Analysis Of The Film Conan The Barbarian

Throughout the fantasy film Conan the Barbarian, the director uses many different film techniques to imply to the audience a specific message or deeper meaning behind his intentions of the way the film was made. The movie is about a young boy named Conan losing his family and being forced into slavery under the ruling of Thulsa Doom. Conan grows up being exposed to a barbaric lifestyle. He uses this lifestyle to defeat Thulsa Doom and the disturbing ritual-like worshiping of the serpent. The directors use of cinematography to convey relationships, and costumes and makeup to portray the time period and social status of the characters. The use of camera positioning helps to convey the superior relationship between characters. This occurs during

The movie is set in a barbaric and medieval type era, which is represented through the dirty, outdoors look of the characters. Many of the characters’ appearances depict their lifestyles and what role in society they belong to. Conan’s character is seen wearing very minimal amounts of clothing, which usually consist of animal fur through most of the movie. The reason for this is because he experiences a slave-like lifestyle for nearly half of his life. His character represents a strong, masculine man, therefore, he is usually seen shirtless when performing manly acts. The different types of clothing Conan wears emphasize his barbaric and violent demeanor. By the end of the film, the viewer experiences the dramatic evolution of Conan’s clothing. Conan is wearing full body armor while sitting on a throne. This implies the power and leadership Conan gains after he finally defeats Thulsa Doom, who killed his parents when he was a child. Also, in the film other characters’ costumes relate to the time period being conveyed. The actors/actresses playing the characters in the village Conan visits, wear more clothing and their clothes correspond with their roles in society. These people consist of the working class, and the clothing helps to let the audience understand each character’s service they are providing. Unlike Conan and the village of people, the upper class wore more

Throughout the movie, many characters are shown wearing barely any makeup or none at all. This portrays the violence and barbarism present in the lifestyle of the characters. During the fight scene at the end of the movie, there is an enormous amount of blood coming from the soldiers of Thulsa Doom’s military men. Conan, the wizard, and Subotai fight off the warriors by stabbing them or either shoot them with an arrow. In this scene the audience sees blood going everywhere as heads are cut off and more and more men are stabbed and killed. The blood is flying in the air and all over the ground showing the savagery of the barbaric acts throughout the fight scene. The men all fight until death and never back down because they are a part of the followers of Thulsa Doom and whatever he says goes. This demonstrates that the blood creates a violent atmosphere and it reveals the type of time period of which this film takes place. Also, the characters such as Conan and Valeria are illustrating the medieval and ancient film through the use of makeup. These characters do not have on elaborate makeup styles. They appear as dirty, and have a more natural appearance. The characters also have a warrior type of appearance to them because they wear very little makeup and it makes them look like they are not as focused on looking perfect compared to an upper class person. For