Conan the Barbarian: The Official Story of the Film
£27.50£33.30 (-17%)
Official retrospective hardback book telling the story of the making of Conan The Barbarian, including interviews with cast and crew and featuring behind-the-scenes photography from the shoot.
In 1982, Robert E. Howard’s iconic literary anti-hero, Conan, slashed his way from page to screen after a perilous decades-long journey. With its potent mix of epic vistas and bloody battles, Conan the Barbarian thrilled moviegoers around the world and launched the career of Arnold Schwarzenegger.
Forty years after its release, this cult-classic film is celebrated in Conan the Barbarian – The Official Story of the Film, a lush hardback volume that tells the full story of how the film was made. Brand new interviews with cast and crew, as well behind-the-scenes photography from the set and concept art created for the production, give fascinating insights into the development of one of the best-loved fantasy films of the 1980s.
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Additional information
| Publisher | Titan Books, 1st edition (8 Aug. 2023) |
|---|---|
| Language | English |
| Hardcover | 176 pages |
| ISBN-10 | 180336176X |
| ISBN-13 | 978-1803361765 |
| Dimensions | 26.16 x 2.03 x 33.02 cm |
by Oyvinn Thon
I’ve waited over a year for this and now finally, it has arrived.
By CROM, what a treasure!
This is the second movie-book i have bought by the author John Walsh, (the first being his book about the 80’s cult-classic “Flash Gordon”) but this is my favourite;
it’s about a movie so close to my heart, not only for the movie itself, but the score by the late Basil Poledouris (which also gets his pages in this) is one i reckon for one of my all-time best moviescores ever!
Now about the book itself;
It was totally worth the wait;
It’s BIG, stylish, informative, gorgeously designed and very entertaining.
It tracks the start of Conan, created by Robert E. Howard and released upon the world in pulp novels, books and comics, and finally made into this awesome sword & sorcery epic.
The book are beautifully chaptered, with chapters like production and casting of the movie, including interviews with the cast and crew, featuring behind the scenes anecdotes on the making of the movie with lots of spectacular never-been-seen photos from the shoot.
All in all, i’d say this is a MUST-HAVE for any Conan-fan, movie-buff…barbarian or otherwise, and to conclude this review with the musings of King Osric :
“There comes a time, when the jewels cease to sparkle, when the gold loses its luster, when the throne room becomes a prison, and all that is left is the yearning of this tome of a book.
John Walsh, I salute you!”
by Oyvinn Thon
Up until about 6 months ago I thought I was the only person in the world who had such an obsession with Conan The Barbarian 1982 and Flash Gordon… now it turns out there are two of us! I’ve been fascinated by this film ever since I was a child. Not because it was the best film ever made but because it took me to a place no other film had done before… and some would say since. I genuinely think it is a masterpiece. When I learnt that there was an unreleased 3hr version of the movie with hours of ‘lost’ footage that could have been recovered and edited back into the movie like so many others have done in the last 40 it simply fuelled my obsession with finding out as much as I could about how it was made and as much information about its making as I could. This book is the perfect accompaniment to fuel my passion. Brilliantly research, fantastically written and exceptionally produced, John Walsh has poured real passion into its pages. Not only does it contain exactly the kind of information any Arnold Conan fan could dream of but it’s the perfect partner for me on my next adventure… to visit the filming locations and relive some of that magic. After that the quest for lost footage begins and that story too shall be told. Excellent book and an awesomely entertaining read. If you love the movie there’s nothing better out there. And I doubt there ever will be. A must buy.
by Brother Boogie
…that in the days before the internet and idiotic youtubers, a movie goer simply had to judge a film when it actually appeared in cinemas.”
Imagine that.
Thank goodness really because if a major release today was headlined by a bodybuilder, a dancer and a surfer plus the guy who did Darth Vader’s voice then the idiot ‘tubers who always know ‘ someone on the production team’ ( they dont’t ) , a ‘person who sat in the ( of course ) dreadful previews’ ( again they don’t) or know about ‘all those rewrites ‘( once more, doubtful ) would have killed it befire a frame was ever seen.
Thankfully the early 1980’s were more enlightened times and innovation abounded unfetterd by naysayers looking for ‘hits’.
I have been a Conan fan since discovering the Marvel Comics at age 10 – both the US originals and those great B & W reprints in the UK. Then I saw the Sphere p/b ‘Conan of Cimmeria ‘in the local newsagent with that great Frazetta ‘Frost Giant’s Daughter’ cover. Thankfully my Mum bought it for me – she always encouraged reading luckily.
I have been a Robert E Howard fan ever since.
I will also admit to being a huge fan of John Walsh’s other books specifically on ‘Flash Gordon’ and ‘Escape from New York’ and so I eagerly awaited ‘Conan’.
No disappointment as the result is excellent. The author begins with a ‘Conan 101’ so to speak to bring the reader up to speed on the character’s genesis and development ie Robert E Howard, the paperback reprint resurgence, Marvel Comics and of course the singular genius that is Frank Frazetta.
Then the movie process is delineated with gaining the movie rights, casting, production ,special effects, promotion etc.
The great thing about John’s books is that ( unusually maybe for an author ) he knows when to step back , say little or even nothing and let the imagery speak for itself and boy, does this book contain some treasures worthy even of Conan the Thief at his most cunning.
Stunning photographs and illustrations of pre and post production , scripting, music scoring, behind the scenes, design ( Ron Cobb and William Stout ! ), stunts, special effects sets ups ( the forground miniatures are just incredible ) , animatronics ( remember those ?) plus the stunnig poster art of Renato Carsaro and others ( worth the price of admission alone for me anyway ).
Finally a tantalising glimpse into what might have been – but sadly wasn’t.
Brilliant and absolutely essential if you are a fan. My highest reccomendation.
( Finally John, I have a list of movie favorites that I would like you to write about if you could possibly oblige sir? )
by Beth Horne
Beautiful book, full of history and facts. Large, hardcover format, glossy pages and a perfect tribute to my favourite film! This is all things Conan – not just the film – if you like the comics and art, this is for you too.