Conan the Barbarian: Unchained

A great documentary with all kind of infos and facts concerning how the movie was made; filled with interviews, stories and memories of many of the cast and crew involved in the movie.

If you loved Conan you'll love this without a doubt

10/10.

Quite frankly, I'm really surprised that Conan Unchained has a mere 5.2 rating on IMDb. It's far better than its average rating indicates. In fact, it was nominated for 'Best DVD Original Retrospective Documentary/Featurette' by Video Premiere Award in 2001.

As for the documentary's content, Arnold and Milius are engaging and charismatic as always in Unchained, and it was great to see the rest of cast and hear their comments after nearly 20 years. It was also great to see others such as Gerry Lopez and James Earl Jones. Lastly, I'm glad they discussed Robert E. Howard, Conan's creator, and gave some insight into how the barbarian came to be.

Now, if I had to offer some criticism, it would be how the documentary completely neglected William Smith (Conan's father) and Valérie Quennessen (the princess). I was really disappointed that they didn't interview William Smith and get his thoughts on the experiences he had making the film. Furthermore, I was saddened that they didn't mention how Valérie Quennessen died tragically in an automobile accident approximately 7 years after Conan the Barbarian in 1989.

Other than that, I found the documentary insightful and very entertaining. Don't miss it.

This is a competent, fairly lengthy but hardly exhaustive documentary on the subject by renowned film-maker/historian Bouzereau. It should perhaps have dug deeper into the history of Conan – creator Robert E. Howard (and his personal demons) is only mentioned in passing; ditto for the influence maverick illustrator Frank Frazetta had on the mythology behind the character (and the fictionalized era which he inhabited) – not to mention the film’s sequel, or its own place within the whole sword-and-sorcery cycle prevalent during the early 1980s!

Still, several of the main contributors (both behind and in front of the camera) have their say about the film: at the forefront, of course, are John Milius and Arnold Schwarzenegger – but it also goes on to interview Oliver Stone and Max von Sydow (who, of his performance, recalls best his bloody death scene which remained on the cutting-room floor!). The documentary also deals with the painstaking production – from the film’s elaborate sets to its choreographed swordplay, and even touches upon the creation of CONAN THE BARBARIAN’s special effects (here the speakers felt the need to remind the audience that these were done in the days before CGI). However, some discussion on critical reaction to the film at the time of its release – and how it has worn the passage of time – should not have been amiss.

I've had the special edition DVD for some time, but I'd not taken the time to see this. Last night I did, and it was really interesting to hear what went into this movie. You can always tell when a movie has that little touch that makes it rise above the rest, and here you see why. Don't miss John Milius' imitation of Arnold when he first met DeLaurentis and his big desk! Only Arnold would say and get away with something like that. Unlike some behind-the-scenes documentaries that tend to detract from the air of the film or give away something you'd simply be better off not knowing, I'm really hyped to re-watch the movie now.

1st watched 3/22/2025 - (Dir-Laurent Bouzereau) Good documentary on the making of the original "Conan the Barbarian" with information given by many of the contributors including the director, the stars, writers of the screenplay, stunt men, special effects folks and more. It doesn't slow down and, in my opinion, it could have been longer without pulling away movie-interested folks like me. It is a good accompaniment to the film with enough background and specifics to keep you interest most of the way. There is nothing flashy or different than other making of's, but it does what it wants to do well and soon enough to have the original contributors put in their input.