Conan the Destroyer
Encyclopedia
Conan the Destroyer is a 1984 American action fantasy film directed by Richard Fleischer
, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
and Mako
returning to resume their roles as Conan and Akiro the wizard, respectively. The cast also includes Grace Jones
, Wilt Chamberlain
, Tracey Walter
and Olivia d'Abo
. It is the sequel to Conan the Barbarian. The film was moderately successful at the box office in the US
, and very successful internationally, although critical response was not as strong as the original film.
), Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger
) is confronted by Queen Taramis (Sarah Douglas
) of Shadizar, who tests the pair in combat with several of her guards attempting to capture him. She tells him that she has a quest for him, which he initially refuses. The queen uses her power to learn his greatest desire, to resurrect his beloved Valeria, and promises to bring her back to him, to which Conan agrees to the quest. They learn that the queen's niece, Jehnna (Olivia d'Abo
) has been destined, due to a special birthmark, to find a special jewel that only she can touch and with it obtain the jewelled horn of the dreaming god, Dagoth. She tasks Conan and Malak to protect her on this journey, while her captain of the guard, Bombaata (Wilt Chamberlain
), is secretly asked to betray and kill Conan once the task is complete so they can sacrifice Jehnna to the god without interruption.
Due to the task of confronting a powerful wizard for the gem, Conan seeks the help of his friend, another wizard named Akiro (Mako) whom he saved from a tribe of cannibals that were about to eat him to absorb his magic power. Enroute they also meet Zula (Grace Jones
), a powerful warrior and a bandit whom Jehnna and Conan save from being tortured by a group of villagers she and other bandits tried to raid, she joins the quest indebted to Conan for saving her life. They find their way to the wizard Toth-Amon's (Pat Roach
) icy castle upon a lake. When they camp, however, the wizard transforms into a bird of smoke and takes Jehnna during the night. The travelers make their way into the castle and Conan is able to defeat the wizard, destroying the illusion and prompting a hasty escape from the castle. With the jewel now in hand they start to make their way to where the horn is hidden. Jehnna expresses interest in Conan, but he drunkenly rejects her for Valeria. They make their way to an ancient temple, and using the power of the jewel Jehnna is able to find and obtain the horn. Guardians of the horn attack the group and they manage to slip out a back entrance. Bombaata, having failed previously to kill Conan instead blocks their exit and takes Jehnna. After the others escape they make their way back to Shadizar and find their way inside due to a secret route Malak's "brother's sister's cousin" used to previously escape captivity. They confront Bombaata and Conan beats him in combat, killing him. Meanwhile, Jehnna is prepared to be sacrificed and the horn is placed upon the head of the Dagoth statue. Upon its first signs of life, they attempt to sacrifice Jehnna, but Zula intervenes and kills the Grand Vizier (Jeff Corey
) first. Having received an improper sacrifice, the statue becomes angry and begins to twist and distort into the demonic of version Dagoth (André the Giant
). Queen Taramis is killed and Conan battles the Dagoth, eventually killing it by removing the horn from its head.
After the battle, the newly crowned queen Jehnna offers each of her companions a place in her new court. Zula becomes the new captain of the guard, because Jehnna does not see any reason why a woman can't do as good a job as any man. Akiro becomes her new wiseman and advisor, and Malak steps forward and nearly trips, qualifying him for the position of court fool. She offers Conan her hand and the opportunity to rule the kingdom together, which he declines; having been promised a kingdom already, and departs on his own for further adventures and to find his own place in the world.
(1975) for Dino De Laurentiis.
Conan the Barbarian made approximately $40 million at the U.S. box office when it was released in 1982 with an R rating, and an additional $50 million in foreign markets. Because Universal Pictures
and producer Dino De Laurentiis thought it would have been even more successful if it had been less violent, they wanted to tone down the violence in the sequel. Conan the Destroyer originally received an R rating like its predecessor, but the film was recut in order to secure a PG rating. Fleischer delivered a movie that was less violent and somewhat more humorous than the first, although some scenes of violence have bloody results.
put on an extra 5 kilograms (10 pounds), at director Richard Fleischer's request, to play Conan in this film. Singer Grace Jones
gave a noteworthy performance as the female warrior Zula, the last of her tribe. This would be the first major role for seven-foot, one-inch-tall basketball player Wilt Chamberlain
. It would be 15-year-old (at time of release) Olivia d'Abo
's first screen appearance, playing the petulant teenage princess. Tracey Walter
played the opportunistic and foolish thief Malak. David L. Lander
was originally cast to play Malak, but due to Lander's deteriorating health from the onset of multiple sclerosis
, Lander was forced to quit the project, and the part was recast with Walter. Sven-Ole Thorsen
, who played Thorgrim in the first film, also returned, but this time he had to partially cover his face with a mask, as he was playing a different (yet more bearded) character. André the Giant
played Dagoth but was not credited in the film, as he was in costume.
worked with Fleischer. Cardiff had already photographed The Vikings (1958), Crossed Swords
(1978), and Amityville 3-D
(1983) for the director. They would work together twice more on Million Dollar Mystery
(1987), and Fleischer’s last film, the short Call from Space (1989), which was shot in the 65mm Showscan process. Cardiff’s other notable films include John Huston’s The African Queen (1951), King Vidor’s War and Peace
(1956), and Rambo: First Blood Part II
(1985). However, he is best known for his extraordinary Technicolor photography on three films directed by Michael Powell
and Emeric Pressburger
in the forties — A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus
(1947, for which Cardiff won an Oscar), and The Red Shoes (1948).
, the extinct volcano Nevado de Toluca, and the Samalayuca Dunes
(near El Paso) — as well as in the Churubusco Studios (also in Mexico). Carlo Rambaldi
created the Dagoth monster.
a year later; however, Red Sonja would be a critical and commercial disappointment.
Writers Roy Thomas
and Gerry Conway
, who wrote the original story treatment for this movie, were not satisfied with the final screenplay by Stanley Mann
and the finished film, so they made their story into the graphic novel Conan: The Horn of Azoth, published in 1990, with art by Mike Docherty. The names of the characters were changed to untie the graphic novel from the movie: Dagoth became Azoth, Jehnna became Natari, Zula became Shumballa, Bombaata became Strabo, Toth-Amon became Rammon, and the characters of Queen Taramis and The Leader were combined into sorcerer Karanthes, father of Natari.
A novelization of the film was also written by Robert Jordan
in 1984.
or John Guillermin. However Arnold Schwarzenegger was committed to the film Predator
and De Laurentiis's contract with the star had expired after his obligation to Red Sonja
and Raw Deal
and he wasn't keen to negotiate a new one. The third Conan movie thus sank into development hell
. The script was eventually turned into Kull the Conqueror
.
' spoof portrayals of Grace Jones
on the show In Living Color
are based on Grace's performance of Zula in this film.
Richard Fleischer
-Early life:Fleischer was born in Brooklyn, the son of Essie and animator/producer Max Fleischer. He started in motion pictures as director of animated shorts produced by his father including entries in the Betty Boop, Popeye and Superman series.His live-action film career began in 1942 at the RKO...
, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
and Mako
Mako (actor)
, born , was an Oscar- and Tony-nominated Japanese actor. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako, omitting his surname. -Early life:...
returning to resume their roles as Conan and Akiro the wizard, respectively. The cast also includes Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
, Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
, Tracey Walter
Tracey Walter
Tracey Walter is an American character actor. He has appeared in over 100 films and television shows.-Life and career:Walter was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a truck driver....
and Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo is an English actress and singer-songwriter, best known for portraying Karen Arnold in The Wonder Years and Nicole Wallace, the recurring villain in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Acting career:...
. It is the sequel to Conan the Barbarian. The film was moderately successful at the box office in the US
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
, and very successful internationally, although critical response was not as strong as the original film.
Plot
While praying at an altar with his traveling companion and fellow thief Malak (Tracey WalterTracey Walter
Tracey Walter is an American character actor. He has appeared in over 100 films and television shows.-Life and career:Walter was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a truck driver....
), Conan (Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
) is confronted by Queen Taramis (Sarah Douglas
Sarah Douglas
Sarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the...
) of Shadizar, who tests the pair in combat with several of her guards attempting to capture him. She tells him that she has a quest for him, which he initially refuses. The queen uses her power to learn his greatest desire, to resurrect his beloved Valeria, and promises to bring her back to him, to which Conan agrees to the quest. They learn that the queen's niece, Jehnna (Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo is an English actress and singer-songwriter, best known for portraying Karen Arnold in The Wonder Years and Nicole Wallace, the recurring villain in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Acting career:...
) has been destined, due to a special birthmark, to find a special jewel that only she can touch and with it obtain the jewelled horn of the dreaming god, Dagoth. She tasks Conan and Malak to protect her on this journey, while her captain of the guard, Bombaata (Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
), is secretly asked to betray and kill Conan once the task is complete so they can sacrifice Jehnna to the god without interruption.
Due to the task of confronting a powerful wizard for the gem, Conan seeks the help of his friend, another wizard named Akiro (Mako) whom he saved from a tribe of cannibals that were about to eat him to absorb his magic power. Enroute they also meet Zula (Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
), a powerful warrior and a bandit whom Jehnna and Conan save from being tortured by a group of villagers she and other bandits tried to raid, she joins the quest indebted to Conan for saving her life. They find their way to the wizard Toth-Amon's (Pat Roach
Pat Roach
Francis Patrick "Pat" Roach was an English actor, wrestler and author, from Birmingham. His most famous role is that of West Country bricklayer Brian "Bomber" Busbridge in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He also played a memorable role as General Kael in Willow...
) icy castle upon a lake. When they camp, however, the wizard transforms into a bird of smoke and takes Jehnna during the night. The travelers make their way into the castle and Conan is able to defeat the wizard, destroying the illusion and prompting a hasty escape from the castle. With the jewel now in hand they start to make their way to where the horn is hidden. Jehnna expresses interest in Conan, but he drunkenly rejects her for Valeria. They make their way to an ancient temple, and using the power of the jewel Jehnna is able to find and obtain the horn. Guardians of the horn attack the group and they manage to slip out a back entrance. Bombaata, having failed previously to kill Conan instead blocks their exit and takes Jehnna. After the others escape they make their way back to Shadizar and find their way inside due to a secret route Malak's "brother's sister's cousin" used to previously escape captivity. They confront Bombaata and Conan beats him in combat, killing him. Meanwhile, Jehnna is prepared to be sacrificed and the horn is placed upon the head of the Dagoth statue. Upon its first signs of life, they attempt to sacrifice Jehnna, but Zula intervenes and kills the Grand Vizier (Jeff Corey
Jeff Corey
Jeff Corey was an American stage and screen actor and director who became a well-respected acting teacher after being blacklisted in the 1950s.-Biography:...
) first. Having received an improper sacrifice, the statue becomes angry and begins to twist and distort into the demonic of version Dagoth (André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
). Queen Taramis is killed and Conan battles the Dagoth, eventually killing it by removing the horn from its head.
After the battle, the newly crowned queen Jehnna offers each of her companions a place in her new court. Zula becomes the new captain of the guard, because Jehnna does not see any reason why a woman can't do as good a job as any man. Akiro becomes her new wiseman and advisor, and Malak steps forward and nearly trips, qualifying him for the position of court fool. She offers Conan her hand and the opportunity to rule the kingdom together, which he declines; having been promised a kingdom already, and departs on his own for further adventures and to find his own place in the world.
Cast
| Actor | Role | Class | Description | Weapon of Choice |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Schwarzenegger Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011.... |
Conan 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... |
Warrior | Warrior who mourns the death of his lover Valeria from the first film, and is promised her resurrection in exchange for obtaining the magical horn. | Atlantean Sword, Battle-Axe & Daggers |
| Grace Jones Grace Jones Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and... |
Zula | Warrior/Thief | A thief/raider rescued by Conan, who joins his brigade. Zula later becomes the Captain of the Guard in Shadizar, replacing Bombaata. Despite being a fierce warrior, she is afraid of rats. | Sharpened Stick/Spear (aka "Toothpick"). She later receives a real spear when promoted. |
| Wilt Chamberlain Wilt Chamberlain Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA... |
Bombaata | Warrior | Captain of the Guard in Shadizar, he is sent by Queen Taramis to check up on Conan's progress in the mission and later to betray him. In the end of the film he would be killed by Conan and Zula would replace him as Captain of the Guard. | Mace with modified spike, Axe, Sword and Bolas |
| Olivia d'Abo Olivia d'Abo Olivia d'Abo is an English actress and singer-songwriter, best known for portraying Karen Arnold in The Wonder Years and Nicole Wallace, the recurring villain in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Acting career:... |
Princess Jehnna (later Queen) | Princess | Virginal princess who is used to obtain the magical horn which can resurrect the evil god Dagoth. | None, but she is the only one capable of retrieving the magical horn from its holding place. |
| Mako Mako (actor) , born , was an Oscar- and Tony-nominated Japanese actor. Many of his acting roles credited him simply as Mako, omitting his surname. -Early life:... |
Akiro | Wizard | Wizard friend of Conan and chronicler of his adventures who narrated the previous film as well as this film. Later accepts position as Chief Wizard of Shadizar when Queen Taramis' own personal wizard is impaled by Zula's spear. | Sorcery |
| Tracey Walter Tracey Walter Tracey Walter is an American character actor. He has appeared in over 100 films and television shows.-Life and career:Walter was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a truck driver.... |
Malak | Thief | Bumbling thief who rides with Conan. Later accepts position as Court Jester Court jester A jester, joker, jokester, fool, wit-cracker, prankster, or buffoon was a person employed to tell jokes and provide general entertainment, typically for a European monarch. Jesters are stereotypically thought to have worn brightly colored clothes and eccentric hats in a motley pattern... of Shadizar. Despite being a bumbling idiot, he has shown decent proficiency wielding and throwing small daggers. |
Daggers |
| Pat Roach Pat Roach Francis Patrick "Pat" Roach was an English actor, wrestler and author, from Birmingham. His most famous role is that of West Country bricklayer Brian "Bomber" Busbridge in Auf Wiedersehen, Pet. He also played a memorable role as General Kael in Willow... |
Thoth-Amon Thoth-Amon Thoth-Amon is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. He is an evil wizard in The Phoenix on the Sword, the first of the Conan the Cimmerian stories... |
Wizard | Wizard who is the proprietor of the diamond jewel needed to enter the palace of the magical horn. | Sorcery and Mirrors |
| Sarah Douglas Sarah Douglas Sarah Douglas is an English actress. She is perhaps best known for playing the Kryptonian supervillain Ursa in the first two Superman movies , and for her role as Pamela Lynch in the 1980s primetime drama series Falcon Crest .-Early life:Douglas was born in Stratford-Upon-Avon, Warwickshire, the... |
Queen Taramis | Queen | Evil Queen of Shadizar who plans to resurrect Dagoth, the Dreaming God, of whom she herself is a follower. She is also the aunt of Princess Jehnna. | Dagger (it should also be noted that Taramis is capable of limited sorcery as well) |
| Jeff Corey Jeff Corey Jeff Corey was an American stage and screen actor and director who became a well-respected acting teacher after being blacklisted in the 1950s.-Biography:... |
Grand Vizier | Wizard | Queen Taramis' personal Wizard | Sorcery, and Dagger |
| Sven-Ole Thorsen Sven-Ole Thorsen Sven-Ole Thorsen is a Danish actor, stuntman, bodybuilder and strongman competitor. Sven won Denmark's Strongest Man in 1983.... |
Togra | Warrior | Queen's Guard who tries to kidnap the princess, before he battles Conan who kills him | Sword |
| Andre "The Giant" Roussimouff André the Giant André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride... |
Dagoth | Deity/Beast | "The Dreaming God", the evil entity that would supposedly bring darkness upon the world when summoned | Magical Horn |
Toning down the violence
When John Milius, director of Conan the Barbarian, proved to be unavailable to direct the sequel, Dino De Laurentiis suggested Richard Fleischer to his daughter Raffaella De Laurentiis, who was producing Conan the Destroyer. Fleischer had already made Barabbas (1961) and MandingoMandingo (film)
Mandingo is a 1975 film, based on the novel Mandingo by Kyle Onstott and upon the play based thereon by Jack Kirkland. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and featured James Mason, Susan George, Perry King, Lillian Hayman, boxer-turned-actor Ken Norton, and bodybuilder and pro...
(1975) for Dino De Laurentiis.
Conan the Barbarian made approximately $40 million at the U.S. box office when it was released in 1982 with an R rating, and an additional $50 million in foreign markets. Because Universal Pictures
Universal Studios
Universal Pictures , a subsidiary of NBCUniversal, is one of the six major movie studios....
and producer Dino De Laurentiis thought it would have been even more successful if it had been less violent, they wanted to tone down the violence in the sequel. Conan the Destroyer originally received an R rating like its predecessor, but the film was recut in order to secure a PG rating. Fleischer delivered a movie that was less violent and somewhat more humorous than the first, although some scenes of violence have bloody results.
Casting
Arnold SchwarzeneggerArnold Schwarzenegger
Arnold Alois Schwarzenegger is an Austrian-American former professional bodybuilder, actor, businessman, investor, and politician. Schwarzenegger served as the 38th Governor of California from 2003 until 2011....
put on an extra 5 kilograms (10 pounds), at director Richard Fleischer's request, to play Conan in this film. Singer Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
gave a noteworthy performance as the female warrior Zula, the last of her tribe. This would be the first major role for seven-foot, one-inch-tall basketball player Wilt Chamberlain
Wilt Chamberlain
Wilton Norman "Wilt" Chamberlain was an American professional NBA basketball player for the Philadelphia/San Francisco Warriors, the Philadelphia 76ers and the Los Angeles Lakers; he also played for the Harlem Globetrotters prior to playing in the NBA...
. It would be 15-year-old (at time of release) Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo
Olivia d'Abo is an English actress and singer-songwriter, best known for portraying Karen Arnold in The Wonder Years and Nicole Wallace, the recurring villain in Law & Order: Criminal Intent.-Acting career:...
's first screen appearance, playing the petulant teenage princess. Tracey Walter
Tracey Walter
Tracey Walter is an American character actor. He has appeared in over 100 films and television shows.-Life and career:Walter was born in Jersey City, New Jersey, the son of a truck driver....
played the opportunistic and foolish thief Malak. David L. Lander
David Lander
David L. Lander is an American actor, comedian, composer, musician, and baseball scout. David is also the Goodwill Ambassador for the National Multiple Sclerosis Society.- Biography :...
was originally cast to play Malak, but due to Lander's deteriorating health from the onset of multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis
Multiple sclerosis is an inflammatory disease in which the fatty myelin sheaths around the axons of the brain and spinal cord are damaged, leading to demyelination and scarring as well as a broad spectrum of signs and symptoms...
, Lander was forced to quit the project, and the part was recast with Walter. Sven-Ole Thorsen
Sven-Ole Thorsen
Sven-Ole Thorsen is a Danish actor, stuntman, bodybuilder and strongman competitor. Sven won Denmark's Strongest Man in 1983....
, who played Thorgrim in the first film, also returned, but this time he had to partially cover his face with a mask, as he was playing a different (yet more bearded) character. André the Giant
André the Giant
André René Roussimoff , best known as André the Giant, was a French professional wrestler and actor. His best remembered acting role was that of Fezzik, the giant in the film The Princess Bride...
played Dagoth but was not credited in the film, as he was in costume.
Photography
Conan the Destroyer was the fourth film on which British director of photography Jack CardiffJack Cardiff
Jack Cardiff, OBE, BSC was a British cinematographer, director and photographer.His career spanned the development of cinema, from silent film, through early experiments in Technicolor to filmmaking in the 21st century...
worked with Fleischer. Cardiff had already photographed The Vikings (1958), Crossed Swords
Crossed Swords
Crossed swords commonly refers to a symbol consisting of two crossed swords, and used to denote battle, power, and death in many context from maps to heraldry to tattoos...
(1978), and Amityville 3-D
Amityville 3-D
Amityville 3-D is a 1983 horror film and the third installment in the The Amityville Horror series. It was one of a spate of 3-D films released in the early 80s. The film was directed by Richard Fleischer and the script was written by David Ambrose...
(1983) for the director. They would work together twice more on Million Dollar Mystery
Million Dollar Mystery
Million Dollar Mystery is a 1987 American film released with a promotional tie-in for Glad-Lock brand bags. While performing a routine stunt for this film, legendary stuntman Dar Robinson lost his life on November 21, 1986...
(1987), and Fleischer’s last film, the short Call from Space (1989), which was shot in the 65mm Showscan process. Cardiff’s other notable films include John Huston’s The African Queen (1951), King Vidor’s War and Peace
War and Peace (1956 film)
War and Peace is the first English-language film version of the novel War and Peace by Leo Tolstoy. It is an American/Italian version, directed by King Vidor and produced by Dino De Laurentiis and Carlo Ponti. The music score was by Nino Rota and the cinematography by Jack Cardiff...
(1956), and Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II
Rambo: First Blood Part II is a 1985 action film. A sequel to 1982's First Blood, it is the second installment in the Rambo series starring Sylvester Stallone, who reprises his role as Vietnam veteran John Rambo...
(1985). However, he is best known for his extraordinary Technicolor photography on three films directed by Michael Powell
Michael Powell (director)
Michael Latham Powell was a renowned English film director, celebrated for his partnership with Emeric Pressburger...
and Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger
Emeric Pressburger was a Hungarian-British screenwriter, film director, and producer. He is best known for his series of film collaborations with Michael Powell, in a multiple-award-winning partnership known as The Archers and produced a series of classic British films, notably 49th Parallel , The...
in the forties — A Matter of Life and Death (1946), Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus
Black Narcissus is a 1947 film by the British director-writer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger, based on the novel of the same name by Rumer Godden...
(1947, for which Cardiff won an Oscar), and The Red Shoes (1948).
Locations
Conan the Destroyer was filmed in a number of locations in Mexico — including PachucaPachuca
Pachuca, formally Pachuca de Soto is the capital of the Mexican state of Hidalgo. It is located in the south-central part of the state. Pachuca de Soto is also the name of the municipality of which the city serves as municipal seat...
, the extinct volcano Nevado de Toluca, and the Samalayuca Dunes
Samalayuca Dunes
The Samalayuca Dunes is a large sand dune field located near the northern border of the Mexican state of Chihuahua, near the border with the U.S. state of Texas, some 52 km south of Ciudad Juárez...
(near El Paso) — as well as in the Churubusco Studios (also in Mexico). Carlo Rambaldi
Carlo Rambaldi
Carlo Rambaldi is an Italian special effects artist who is most famous for designing the title character of the 1982 film E.T. the Extra-Terrestrial and the mechanical head-effects for the creature in Alien...
created the Dagoth monster.
Misc.
In the film, a camel is knocked to the ground and, after struggling to get back up, its hind legs are drawn forward with wires so that it is forced to sit down before falling to the ground. This sequence is cut from the UK version, as is a double horse-fall in the opening battle. There are a number of deleted scenes from the movie confirmed by actress Sarah Douglas including; Conan and Queen Taramis love scene, Taramis slaps Bombatta, extended battle scene between Conan and the Man-ape, and more graphic action scenes.Reception
Conan the Destroyer received mixed to negative reviews by critics. Despite some negative reviews, the film was a box-office success, grossing a respectable $31 million in the U.S., and internationally it grossed an additional $69 million upon its 1984 release. This success led Schwarzenegger, Fleischer, and De Laurentiis to team up again to make Red SonjaRed Sonja (1985 film)
Red Sonja is a 1985 sword and sorcery/action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in a supporting role and introducing Brigitte Nielsen as the title character...
a year later; however, Red Sonja would be a critical and commercial disappointment.
Writers Roy Thomas
Roy Thomas
Roy William Thomas, Jr. is an American comic book writer and editor, and Stan Lee's first successor as editor-in-chief of Marvel Comics. He is possibly best known for introducing the pulp magazine hero Conan the Barbarian to American comics, with a series that added to the storyline of Robert E...
and Gerry Conway
Gerry Conway
Gerard F. "Gerry" Conway is an American writer of comic books and television shows. He is known for co-creating the Marvel Comics vigilante The Punisher and scripting the death of the character Gwen Stacy during his long run on The Amazing Spider-Man...
, who wrote the original story treatment for this movie, were not satisfied with the final screenplay by Stanley Mann
Stanley Mann
Stanley Mann is a Canadian-born film and television writer. He began his writing career in 1951, and was nominated for an Oscar for his work on the 1965 film The Collector, based on the John Fowles novel of the same title. In 1957 he penned an adaptation of Death of a Salesman for television...
and the finished film, so they made their story into the graphic novel Conan: The Horn of Azoth, published in 1990, with art by Mike Docherty. The names of the characters were changed to untie the graphic novel from the movie: Dagoth became Azoth, Jehnna became Natari, Zula became Shumballa, Bombaata became Strabo, Toth-Amon became Rammon, and the characters of Queen Taramis and The Leader were combined into sorcerer Karanthes, father of Natari.
A novelization of the film was also written by Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan
Robert Jordan was the pen name of James Oliver Rigney, Jr. , under which he was best known as the author of the bestselling The Wheel of Time fantasy series. He also wrote under the pseudonyms Reagan O'Neal and Jackson O'Reilly.-Biography:Jordan was born in Charleston, South Carolina...
in 1984.
Conan the Conqueror
The third film in the Conan trilogy was planned for 1987 to be titled Conan the Conqueror. The director was to be either Guy HamiltonGuy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton is an English film director.Hamilton was born in Paris, France where his English parents were living. Remaining in France during the Nazi occupation, he was active in the French Resistance...
or John Guillermin. However Arnold Schwarzenegger was committed to the film Predator
Predator (film)
Predator is a 1987 American science fiction action film directed by John McTiernan, starring Arnold Schwarzenegger, Carl Weathers, Jesse Ventura, and Kevin Peter Hall. It was distributed by 20th Century Fox....
and De Laurentiis's contract with the star had expired after his obligation to Red Sonja
Red Sonja (1985 film)
Red Sonja is a 1985 sword and sorcery/action film starring Arnold Schwarzenegger in a supporting role and introducing Brigitte Nielsen as the title character...
and Raw Deal
Raw Deal (1986 film)
Raw Deal is 1986 action film directed by John Irvin and starring Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is the story of an elderly and embittered high-ranking FBI agent who wants to get revenge against a Mafia organization, and sends a former FBI agent played by Schwarzenegger to destroy the organization from...
and he wasn't keen to negotiate a new one. The third Conan movie thus sank into development hell
Development hell
In the jargon of the media-industry, "development hell" is a period during which a film or other project is trapped in development...
. The script was eventually turned into Kull the Conqueror
Kull the Conqueror
Kull the Conqueror is a 1997 fantasy film about the Robert E. Howard character Kull starring Kevin Sorbo. It is a movie adaptation of Howard's Conan novel The Hour of the Dragon, with the protagonist changed to the author's other barbarian hero Kull...
.
In popular culture
Kim WayansKim Wayans
Kim Wayans is an American actress, comedian, producer, writer and director. She is also a member of the Wayans family.-Early life:...
' spoof portrayals of Grace Jones
Grace Jones
Grace Jones is a Jamaican-American singer, model and actress.Jones secured a record deal with Island Records in 1977, which resulted in a string of dance-club hits. In the late 1970s, she adapted the emerging electronic music style and adopted a severe, androgynous look with square-cut hair and...
on the show In Living Color
In Living Color
In Living Color is an American sketch comedy television series, which originally ran on the Fox Network from April 15, 1990 to May 19, 1994. Brothers Keenen and Damon Wayans created, wrote, and starred in the program. The show was produced by Ivory Way Productions in association with 20th Century...
are based on Grace's performance of Zula in this film.