"She was tall, splendidly shaped, but lithe. From under a steel cap escaped rebellious tresses that rippled red gold in the sun over her compact shoulders. High boots of Cordovan leather came to her mid-thighs, which were cased in baggy breeches. She wore a shirt of fine Turkish mesh-mail into her breeches. Her supple waist was confined by a flowing sash of green silk, into which were thrust a brace of pistols and a dagger, and from which depended a long Hungarian saber. Overall was carelessly thrown a scarlet cloak."
- "The Shadow of the Vulture" by Robert. E. Howard
Well, after spending a couple of years or so in Development Hell, the Red Sonja movie will finally hit theaters next month with Italian actress Matilda Lutz in the starring role. After watching the official trailer (below), I can't say it looks much different from other fantasy fare, but it could be fun to watch. The larger question is: will this be popular enough to inject further interest in the new wave of sword & sorcery?
Included here today is the introduction to Red Sonja in the Robert E. Howard story, "The Shadow of the Vulture", published in MAGIC CARPET magazine (January 1934), one of his lusty historical fiction stories set during the time of the Ottoman Empire.
Red Sonja wasn't a part of the Conan cycle of stories until Roy Thomas paired her with him in CONAN THE BARBARIAN #24 (March 1973), included here also.
RED SONJA TRAILER:
THE SHADOW OF THE VULTURE (MAGIC CARPET, VOL. 4, NO. 1, JANUARY 1934 ):
THE SONG OF RED SONJA (CONAN THE BARBARIAN #24, MARCH 1973):
Read my original post about this film HERE.