A thread for Dan

Dan, personally I would be interested in WHY you liked Conan, you know? Because as Maelstrom said we already know that you like the movie. So, for example, if I tell you 400000 times "I like Conan", won't you get bored about me? For sure you will.

So, why do you like it? What are the things you like about it? If you tell us these things, if you explain those, I am sure we will be interested.


See, I liked Conan as a kid because he was strong and mighty, for example. I liked to imagine I was him, and that I could beat anyone in a fight an so... Also I loved the music and the landscapes, made me feel I was making a trip into prehistory...

So, what about you, Dan, what are the things you like the most about the movie?

What scenes do you like the most? How do you feel when you watch those?

Yeah, c'mon Dan...that's exactly what I'm talking about. Conan was a very early influence on my life. I think it was the paperback book collection that my older cousin had when I was a kid that got me started. They had these covers painted by Frank Frazetta that just sucked me in with their raw energy and brilliance. Then I got into the Marvel Comics series in the '80s. I wasn't able to see the "Conan the Barbarian" until quite a few years after it's release due to the adult content. I was just sick that there was this movie about my favorite character that I was not allowed to see. Then when I finally did see it, I was totally blown away! At this point I had never actually read any of the creator's (Robert E. Howard) original works, so I had absolutely no problem with the plot deviating from his writings. The truth is, I never was much a serious reader back in the day. Well, I got older and thought that I had outgrown Conan, but every now and then he would resurface in some form or another. At one point, I had given all of my Conan stuff away to a friend (who really was not that much of a Conan fan), several years later, I asked for all of it back to which he graciously agreed to return. In the past 10 years or so, my interest in Conan has really grown and I have quite a collection of Conan related items, I have also become a voracious reader and have read all of Howard's original works concerning Conan as well as many of his lesser known characters. Many people either love the Conan movie and hate the original writings by Howard, or love Howard's writings, but despise the movie. I for one happen to love and enjoy both immensely, along with just about any other meduim in which Conan can be translated into.

I guess when I was a kid, I got bullied around a bit, got into lots of fights, got my ass kicked quite a bit. But I was much younger than most kids in my class, and it turns out that I was a late bloomer...I really identified with some of the movie themes of overcoming great setbacks and obstacles to exercise vengeance over those who had done him wrong. I learned how to fight and not give up, and like I said, It turns out that I was a late bloomer, I'm 6'3" 275 lbs these days and the last fight that I lost was when I was about 14 years old. Don't worry, I don't have any thoughts of seeking vengeance on my old enemies from my previous life, although it would be interesting to see them face to face knowadays and maybe have a friendly beer or two...or twelve.!

Anyways, I have always identified with Conan's traits, I've always felt like an outsider myself living in this so-called civilized world. I often feel like perhaps I was born in the wrong time period, and in the wrong country. And enjoying Conan is a nice way of escaping the daily rat-race, imagining that I am actually in that different era and world.

...so come on Dan, give us some more insight to what draws you to Conan...

A little Don LaFontaine tribute:

Quote :

"In a world without Dan..In a time influenced by CONAN... throughout human history man has marveled at the vast complexity of our universe. Without a single sword and a man mighty enough to unify humanity from the turmoil of an apocalyptic planet. There must come a warrior from the past to save our future but destroy our present. Now one man has the power..and his name is, Dandruff of Thundarr!"

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7QPMvj_xejg

I like CONAN THE BARBARIAN because it has great music, it had good battle scenes (I liked the battle in Thulsa Doom's Orgy Chamber, the scene where CONAN fights both Thorgrim and Rexor was good). I thought Sandahl Bergman did a good performance as Valeria. I liked the relationship between Conan and Subotai....

What i like about CONAN is that he is a mighty warrior who lives free in the world. What draws me to CONAN is that CONAN is a complex character who shows no fear, courage and strength when it comes to fighting evil. CONAN is a man who is trying to survive as he lives free in the world. It's a bit hard to think about what is about CONAN that draws me to him. The reason i talk about HE-MAN and THUNDARR, because i've always imagined, the CONAN comics and novels by Robert E. Howard may have influence over THUNDARR and HE-MAN. And Dandarr... He's not called Dandruff. I wanted to create a character that people could see as the futuristic CONAN. For Dandarr's backstory, i was trying to make his backstory different from CONAN's... Instead of Dandarr's people murdered by Ogata Borg in a savage attack. I thought why not have Dandarr and his people fight Ogata Borg in a space battle, where all of Dandarr's people were killed and Dandarr was the last of his race. For Dandarr, his name was uneasy to come up with, so in the end i came up with Dandarr...

The scenes i like from CONAN is: I like the scene in the Orgy Chamber where Conan fights Rexor and Thorgrim. I liked the scene where Conan enters the cave and discovers the skeleton and takes his sword. I liked the scene where Conan and Subotai are at the camp fire where they are talking about their gods, Crom and the Four Winds. I also liked the scene where CONAN pushes the wheel of pain. I thought the scene where Thulsa Doom kills Conan's mother, that was so sad. I also felt bad for CONAN when Thulsa Doom kills Valeria...
I like the title music ''The Anvil of Crom''. Why wasn't Subotai in the final scene of the film where Conan beheads Thulsa Doom????

Now that's more like it Dan...these are talking points that members here can relate to. The soundtrack to Conan is simply amazing! It is perhaps one of the most underrated scores ever made. I would love to locate the expanded one, I've only got the short version.

Dan wrote:

Why wasn't Subotai in the final scene of the film where Conan beheads Thulsa Doom????

Well, because it's a personal matter, only between Conan and Thulsa-Doom. It's one vs the other.

Conan is joined by the Princess because she distracts the guards and Conan can go kill them one by one in his way to Thulsa-Doom.

But when Conan meets Thulsa-Doom, it's only they two.

Subotai is waiting for him in the Mounds, with the Wizard. They are both are coocking some roasted lizard, waiting for Conan's return.

Dan wrote:

It's a bit hard to think about what is about CONAN that draws me to him...

Yeah, we know it's difficult but you are doing it well.

I am sorry to ask you things that are difficult to you, but all this is much more interesting for all of us, you know? Now we like to talk about it with you, so it's difficult but you see it's worthy

If you keep thinking what really draws you to Conan and the movie, we will be glad to continue reading you and share our experiences. Maybe you will find that you like Conan for reasons very similar to ours.

Flaming Turd wrote:

Well, because it's a personal matter, only between Conan and Thulsa-Doom. It's one vs the other.

True. But don't forget Subotai was also wounded during the battle of the mounds (his leg), so that makes two good reasons not to go with him.