Spain Became the Hyborian Age
Political and logistical concerns ended plans to shoot in Yugoslavia, leading the production to Spain, whose mountains, forests, deserts and coastlines became the different territories of Conan's world.
Movie
Conan the Barbarian
Thief. Warrior. Gladiator. King.
A horde of rampaging warriors massacre the parents of young Conan and enslave the young child for years on The Wheel of Pain. As the sole survivor of the childhood massacre, Conan is released from slavery and taught the ancient arts of fighting. Transforming himself into a killing machine, Conan travels into the wilderness to seek vengeance on Thulsa Doom, the man responsible for killing his family. In the wilderness, Conan takes up with the thieves Valeria and Subotai. The group comes upon King Osric, who wants the trio of warriors to help rescue his daughter who has joined Doom in the hills.
Why it's in the Vault
Conan the Barbarian is one of those films whose world seems to exist far beyond the edges of the screen. With surprisingly little dialogue from Schwarzenegger, John Milius lets vast landscapes, monumental sets, physical performances and Basil Poledouris' extraordinary score carry an adventure that feels closer to an ancient legend than conventional fantasy. Its violence, melancholy, strange mysticism and unmistakable early-80s artistry give the Hyborian Age a texture that decades of cleaner fantasy filmmaking have struggled to reproduce. Beautiful, brutal and endlessly transportive, this is not simply a nostalgic favorite: it remains one of the defining films of sword-and-sorcery cinema.
— Matty, Curator of the Vault*
Atmosphere
Mythic, savage, melancholic, majestic, timeless
Mythic grandeur
Savage adventure
Ancient mysticism
Melancholy
Contains strong fantasy violence, bloody combat, decapitations, slavery, sexual material, nudity, occult imagery and the deaths of major characters.
Dans les coulisses
Ce qu'on ne voit pas à l'écran
Athletes Before Actors
Milius embraced the physical presence of performers such as bodybuilder Arnold Schwarzenegger and surfer Gerry Lopez, shaping the filmmaking around movement, landscape and physical authority rather than dialogue-heavy performances.
Steel Was Meant to Feel Heavy
The cast trained extensively with weapons before filming, helping the fights retain the physical weight and deliberate movement that became central to the film's identity.
The Tree of Woe Could Rotate
The enormous artificial tree was built over a metal and wooden skeleton and mounted so it could be repositioned for consistent sunlight; a hidden bicycle seat supported Schwarzenegger during the long shoot.
Camouflage from Model Airplanes
Gerry Lopez later recalled that the body camouflage used during the orgy chamber sequence was inspired by military aircraft models he and Milius painted during production.
Aux origines
Conan the Cimmerian stories
Howard introduced Conan in Weird Tales and created the prehistoric Hyborian Age, establishing the barbarian as a wandering warrior, thief, adventurer and eventual king whose stories became foundational works of sword-and-sorcery fantasy.
Palette
Les couleurs du film
Cimmerian Steel#6B7070
Hyborian Earth#8A6947
Desert Gold#B38A4D
Blood Red#743B32
Temple Black#302E2B
Mountain Blue#56636A
Images
