is one of the best fantasy movies of the ‘80s, and an Arnold Schwarzenegger-helmed, muscle-bound action classic for the ages. Set in the desolate, high fantasy landscape of the Hyborian Age, Conan the Barbarian follows the great warrior Conan on his quest to get even with the evil necromancer Thulsa Doom, who destroyed Conan’s village and left him an orphan. Upon release, Conan the Barbarian was met with lukewarm reviews, with many critics praising the production design and the action, but condemning its violent content and performances. In spite of middling reviews, however, the film was a box-office smash, and saw continued success on the home video market. It has since been re-appraised, and is now frequently showered with praise by its dedicated fanbase. The film not only put Schwarzenegger into the limelight, but it also helped to launch the great film career of Oliver Stone, and cemented the tough-as-nails legacy of writer-director John Milius.
Inspiring comics, merchandise, a sequel, and dozens of cheap knock-offs, Conan the Barbarian is easily the most influential flick from the ‘80s fantasy-action phase. The classic film also inspired an unfortunately not-so-good remake that even the lead star Jason Mamoa admits was bad. Moving swiftly away from the depressing discussion of Conan the Destroyer and the Jason Mamoa remake, let’s take a closer look at the great Conan the Barbarian. Listed below are 16 fascinating and little-known facts about the sword-and-sorcery fantasy epic.
16 Conan’s First Line is Uttered 24 Minutes into the Film
Despite being the main character, Conan doesn’t say much throughout the film. In fact, he doesn’t have anything to say until 24 minutes into the film, when the Mongol General asks him “what is best in life?” Conan responds with a legendary line: “To crush your enemies, see them driven before you, and to hear the lamentation of their women!” Though Schwarzenegger was originally going to narrate his own story – and thus have more lines – the decision was made to give the narration to Japanese-American actor Mako, whose delivery was much easier to understand than Schwarzenegger’s.
15 Charles Bronson and Sylvester Stallone Were Considered
While trying to acquire the rights to the source material, the producers thought long and hard about who they might cast in the titular role of Conan. They considered Charles Bronson and Sylvester Stallone, among many other tough and rugged-looking actors, before finally settling on Arnold Schwarzenegger. The reason for Schwarzenegger’s casting was the two producers viewing a cut of Pumping Iron, the Schwarzenegger bodybuilding film, and realizing that the muscle-man was the living embodiment of the legendary character. Roger Ebert seemed to agree with the producers, noting that “the movie's casting is ideal. Arnold Schwarzenegger is inevitably cast as Conan, and Sandahl Bergman as Valeria. Physically, they look like artist's conceptions of themselves.”
14 Schwarzenegger Underwent 18 Months of Training
To prepare for the role of Conan, Schwarzenegger trained for a whopping total of 18 months. This time was split between physical training, acting exercises, horseback riding, sword-handling, and combat training with martial arts master Kiyoshi Yamazaki. He also spent the time growing out his flowing locks – which are 100% natural, by the way. The hard work paid off, as Conan the Barbarian is now hailed as one of Schwarzenegger’s best ever movies.
13 The Film Took Inspiration from Many Sources
Being obsessed with Japanese culture, writer-director Milius imbued the fantasy epic with the essence of samurai and Japanese ghost stories. One of Milius’ favorite films was Kwaidan, a classic anthology horror film by Masaki Kobayashi, and he drew much inspiration from it in rewriting and designing the world of Conan. The work of fantasy artist Frank Frazetta was another huge inspiration for Milius, and many of the images in the film are based directly on the artist’s paintings. The script was based on an amalgamation of stories by Conan creator Robert E. Howard, but also took inspiration from post-Howard Conan stories, such as L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter’s The Thing in the Crypt. Production designer Ron Cobb had his own plethora of inspirations, which included Quetzalcoatl and Egyptian symbology, and Celtic and Nordic architecture.
12 The Film Contains Many Allusions to Genghis Khan
Conan's first line of dialogue is a shortened version of a quote often attributed to Genghis Khan: “The greatest pleasure is to vanquish your enemies and chase them before you, to rob them of their wealth and see those dear to them bathed in tears, to ride their horses and clasp to your bosom their wives and daughters.” Further strengthening the connection between Conan and Genghis Khan is the scene in which Conan is chased by rabid dogs, as Genghis Khan was famously terrified of dogs. Another Genghis Khan allusion comes in the form of the frequent references to steel throughout the film. Genghis Khan’s name as a boy was Temujin, which meant “finest steel.” Additionally, Conan’s friend Subotai is not based on any Robert E. Howard character. Instead, he’s based on and shares a name with a historical figure, who was a general of the Mongol Empire and a friend to Genghis Khan.
11 Ridley Scott Turned it Down
Finding the right director took longer than expected. Oliver Stone wrote the first draft of the script and wanted to direct, but was not given the greenlight. He was later considered as part of a co-directing duo with special effects man Joe Alves, but that fell through. Having been impressed by Alien, Stone and the producers went to Ridley Scott to offer him the director’s chair, but he declined. It wasn’t until prolific producer Dino De Laurentiis picked up the script and offered it to John Milius, writer of the Dirty Harry films, that a final draft was penned and a director was secured.
10 It Was Supposed to Launch a Series of Films
At least four sequels were planned, though only one came to fruition: 1984’s much-maligned Conan the Destroyer. The family-friendly tone, poorly written characters, and lackluster action of the sequel polarized fans of the original, and Schwarzenegger hated it so much he swore off making sequels until Terminator 2. Red Sonja, a film set in the same fantasy world as Conan the Barbarian and starring Schwarzenegger as a similar but different character, followed Conan the Destroyer in 1985, but it too failed to launch a franchise. For fans of the character, there’s still hope for more Conan as plans for a sequel starring Schwarzenegger have been discussed for years, and the project seems to be moving ahead.
9 The Film Was Too Violent
Milius’ original cut of the film was deemed far too violent by producer Dino De Laurentiis, and so many scenes were reshot, while others were chopped out and left on the cutting-room floor. One such scene that was reshot is the death of Conan’s mother, which originally was twice as bloody as the still-pretty-violent version in the final film. While some of the original material has been spliced back into the film for home video releases, most of it was trashed and will never be seen again.
8 The Film Angered Animal Rights Activists and Environmentalists
The production attracted controversy from animal rights activists, who took issue with the usage and treatment of live animals in the film. The American Humane Association oversaw the treatment of animals on set, and observed many instances of poor animal handling. A dog was reportedly kicked, horses were tipped over, and the famous scene of Schwarzenegger punching a camel in the face was 100% real. Beyond unethical treatment of animals, the production also erected ruins on and altered the landscape of salt marshes of Almerimar, which angered environmentalists and stirred protests.
7 The Dogs Were Actually Vicious
The dogs that chase Conan through the desert were actually quite vicious, according to commentary from both Milius and Schwarzenegger. This means that, in that scene, Schwarzenegger’s quite literally running for his life. Outtakes can be seen on home video versions of Conan the Barbarian, in which Schwarzenegger looks positively terrified and is savagely attacked by the bloodthirsty hounds. Interviews from the filmmakers also imply that the dogs would even attack their trainer, and were very unfriendly in between takes.
6 The Serpent Cult Was Based on a Real-Life Cult
Genghis Khan and the Mongols aren’t the only historical figures alluded to in Conan the Barbarian. According to Horror Geek Life, “Oliver Stone based Thulsa Doom’s snake cult off of The Flagellants, a religious cult in Medieval Europe that would routinely whip themselves as penance in order to invite God’s mercy and forgiveness during the Bubonic Plague, in hopes that he would save them a gruesome sickness and assured death.” Additionally, the character of Thulsa Doom was partially inspired by prominent cult leaders of the 1970s, such as Charles Manson and Jim Jones. The popular anti-cult movement of the '80s informed and inspired many movies of the decade, and Conan the Barbarian is no exception.
5 Conan Got Schwarzenegger Back Into Professional Bodybuilding
Schwarzenegger had officially retired from professional bodybuilding in 1975 after winning that year’s Mr. Olympia competition. With the rigorous training for Conan the Barbarian whipping him back into incredible shape, he decided to get back into professional bodybuilding. He entered the 1980 Mr. Olympia competition and won, although there were many lamentations from the bodybuilding community regarding whether or not he deserved the win.
4 The Film Version of Conan More Closely Resembles Another Robert E. Howard Character
Although the main plot of Conan the Barbarian is based on many of Howard’s Conan stories, the actual character of Conan more closely resembles a different character created by the author: Kull the Conqueror. This is likely because Howard fleshed out Kull more in his stories than Conan. As a result, much of the film version of Conan's history and upbringing is taken from Kull stories, such as the character’s time spent as a slave. The villain Thulsa Doom is also based on a nemesis of Kull rather than of Conan.
3 The Cast Enjoyed Drinking Blood
Well, kind of. The fake blood used on set was a deep-crimson concentrate made to be mixed with water before using. The extreme cold weather caused the blood-water mixture to constantly freeze, so the crew improvised and mixed the concentrate with vodka instead. In scenes where actors are attacked and spit up blood, many of them would “accidentally” swallow the alcoholic blood instead, then request more from the effects team.
2 The Original Script was Set in a Post-Apocalyptic Future
The first draft of Conan the Barbarian was written by Oliver Stone, who would later go on to direct such classic films as Platoon, JFK, and Natural Born Killers. Before he made a name for himself as the go-to guy for politically-inclined thrillers and war films, Stone got his start writing and directing horror films. His strange, lo-fi horror offerings Seizure and The Hand perhaps provide some context to the wild direction that he took Conan the Barbarian in. His script was an ambitious and extremely weird adaptation of Howard’s original Conan stories, transplanting the action from a medieval-fantasy land to a post-apocalyptic hellscape. Stone’s fascination with genetics and cloning inspired his twisted tale of a legendary warrior fighting for survival on a nuked-out Earth populated with mutants and toxic freaks. While this original script generated the interest needed to produce the film, most of it was ultimately scrapped in favor of Milius’ more faithful (and much cheaper to produce) adaptation.
1 Conan’s Sword was Displayed Over the Governator’s Desk
Reflecting the reverence that his character showed for steel, Schwarzenegger retained the swords from the film set and seems to cherish them greatly. The swords used in Conan the Barbarian reportedly cost $10,000 each and weighed nearly eleven pounds. Schwarzenegger trained with them for two hours a day for three months in preparation for filming, apparently becoming quite attached to them in the process. Years later, as Governor of California, Schwarzenegger would proudly display one of the legendary, screen-used swords over his gubernatorial desk.