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Barbarians: From Conan to He-Man
The eighties was the era for Heroic Fantasy. And after the box office success of John Milius’ Conan, a horde of muscle bound heroes stormed movie theaters and video store aisles. Their names were Ator, Yor, Gunan, Thor, Hundra, Dar... and these illegitimate children of the Cimmerian were to participate in the construction of a singular heroic figure, a brutal, unmodern and delightfully anachronistic character: the barbarian.
In the U.S., legendary producer Roger Corman, often referred to as the Pope of B-movies, jumped into the breach, taking advantage of the situation to relocate production of his Conan rip-offs to South America. In Italy, where the art of the counter-attack and the retort to Hollywood blockbusters has become a specialty, Conan is also a source of ideas. Joe d’Amato, Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato and Tonino Ricci explored the genre, while Luigi Cozzi rode the wave, revisiting the 12 labors of Hercules with the Hulk himself. Even Turkey got in on the act with Altar. The barbarian international league was born, and went so far as to colonize children’s imaginations with a line of toys with a surprisingly adult spirit: Masters of the Universe.
This brief and little-documented cinematic trend is often referred to as Conansploitation. Barbarians, from Conan to He-Man looks back at this curious phenomenon in 256 large and richly illustrated pages. Discover the production and shooting secrets behind the best and worst movies of the genre: the four cinematic adventures of Ator, the Italian barbarian, or the Deathstalker saga; plunge into the marvellous universe of Beatsmaster or Yor, the Hunter From the Future. Have fun with the genre’s clichés in the graphics chapter: “The art of being a barbarian”, and discover what separates Conansploitation from the original work of Robert E. Howard, the father of Conan, thanks to an interview with Patrice Louinet, one of the greatest Conanspecialists and translators (who also translated the book into English).
Barbarians: from Conan to He-Man is released simultaneously in an full English-language edition. The cover uses by the French theatrical poster for Tonino Ricci’s Thor il Conquistatore (1983). (Unfortunately, we couldn’t identify the artist).
In the U.S., legendary producer Roger Corman, often referred to as the Pope of B-movies, jumped into the breach, taking advantage of the situation to relocate production of his Conan rip-offs to South America. In Italy, where the art of the counter-attack and the retort to Hollywood blockbusters has become a specialty, Conan is also a source of ideas. Joe d’Amato, Lucio Fulci, Ruggero Deodato and Tonino Ricci explored the genre, while Luigi Cozzi rode the wave, revisiting the 12 labors of Hercules with the Hulk himself. Even Turkey got in on the act with Altar. The barbarian international league was born, and went so far as to colonize children’s imaginations with a line of toys with a surprisingly adult spirit: Masters of the Universe.
This brief and little-documented cinematic trend is often referred to as Conansploitation. Barbarians, from Conan to He-Man looks back at this curious phenomenon in 256 large and richly illustrated pages. Discover the production and shooting secrets behind the best and worst movies of the genre: the four cinematic adventures of Ator, the Italian barbarian, or the Deathstalker saga; plunge into the marvellous universe of Beatsmaster or Yor, the Hunter From the Future. Have fun with the genre’s clichés in the graphics chapter: “The art of being a barbarian”, and discover what separates Conansploitation from the original work of Robert E. Howard, the father of Conan, thanks to an interview with Patrice Louinet, one of the greatest Conanspecialists and translators (who also translated the book into English).
Barbarians: from Conan to He-Man is released simultaneously in an full English-language edition. The cover uses by the French theatrical poster for Tonino Ricci’s Thor il Conquistatore (1983). (Unfortunately, we couldn’t identify the artist).
256 pages, Hardcover
Published June 1, 2024
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September 30, 2025
Some might see this as a glorified IMDB or Wikipedia printout,as the bulk of it is each chapter being about a particular movie, with synopsis and production background. What this results in mostly is a common fad these days and for quite some time: deciphering intent of the past through a modern lens. In the introduction chapter and within a few movie chapters, it did get a little tiresome to hear the biased takes on women in film, ignoring the nuance of most men and women involved, ignoring that the muscle-bound men were as much sexualized for female viewership as vice versa, that women were heavily involved in using sex to sell, and focusing in on sensational aspects that were overstated in their era, let alone now. It seemed cheap to downplay Lou Ferigno's pride and to prop Sybil Danning's empowerment, instead of considering the fact that two stars simply butted heads for the same fear of being outshined. This is why the film crew didn't pick a side but tried to acquiesce both parties. In addition, Sybil Danning criticized Ferigno and his wife for not allowing Hercules to be sexual and adult, while the Ferrignos wanted children to not be exposed to such. It's still quite a cool reference book for the genre or similar types, and some very cool film stills and posters the world over. The most potent section is The Two Conans interview ...
... showing that two different Conans now exist, and you can like them both, but don't watch Arnold Schwarzenegger and think this is who Howard wrote in any capacity. "Conan the Cimmerian and Conan the Barbarian have little in common other than their name". I'm glad he pointed out that the presumed misogyny is from the Conan pop icon, and not from Howard's tales, which leaned into strong females while still appreciating the beauty of the female. I would say that misogyny is still overstated in the sword-and-sorcery universe as well as in the pop icons, as women were in fact heavily involved almost from day one, in literature and cinema, but please never, never, never relegate Howard and Tolkien to the Stones and the Beatles. The stories age well, the early music ages well, but the whole catalogue of music is in question compared to Hyborian and Middle-Earth.
... showing that two different Conans now exist, and you can like them both, but don't watch Arnold Schwarzenegger and think this is who Howard wrote in any capacity. "Conan the Cimmerian and Conan the Barbarian have little in common other than their name". I'm glad he pointed out that the presumed misogyny is from the Conan pop icon, and not from Howard's tales, which leaned into strong females while still appreciating the beauty of the female. I would say that misogyny is still overstated in the sword-and-sorcery universe as well as in the pop icons, as women were in fact heavily involved almost from day one, in literature and cinema, but please never, never, never relegate Howard and Tolkien to the Stones and the Beatles. The stories age well, the early music ages well, but the whole catalogue of music is in question compared to Hyborian and Middle-Earth.
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