The Effects Of Sound In John Milius's Conan The Barbarian

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The Effects of Sound in John Milius’s Conan the Barbarian Directed by John Milius, Conan the Barbarian released in 1982 starred Arnold Schwarzenegger as the main character, Conan. The movie is set in a fictional time, in a land separated into many kingdoms. Gods play a vital role in the daily lives of the common people, influencing what clothes the people wear, and the paths they travel. In Conan the Barbarian, there is a plethora of different sounds from music to metal clashing. Milius uses dialogue, music and sound effects in Conan the Barbarian to add to the emotion of the movie, to add realism to the visuals on-screen and to set the tone of the scene. The sounds of the opening scenes set the tone and put the plot in motion by immersing …show more content…

It fades to a fire where a man and woman are forging a steel sword, from start to finish with the sounds associated with forging a sword. The music that accompanies this scene is a mix of percussion instruments such as cymbals and drums, and brass instruments, both medium and low-pitched. The music adds to the importance of this scene, as the sword being forged plays an important role in the next few scenes of the movie. The instruments are not seen on screen, and are non-diegetic. The use of music during the montage acts as a tool to speed up time. The next scene contains the first of the dialogue in the movie, a short bit of conversation from Conan’s father to Conan, about the gods they worship with some light music in the background. Conan’s father says “But Crom is your god…” an important line from their conversation, showing that there are multiple gods in this world, and that the god they choose to worship is an important choice to make, as it helps shape the way they live their lives. The dialogue provides more background to the main character and reveals …show more content…

As Conan and company are rescuing the princess from Thusla Doom’s temple, he meets the men who slaughtered his village and family. The music in this scene starts out low-pitched, then changes to a higher pitched music. After the fight is over the music stops. In this scene, the music was used to enhance Conan’s lust for revenge; if there had not been any music during this scene the tension between Conan and the men he is trying to get revenge on would not have been as prevalent. Shortly after Conan and his companions rescue the princess from Thusla Doom, Valeria dies. The scene starts out mostly silent, with quiet music playing in the background, that gradually becomes louder and helps to create sadness in the scene, because of Conan’s love for Valeria. The music used strongly enhances this scene by conveying the emotion felt by Conan and his friend. In movies, the sounds they choose to use during certain scenes is intended to enhance many elements of the

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