Re: Were the original two films big production or IndependEnt films? and trivia -- Adilbrand Noblesword's Hall of Warriors

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Date Posted: 18:47:28 11/27/02 Wed
Author: mt. healthy mountaineer
Subject: Re: Were the original two films big production or IndependEnt films? and trivia
In reply to: Adilbrand 's message, "Were the original two films big production or Independant films?" on 15:45:11 11/27/02 Wed

according to imdb.com, Conan the Barbarian was produced by Dino de Laurentiis, who also brought us Superman and lots of other movies. He was big stuff for a while, but supergirl and superman IV probably finished off the family business.

here are some other trivia facts I shamelessly stole from their site:
(I love the He-Man one)

Trivia about Conan the Barbarian:

Although Conan and Valeria are shown together frequently throughout the movie, he only speaks five words to her in the entire film - and they're all in the first thirty seconds after they meet: "You're not a guard", and "No".

Conan's response to the Mongol General is an abbreviation of a real quote attributed to Gengis 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."

Conan's opinion of what is best in life is not all that links him to Genghis Khan. Subotai (or Subedei Baghadur) was also the name of Great Khan's general. The fact that Conan is not only chased but to some extent orphaned by dogs also recalls Genghis Khan's well-documented fear of that particular animal. Finally, the writers' preoccupation with steel seems oddly coincidental, given that Genghis Khan's birthname, Temujin, is frequently translated as "finest steel."

Schwarzenegger, Arnold and Bergman, Sandahl did their own stunts, as suitable body doubles couldn't be found.

To give the characters' costumes a more authentic and "lived-in" look, Dino De Laurentiis had the cast members wear their costumes both during rehearsals and the actual scene shoots.

Schwarzenegger had to tone down his workout, as his arm/chest muscles were so big that he couldn't wield a sword properly.

The swordmaster was played by Yamazaki, Kiyoshi, swordmaster for the actors in the film.

The fake blood used in the film came in the form of a concentrate, which had to be mixed with water prior to use. Due to the cold weather, it was mixed with vodka (as an anti-freeze) instead. In the scenes in which the actors were supposed to spit the blood, they would swallow it instead, then go back to the special effects man for more.

The script called for Conan to throw a torch into the palace's central window/balcony. Schwarzenegger missed on the first attempt, but no retake was possible as the set proceeded to burn to the ground, as intended.

The Mattel Toy Company started to make some Conan action figures, but after viewing the film, the executives realized that they couldn't afford to be associated with a film with such graphic sex and violence. They gave their doll blonde hair, called him "He-man", and thus created "He-Man and the Masters of the Universe" (1983).

The name "Valeria" comes from the heroine of the novella "Red Nails." The theft of the tower in Zamora is from "The Tower of the Elephant." The speech King Osric gives about the throne room becoming a prison echoes a similar passage in "The Mirrors of Tuzun Thune," a King Kull story. The scene where Conan is crucified and kills a vulture with his teeth is from "A Witch Shall Be Born." Finally, the scene where Valeria vows to come back from the dead to save Conan and then does so is from "Queen of the Black Coast."

During the scene when James Earl Jones points to one of his priestesses and she jumps to her death a women's free fall record was set at 182 feet by stunt woman Corey Jensen.

Thulsa Doom and his warriors are patterned after the Teutonic knights from Aleksandr Nevsky (1938). The similarities between the two are very striking. From the helmets, body armor, weapons and mannerisms. Thulsa Doom's even has the same pageboy haircut has the Teutonic Knight's commander.

When the Wizard is ritually painting Conan to try to save his life, all symbols and runes are black, except for a certain symbol, shown once in the hands and a few times in his face, which is red. Such symbol, a small man whose arms join over his head in a semicircle, is called "Indalo", and is a very common symbol in the region of Almeria (Spain), in whiich most of the movie was shot.

The scene where Conan kills Thulsa Doom bears a striking resemblance to the finale of _Apocalypse Now (1979)_(qv) which John Milius co-wrote. After Conan has beheaded Doom, he walks down the temple steps where Doom's followers slowly acknowledge their new allegiance to Conan.

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