The Barbarians | |
---|---|
Directed by | Ruggero Deodato |
Screenplay by | James R. Silke |
Produced by | |
Starring |
|
Cinematography | Gianlorenzo Battaglia [2] |
Edited by | Eugenio Alabiso [1] |
Music by | Pino Donaggio [1] |
Production companies |
|
Distributed by | Cannon Releasing Corporation |
Release dates |
|
Running time | 87 minutes [1] |
Countries |
|
Language | English |
Box office | $800,000 |
The Barbarians is a 1987 sword and sorcery film directed by Ruggero Deodato and starring the Barbarian Brothers (Peter and David Paul), Richard Lynch and Eva La Rue.
The film is an Italian and American co-production shot in Rome and the Abruzzo Mountains. Peter and David Paul were nominated for a Golden Raspberry Award as Worst New Stars for this film.
The film is set in a heroic fantasy world. The Ragnicks, a tribe of peaceful travelling entertainers, are attacked by the evil tyrant Kadar, who takes their queen Canary hostage. Canary, however, manages to hide her magic ruby, the lucky jewel of the Ragnicks which Kadar seeks to bolster his power. Two young twins from the tribe, Kutchek and Gore, bite off two of Kadar's fingers. In retaliation, Kadar has them taken prisoner as well, but agrees to spare their lives if Canary becomes his bride.
Kutchek and Gore are separated and work as slaves for several years, and grow up as amazingly strong adults. Once they have come of age, Kadar sets them up to fight each other to the death in the arena, their faces masked by metal helmets. But as they struggle, Gore knocks open Kutchek's helmet, revealing his face; after recognizing each other, and after seeing Canary as a prisoner by Kadar's side, the twins escape from Kadar's fortress. In the woods, they find their old tribemates, who have led a life of misery ever since Canary's kidnapping, and a girl named Ismene, a thief imprisoned by the Ragnicks. At first mistaken for enemies and nearly hanged, Kutchek and Gore manage to reveal their past association with the tribe.
Incensed by the cruelties Kadar has imposed upon their lives, the two brothers plan to go back and seek revenge on the tyrant. Ismene leads them to a local trading post to get them some weapons, but have to leave empty-handed when the weapons dealer challenges them to a bout of arm wrestling and proves to be a bad loser. The three of them thereupon sneak their way into the palace harem, where Kutchek and Gore find Canary imprisoned. Instead of being freed, however, Canary insists that the two brothers recover the ruby, which has been secreted in an area called the Forbidden Land, where the Ragnicks first received the ruby and which is guarded by a fearsome dragon. But their presence in the palace is eventually discovered by China, Kadar's court sorceress. Intent on seizing the ruby for herself, China tortures Canary for information and departs to the Forbidden Land, but just as she find the gem, China and her entourage are met by the dragon, who devours them.
Following Canary's advice, the twins and Ismene first travel to a secret tomb to recover several magical weapons to fight the dragon, and then proceed to the Forbidden Land. The dragon rises to kill them, but the brothers slay it and recover the ruby from its guts. They entrust the gem to Ismene to return it to the Ragnicks, while they prepare to carry the final fight to Kadar. But then Kadar, who has discovered China's treachery, arrives along with Canary, and knowing that her time is at an end, Canary calls upon the ruby's magic to make Kadar kill her and call Kutchek and Gore back to the Forbidden Land. The brothers encounter the tyrant and do battle, and after Kadar tries to shoot them with a crossbow, but attempting to pull the trigger with his missing fingers, he is killed when they both throw their swords through his chest.
With Canary dead, the ruby turns to stone, but Ismene refuses to give up. Suddenly, the ruby is restored, a sign for the Ragnicks to choose a new queen for their tribe by inserting the ruby into the candidates' belly button, where it shall stick to mark her as their new ruler. But none of the Ragnicks' maidens appears to be suitable, whereupon the tribe chooses Ismene to try. The ruby remains in place, and Ismene finally reveals herself as Kara, Kutchek and Gore's old tribemate who had since left the Ragnicks for a life of her own. With their spirit restored, and with the brothers' return, the Ragnicks are free to resume their life of travelling and entertainment.
The Barbarians is an Italian and American co-production between Cannon Films and Cannon Italia SrL. [2] In November 1985, The Hollywood Reporter stated that screenwriter James R. Silke was finishing his script for The Barbarians and along with Serbian director Slobodan Šijan, he began scouting locations. [1] Variety later reported in July 1986 that Šijan was replaced by director Ruggero Deodato. [1] The film was budgeted at $2.5 million. [1]
Principal photography on the film began August 4, 1986 in Rome. [1] Filming later moved to the Abruzzo Mountains in August 1986. [1] Production had ended by October 1986. [1]
The Barbarians was first shown in the United States on March 20, 1987. [2] It was released theatrically in Italy on April 24, 1987. [2]
It opened on 89 screens on May 15, 1987, earning $238,842 during its opening weekend. [1] It grossed a total of $800,000 in the United States. [3]
The Barbarians was released on DVD by Shout! Factory in the United States on August 27, 2013 as a double feature with the film The Norseman (1978). [4]
A remastered Blu-ray edition was published in December 2020. Bonus material included a commentary by the film historians Troy Howarth and Nathaniel Thompson. [5] [6]
A contemporary review by Michael Wilmington, published in Los Angeles Times , opined that "[s]eldom has a movie looked so good and sounded so dumb", referring to "moronic" dialogue and the constant bellowing of Peter and David Paul. Wilmington predicted that these would eventually attain a cult status. He was not happy with the screenplay but noted that "director Ruggero Deodato and his crew have contrived to make what must have been an inexpensive production shine with an ersatz sumptuousness, a 'Road Warrior' raffishness and gleam." [7]
In his book Horror and Science Fiction Film IV, Donald C Willis described the film as a "routine sword-and-sorcery action" while noting that "there's some dumb fun to be had in the casualness of the production" and that "the film has the refreshingly unpretentious tone of a TV beer commercial." [8] VideoHound's Golden Movie Retriever described the film as "dumbbutfun" and awarded it one star. [9]
The Blu-Ray edition was well-received. [5] [6] Matthew Hartman of High-Def Digest called The Barbarians "[o]ne of the biggest and arguably one of the best Cannon Group films of the 80s," praising its "intricate costuming and elaborate sets" as well as the comedic vigor of Peter and David Paul who are "clearly having a great time here". Hartman felt that the special features were lacking, even if the audio commentary is informative and fun. He gave the film 3.5 stars out of 5. [6] Brian Orndorf of Blu-Ray.com similarly praised Paul brothers' "distinct sibling chemistry and playfulness". He awards the film 3.5 stars out of 5 and praises the quality of the remaster, but gives a mediocre score for the special features. [5]
The film is popular among Finnish B-movie enthusiasts and has attracted positive reviews in fanzines and websites dedicated to genre films. Tähtivaeltaja and Elitisti have described it as one of the best barbarian-themed sword & sorcery films of all time. [10] [11] [12] [13]
Full Metal Jacket is a 1987 war film directed and produced by Stanley Kubrick from a screenplay he co-wrote with Michael Herr and Gustav Hasford. The film is based on Hasford's 1979 autobiographical novel The Short-Timers. It stars Matthew Modine, R. Lee Ermey, Vincent D'Onofrio, Adam Baldwin, Dorian Harewood, and Arliss Howard.
Thundarr the Barbarian is an American Saturday morning animated series, created by Steve Gerber and produced by Ruby-Spears Productions. The series ran for two seasons on ABC from October 4, 1980, to October 31, 1981, and was rerun on NBC in 1983.
Knighty Knight Bugs is a 1958 Warner Bros. Looney Tunes cartoon directed by Friz Freleng, The short was released on August 23, 1958, and stars Bugs Bunny and Yosemite Sam.
Sword-and-sandal, also known as peplum, is a subgenre of largely Italian-made historical, mythological, or biblical epics mostly set in the Greco-Roman antiquity or the Middle Ages. These films attempted to emulate the big-budget Hollywood historical epics of the time, such as Samson and Delilah (1949), Quo Vadis (1951), The Robe (1953), The Ten Commandments (1956), Ben-Hur (1959), Spartacus (1960), and Cleopatra (1963). These films dominated the Italian film industry from 1958 to 1965, eventually being replaced in 1965 by spaghetti Western and Eurospy films.
Cannibal Holocaust is a 1980 Italian cannibal film directed by Ruggero Deodato and written by Gianfranco Clerici. It stars Robert Kerman as Harold Monroe, an anthropologist who leads a rescue team into the Amazon rainforest to locate a crew of filmmakers that have gone missing while filming a documentary on local cannibal tribes.
The Sword and the Sorcerer is a 1982 American sword and sorcery fantasy film co-written and directed by Albert Pyun, and starring Lee Horsley, Kathleen Beller, Simon MacCorkindale, George Maharis, Richard Lynch, and Richard Moll. The plot concerns a mercenary with a three-bladed projectile sword who rediscovers his royal heritage when he is recruited to help a princess foil the designs of a brutal tyrant, and a powerful, devil-like sorcerer, in conquering the land.
Ruggero Deodato was an Italian film director, screenwriter, and actor.
The House on the Edge of the Park is a 1980 English-language Italian exploitation horror film written by Gianfranco Clerici and Vincenzo Mannino, and directed by Ruggero Deodato. It stars David A. Hess and Giovanni Lombardo Radice as two criminals who infiltrate a posh gathering in a villa and violently turn against the partygoers after they mock them. The film is a loose remake of The Last House on the Left (1972), in which Hess also starred.
Conan the Barbarian is a 1982 American epic sword-and-sorcery film directed by John Milius and written by Milius and Oliver Stone. Based on Robert E. Howard's Conan, the film stars Arnold Schwarzenegger and James Earl Jones, and tells the story of a barbarian warrior named Conan (Schwarzenegger) who seeks vengeance for the death of his parents at the hands of Thulsa Doom (Jones), the leader of a snake cult.
Yor, the Hunter from the Future is a 1983 science fiction fantasy film directed by Antonio Margheriti and starring Reb Brown, Corinne Cléry, Luciano Pigozzi, and John Steiner. A co-production between Italy, France, and Turkey, the film is based on the Argentinian comic Yor the Hunter, created by writer Eugenio Juan Zappietro and artist Juan Zanotto.
Grindhouse Releasing is a Hollywood-based independent cult film distribution company led by film editor Bob Murawski and co-founded by Sage Stallone. Grindhouse digitally remasters, restores, and produces bonus materials and video documentaries for cult film DVDs and Blu-rays which it distributes on the CAV label.
Conquest is a 1983 dark fantasy film directed by Lucio Fulci. The film plot involves Ilias a young man who battles monsters and mutants on his journey to manhood. Conquest was reviewed by both AllMovie and The Monthly Film Bulletin, who noted the film’s low budget and derivative nature, while finding the film to be surprisingly entertaining despite its negative aspects.
Warriors of the Year 2072 is a 1984 Italian science fiction film directed by Lucio Fulci. The film is set in the 21st century, where Romans have found a new way to handle criminals: by having them fight each other like gladiators on motorcycles on national television. The film was based on a trend of Italian cinema to develop stories of futuristic barbarians after the popularity of the films Mad Max and Escape from New York.
"Legions of the Dead" is a short story by American writers L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter, featuring the fictional sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian created by Robert E. Howard. In the opinion of de Camp critic Morgan Holmes, Catherine Crook de Camp may have had a hand in the writing as well. It was first published by Bantam Books in the paperback collection Conan the Swordsman in August 1978. Later paperback editions of the collection were issued by Ace Books. The first hardcover edition was published by Tor Books in 2002. The book has also been translated into Italian. It was later gathered together with Conan the Liberator and Conan and the Spider God into the omnibus collection Sagas of Conan.
Stunt Rock is a 1978 Australian mockumentary musical action film directed by Brian Trenchard-Smith and starring Grant Page.
Peter Paul is a former American actor, producer, television personality and bodybuilder. He and his twin brother David Paul usually acted together in films and were together called "The Barbarian Brothers". They both appeared in supporting parts including the two-hour Season 3 premiere episode of Knight Rider, "Knight of the Drones" before starring in several films including the 1987 flick The Barbarians.
Conan at the Demon's Gate is a fantasy novel by American writer Roland Green, featuring Robert E. Howard's sword and sorcery hero Conan the Barbarian. It was first published in trade paperback by Tor Books in November 1994; a regular paperback edition followed from the same publisher in August 1996.
(Redirected from David Paul Productions)
Red Sonja: Queen of Plagues is a 2016 animated sword and sorcery film featuring the character Red Sonja, adapted from the Dynamite Entertainment's Red Sonja volume 2 comic #1-6, collected as 'Red Sonja Volume 1: Queen of Plagues'. Originally produced by Gail Simone and Walter Geovani, the motion comic adaptation featured Misty Lee voicing the red-haired barbarian. The adaptation was produced by Shout! Factory, in partnership with Dynamite Entertainment and Red Sonja LLC.
Batman: Soul of the Dragon is a 2021 American animated superhero film produced by Warner Bros. Animation and DC Entertainment. It is the 42nd film of the DC Universe Animated Original Movies. The film is directed by Sam Liu and executive produced by Bruce Timm featuring an original story not based on any comic, set in the 1970s and inspired by martial arts films of that time. It features the voices of David Giuntoli as Bruce Wayne / Batman, Mark Dacascos as Richard Dragon, Kelly Hu as Lady Shiva, Michael Jai White as Ben Turner / Bronze Tiger and James Hong as O-Sensei. White reprised his role from The CW's TV show Arrow and Hu reprised her role from WB Games Montréal's video game Batman: Arkham Origins. The film was dedicated to comic book writer Dennis O'Neil who died on June 11, 2020, at the age of 81.