Barbarian Queen
Encyclopedia
Barbarian Queen is a 1985
American
-Argentine
fantasy film
directed by Héctor Olivera
and written by Howard R. Cohen. The film premiered in December 1985 in the United States
. It starred Lana Clarkson
.
, a simple village is preparing for the wedding of their king and queen. Suddenly, it is raided by Roman troops, and most of the people are whisked off to be slaves or killed. The queen (Lana Clarkson
), and two of her best female warriors survive the attack and set off to liberate the queen's sister (Dawn Dunlap
) (who had been raped in the raid and is set to become the Roman centurion's concubine) and king (who is sent to the gladiator arena).
Traveling a river, the band of women gradually catch up to slower-moving elements of the Roman raiding party, killing the soldiers. Searching the soldier's belongings, they find out where the raiding party was heading and follow, eventually arriving at the Roman city. Donning disguises, each woman searches on her own and is eventually captured.
One female warrior (Susana Traverso) is killed while trying to escape from the commander's dungeon. Another (Katt Shea) is raped and left for dead in an alley by Roman soldiers, and the queen (Clarkson) is captured and sent to a torture chamber. There, she is stripped topless and mercilessly tortured on a rack
. The contraption simultaneously pierces her bare breast with a sharp metal glove while painfully stretching her whenever she moves. Eventually her torturer (Tony Middleton) rapes her, which results in Amathea turning the tables on him and escaping.
Rescued by the local rebel underground after her ordeal, Amathea and the only warrior woman not dead or captured decide to join the rebel movement, and together they seek vengeance for the citizens, and liberation of the slaves.
genre sparked by the success of the film adaptation of Conan The Barbarian
.
Filmed in Argentina
using an international cast of stock American and Argentinian character actors, the film received very little notice during production. Playing in discount movie theaters to a sparse crowd, Barbarian Queen was panned by the audience for its poor dialogue, bad scripting, and cheesy special effects. However, Lana Clarkson
drew praise for her acting and her stunning beauty. Her performance as a strong-willed woman subjected to torture and rape by a smaller, weaker man became the film's signature scene with the followers of the genre, such that the movie is now considered a cult classic as a result.
was billed as a sequel, when in actuality neither the plot nor the characters had anything to do with the original Barbarian Queen film, other than casting Lana Clarkson in the title role and having multiple scenes in which she is bound naked to a rack and tortured in a nod to the original movies' impact scene.
Because there was no other big-ticket sword and sandal
film to create buzz for the genre, that film went straight to video.
Despite grass-roots pressure to produce a third installment, another Barbarian Queen film would not be made due to a lack of financial backing and the untimely death of Lana Clarkson
due to a fatal gunshot to the head in the home of Phil Spector
.
1985 in film
-Events:* 3 December - Roger Moore steps down from the role of James Bond after twelve years and seven films. He is replaced by Timothy Dalton.* The Academy Award for Best Picture was won by Out Of Africa, while the highest grossing film was Back to the Future.* Bliss wins AFI Award for best Movie...
American
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
-Argentine
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
fantasy film
Fantasy film
Fantasy films are films with fantastic themes, usually involving magic, supernatural events, make-believe creatures, or exotic fantasy worlds. The genre is considered to be distinct from science fiction film and horror film, although the genres do overlap...
directed by Héctor Olivera
Héctor Olivera
Héctor Olivera is a film director, producer and screenwriter.He works mainly in the cinema of Argentina, but has contributed to numerous films in the United States.-Biography:...
and written by Howard R. Cohen. The film premiered in December 1985 in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. It starred Lana Clarkson
Lana Clarkson
Lana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. She played roles in science fiction and fantasy movies. She was murdered by songwriter and producer Phil Spector, who was convicted of the crime on April 13, 2009.-Early life:Born in Long...
.
Overview
Set during the days of the Roman EmpireRoman Empire
The Roman Empire was the post-Republican period of the ancient Roman civilization, characterised by an autocratic form of government and large territorial holdings in Europe and around the Mediterranean....
, a simple village is preparing for the wedding of their king and queen. Suddenly, it is raided by Roman troops, and most of the people are whisked off to be slaves or killed. The queen (Lana Clarkson
Lana Clarkson
Lana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. She played roles in science fiction and fantasy movies. She was murdered by songwriter and producer Phil Spector, who was convicted of the crime on April 13, 2009.-Early life:Born in Long...
), and two of her best female warriors survive the attack and set off to liberate the queen's sister (Dawn Dunlap
Dawn Dunlap
Dawn Dunlap is an American actress best known for her appearance as Laura in David Hamilton's Laura.She quit the film industry in 1985 and moved back to her home state of Texas.- Filmography :...
) (who had been raped in the raid and is set to become the Roman centurion's concubine) and king (who is sent to the gladiator arena).
Traveling a river, the band of women gradually catch up to slower-moving elements of the Roman raiding party, killing the soldiers. Searching the soldier's belongings, they find out where the raiding party was heading and follow, eventually arriving at the Roman city. Donning disguises, each woman searches on her own and is eventually captured.
One female warrior (Susana Traverso) is killed while trying to escape from the commander's dungeon. Another (Katt Shea) is raped and left for dead in an alley by Roman soldiers, and the queen (Clarkson) is captured and sent to a torture chamber. There, she is stripped topless and mercilessly tortured on a rack
Rack (torture)
The rack is a torture device consisting of a rectangular, usually wooden frame, slightly raised from the ground, with a roller at one, or both, ends, having at one end a fixed bar to which the legs were fastened, and at the other a movable bar to which the hands were tied...
. The contraption simultaneously pierces her bare breast with a sharp metal glove while painfully stretching her whenever she moves. Eventually her torturer (Tony Middleton) rapes her, which results in Amathea turning the tables on him and escaping.
Rescued by the local rebel underground after her ordeal, Amathea and the only warrior woman not dead or captured decide to join the rebel movement, and together they seek vengeance for the citizens, and liberation of the slaves.
Response
This movie benefitted from a surge in interest in the sword and sandalSword and sandal
The Peplum , also known as Sword-and-Sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western"...
genre sparked by the success of the film adaptation of Conan The Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
.
Filmed in Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
using an international cast of stock American and Argentinian character actors, the film received very little notice during production. Playing in discount movie theaters to a sparse crowd, Barbarian Queen was panned by the audience for its poor dialogue, bad scripting, and cheesy special effects. However, Lana Clarkson
Lana Clarkson
Lana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. She played roles in science fiction and fantasy movies. She was murdered by songwriter and producer Phil Spector, who was convicted of the crime on April 13, 2009.-Early life:Born in Long...
drew praise for her acting and her stunning beauty. Her performance as a strong-willed woman subjected to torture and rape by a smaller, weaker man became the film's signature scene with the followers of the genre, such that the movie is now considered a cult classic as a result.
Sequels
A follow-on film, Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes BackBarbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back
Filmed in Mexico, Barbarian Queen II: The Empress Strikes Back is a 1989 fantasy film directed by Joe Finley and written by Howard R. Cohen and Lance Smith. It starred Lana Clarkson in the titular role. It was billed as a sequel to the 1985 cult classic film Barbarian Queen, which also starred...
was billed as a sequel, when in actuality neither the plot nor the characters had anything to do with the original Barbarian Queen film, other than casting Lana Clarkson in the title role and having multiple scenes in which she is bound naked to a rack and tortured in a nod to the original movies' impact scene.
Because there was no other big-ticket sword and sandal
Sword and sandal
The Peplum , also known as Sword-and-Sandal, is a genre of largely Italian-made Historical or Biblical Epics that dominated the Italian film industry from 1957 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by the "Spaghetti Western"...
film to create buzz for the genre, that film went straight to video.
Despite grass-roots pressure to produce a third installment, another Barbarian Queen film would not be made due to a lack of financial backing and the untimely death of Lana Clarkson
Lana Clarkson
Lana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. She played roles in science fiction and fantasy movies. She was murdered by songwriter and producer Phil Spector, who was convicted of the crime on April 13, 2009.-Early life:Born in Long...
due to a fatal gunshot to the head in the home of Phil Spector
Phil Spector
Phillip Harvey "Phil" Spector is an American record producer and songwriter, later known for his conviction in the murder of actress Lana Clarkson....
.
Cast
- Lana ClarksonLana ClarksonLana Jean Clarkson was an American actress and fashion model. Clarkson was a native of Los Angeles County. She played roles in science fiction and fantasy movies. She was murdered by songwriter and producer Phil Spector, who was convicted of the crime on April 13, 2009.-Early life:Born in Long...
....Amathea - Katt Shea....Estrild
- Frank ZagarinoFrank ZagarinoFrank Zagarino is an American actor, star of low budget action movies.One of his early roles was in the movie Barbarian Queen in which he played opposite Lana Clarkson. Like several other American B movie stars he made many of his movies in Europe, especially in Italy...
....Argan - Dawn DunlapDawn DunlapDawn Dunlap is an American actress best known for her appearance as Laura in David Hamilton's Laura.She quit the film industry in 1985 and moved back to her home state of Texas.- Filmography :...
....Taramis - Susana Traverso....Tiniara
- Victor BoVictor BoVíctor Bo is an Argentine film actor and film producer, son of classic actor and director Armando Bo. He has since retired from acting....
....Strymon - Arman Chapman....Arrakur
- Andrea Barbieri....Zoraida (as Andrea Barbizon)
- Tony MiddletonTony MiddletonTony Charles Middleton is a former English first class cricketer. He played for Hampshire and was named their Cricket Society's Player of the Year in 1992.-External links:*...
....Zohar - Andrea Scriven....Dariac
- Robert Carson....Shibdiz
- Matilde Mur....Eunuco
- Eddie Little Sky....Vendedor (as Eddie Little)
- Patrick Duggan....Shaman
- Lucy Tiller....Orellia
- Ivan Green....Karax
- Theodore McNabney....Cerus (as Theo McNabney)
- Richard R. Jordan....Vanir
- John Head....Alfana
- Daniel Seville....Kantaka
- Eva Donnelly....Ciega
- Henry Finn....Guard
- Louis Alday....Warrior
- Grace Castle....Arrakur’s Lover
- Norman Friedman....Warrior
- Alexander Essex....Warrior
- Guy Reed....Warrior
- Alfred Alexander....Warrior
- Arthur Neal....Warrior