The thing that makes this scene brilliant is that there is no talking. Everything from the kids slowly growing up and disappearing to the changing seasons, to the foreboding music tells the viewer the story completely. As the adage: show, don't tell.
There's a lot here that goes untold, it's really a mistake to say it tells the story "completely". It's more accurate to say they cut out unnecessary information for the sake of atmosphere and pacing. Which is both very difficult and laudable.
They grew up and left? I assumed they died from being overworked. Being chained to something called "the wheel of pain" doesn't really invoke a sense that one can leave.
The Wheel of life, The Circle of life, Nose to the grindstone, When life pushes against you, you push back All roads lead to Crom He feels that he is going in circles Ok that all
I always come back to this video when times get tough in life. Just like Conan we keep pushing through the hard times, we may loose others on the way but we will be stronger because of our past struggles 💪🏼
Grew up to this movie since VERY young. After a series of recent catastrophes, I watched this film again, and wept at the swell and climactic moment when Conan raises his head in triumph. It reinvigorated me. That's the power of film as an artform. If life ever gets chaotic for you guys out there, the 3 things to check are sleep, diet, and exercise. All 3 important to balance the other, but I came to realize that order is specific. You won't die 20 days without exercise. You won't die 20 days without food (as long you have water and don't physically exert yourself). You will die 20 days without sleep. Priorities. Get your sleep schedule in order. Then diet. Then exercise. In that order. Everything else in life happens to fall back into place when those 3 critical functions are balanced. The 4th is stress management; however, doing those 3 directly reduce stress. Stress management is time management. Once time management is mastered, so, too, is stress. And if you do not listen, then the HYELL with you! 🪓
True. CGI crowd looks so fake. Also CGI explosions, rubbles falling, or waterfalls are always slo-mo. I dunno why they don't just stick to real physics
Always! CGI is TOO CLEAN what makes practical work/sets good is that you can see flaws and differences in the surfaces and other little inconsistencies which make it look believable.👍
@@artokiiskinen1058 except this very plot point. Conan doesn't spend his juvenile years as a slave, he only was captured for a short period of time after a failed raid
That is what makes you laugh in a lot of these fantasy and ancient 'epics', no way to shave but the women all have smooth silky legs and the guys are clean shaven; often with short hair.
@@johnbower7452 Some men naturally don't grow facial hair. I used to have a roommate that couldn't grow a beard.....he was always jealous of my facial hair. And i was jealous of the fact he didn't have to waste time and money on shaving every day.
I’m not gonna lie. I was a kid when this movie came out and when you see the transformation of the kid to a man and how ripped he became, I was thinking...”so that’s the secret, where’s the wheel!”
The music, sets, costumes, scenery, and cinematography make Conan The Barbarian completely different from the sword-and-sandal epics of the 1960s. A completely new departure. It's never been equaled.
I read that the prop guys did such a good job on this that it rotated too smoothly, which resulted in the actors having to pretend that they were pushing hard.
One of the coolest flexes ever is this is an event at the Arnold Strongman Classic now. Arnie has people to push the wheel for him now, LOL. The strongest men in the world push the Wheel of Pain - an amazing replica reconstruction from the obsessives at Rogue Fitness. Whether this is a good way to get strong or not is still up for debate - but once you ARE really strong, this is an event you can compete in.
I think he bought Conan that day then left him behind to run the family business. Might have even sent extra money to ensure his investment grows big and strong. As we can all see. Conan was reserved and paid for. Otherwise the mill would not have been in operation so long.
@@ChalkisPinball The character's striking red hair is meant to stand out to the audience. It seems like the character's internal monologue is this: "It's bad enough to turn someone into a slave, but to turn a naturally good man evil is unacceptable."
The greater wheel of pain! Also called the column of sadness, this device strengthens the body as it breaks the mind. Can break up to eight thralls at a time.
What I love about this movie most is that in the prologue there are almost no lines spoken and the narrator speaks only a few words. This is what films nowadays lack: they treat the audience as idiots that need everything pre-chewed and put in their mouths.
Its from the "Show, don't tell" school of film making, this movie was directed by John Milius and written by him and Oliver Stone. Thats why its so good.
THE WHEEL OF INCONVIENCE , " Oh this sand is rocky, I have a pebble between my toes! The food here is terrible. Why are you staring at me? Do I have dirt on my face?!
Inspiration, I would say. I was barely 15 when this movie was released in our little town in a remote part of India. All of us kids hit the gyms then. Well none of us became Mr Olympia. But we kept away from bad habits. I am 53 now , alone, failed ,doomed, miserable and scared. But this movie still inspires me to keep going.
@@suresh8966 I empathize and sympathize for you. We must press on, my friend. Maintain heart and continue forward no matter what this arduous life throws at you.
It just dawned on me, after all these years, that the read headed kid that shackled him to the wheel of pain, is the same one who came back as a man and freed him.
2:10 Great badass acting by Arnold there, can see the unquenchable fire burning in his eyes. It's probably what kept his character pushing the wheel day in and day out, from child to man. Goes really well with Conan's desire for vengeance against Thulsa Doom for the death of his parents and the destruction of his village.
It will make you very strong. Any type of consistent work where you need strength will make you strong as nails. Edit: My dad never went to the gym but climbed trees as a lad and after that, worked his entire life in a mine. He still has incredible grip strength and all around physique.
@@powerofberzerker9487 it would make you strong if you were being fed properly. If not, you would probably be dead or disfigured from hard labour coupled with malnutrition.
I am sitting in my chair watching RU-vid videos recovering after rupturing both my quad tendons right before thanksgiving 2020. You see Arnold’s legs and think if you just lift heavy and eat right you will get that big. Truth be told you have four muscles tied together connected by one tendon connected to your patella. My doctor says it is a miracle more powerlifter don’t tear their patella or quad tendons. I grew up watching Arnold and Stallone movies, but Arnold has stayed injury free compared to Stallone.
I was 14 when I saw this in a packed movie theater with my dad and little brother back in 1982. At the end of the scene, when the two men greet each other, my dad says out loud,"High five!" Nobody laughed except my brother and me.
This is one of the greatest plot in the movie that well explains why Conan has such great strength and determination. The sequels were just weak in this aspect. In the newest sequel, why Conan is so strong. Oh, because he happens to be a genius in martial arts. Cheap!
Those slavers really messed up by feeding Conan a high protein, high calorie diet, and giving him sufficient rest and recovery time to build a godlike physique. Otherwise, he would've slowly wasted away and died of caloric deficit, having been worked to death.
For those not familiar with Conan lore: Conan didn't actually ate the other Thralls, nor he killed them, it only took less time for them to be converted into Thralls. Conan took this long becuase he is Conan.
Member seeing this, premiere, Superchannel, 9 pm... It was the most epic experience back then,the music, the imagery the story of Conan told in such a real and vast world
What a perfect way to create a super strong enemy who will come for you later on to take revenge. Feed him a high protein diet, make him do heavy muscle-building workouts for years, and then train him to fight like a professional in the ring.........
Holy crap...I can still remember seeing this when it debuted on HBO...right after it's theatrical run...40 FRIGGIN' YEARS AGO. The early-to-mid '80s were a great time to be alive if you liked: 1. Movies taking place in post-apocalyptic wastelands. 2. Movies about seemingly invincible psychotic serial killers who slay horny teenagers/college kids/camp counselors. 3. Movies whose synopses include copious references to swords, wizards, barbarian hordes, quests, evil wizards, kings, and...you get the idea. Boris Vellejo was a very busy man during the '80s, no doubt.
Hyborian arithmetic Considering that young Conan said the sentence "I'll be back" to the guardian 45 times every hour, and considering that he was pushing his wheel 8 hours and 30 minutes a day, minus food/pee breaks that took approximately 45 minutes of his day. Considering that he pushed his wheel for 12 years and 7 months, how many times did Conan said: "I'll be back"???
What I want to know is, what was the wheel drilling for in the earth? Oil? Gold? What? There had to be some functional purpose to drill that ground other than to make a slave boy the strongest man in the world.
@@paulcolburn3855 It's a mill not a drill. Of course why they use men instead of animals I cannot phantom. Maybe donkeys or mules are not in this universe. Or it's actually a trading place for slaves and they are put to work until they are sold. But the you wonder why Conan seems to be the last one left.
Head Clan Cheif: ”Hammy Hamster the Hambabarian! Whats best in life!!?.” Hammy barbarian: ”Push Wheel and here the lementation of the cyber haters pussies will be Hammy food!!!.”