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Post by themirrorthief on Feb 21, 2017 23:47:58 GMT -5
when buscema began drawing conan as a body builder, that was when he became nothing more than Hercules with a sword
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Post by Von K on Feb 25, 2017 15:40:55 GMT -5
I have no problem with that idea at all. Even as a 10yr old (and maybe that helped), I saw Conan as Balthus' mentor. It was just obvious. Maybe the fact that I constantly worked with fairly rough-hewn guys (our farm/ranch hands) every summer from the age of 8 had something to do with it. You get the same thing between Conan and Almuric in the "Tombalku" stuff. Hi Deuce, I figured you'd be able to see where I was coming from. Of course, using the HJ is just one 'meta' strategy. It's interesting to compare Leigh Brackett's approach with that of Tim Willocks. Both Tim and Leigh wrote screenplays and worked in Hollywood for a while and here's a glimpse of their approach to character, plot and structure: Then contrast with REH himself, who mostly outlined plots in advance
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Post by themirrorthief on Feb 28, 2017 23:02:19 GMT -5
plots take work, maybe days of thinking about it...sometimes one just pops in your head. There are probably many secrets to good writing, wish I knew them, but if you want to write something you just have to first make it interesting for yourself I guess
I think Howard's plots are generally excellent and his characters unrivaled And his best stories have insanely good atmosphere, really amazing. A mixture of great poetry and smooth flowing prose
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Post by deuce on Mar 20, 2017 1:40:55 GMT -5
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Post by Von K on Mar 21, 2017 13:56:24 GMT -5
Thanks Deuce, interesting article.
It seems to me that REH mostly took a laconic 'Leone' approach to character backstory. He once said to Novalyne ‘the best background is just there.’ Might be interesting to speculate on what he may have meant by that.
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Post by megatron on Sept 5, 2018 21:47:45 GMT -5
Great article. Fantastic insight. Thanks for sharing!
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Post by Peter on Jan 28, 2019 3:51:59 GMT -5
This was a personal and perceptive blog. Very enjoyable to read. Whilst my lack of knowledge on the subject of screenwriting, cannot allow me to comment about the story process of the plot and structure screenwriters use. I was impressed with Rick Stump's insight into Conan's Character.
How Conan treats those around him both male or female, is very simplistic in that his own sense of honour is not borne from materialism but from self-respect. You can never underestimate the shrewd nature of Conan's cunning as he can quickly adapt to the ways of civilisation and the machinations of power. Where Conan's sense of himself may seem simple and uncivilised, to those who have underestimated him, they have learnt (often to their own peril) how quick witted and sharp of mind Conan really is.
I loved the simple sum up of Conan by Rick, that "Conan wanted to see what was over the next hill and wanted money to buy wine".
Perhaps when Screenwriters can move away from revenge/hero quests as Rick points out, we may get to see a more accurate portrayal of Conan's character traits on the screen. I would love to see this Conan, using his quick wit and guile in tandem with his sword arm on screen one day. Soon.
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Post by kemp on Jan 29, 2019 7:36:22 GMT -5
Something almost in the vain of the better old 'lost land' adventure movies. Conan journeys to strange old cities in distant lands full of mystery and intrigue, and we ( the viewers ) are made to feel like outsiders along with Conan. Hard to articulate in print ( at least for me ), but the mind conjures up all sorts of obstacles and enemies ( arcane and physical ) for Conan to overcome. This could be epic.
Just get the Hollywood execs to watch some of the old Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller, maybe also the classic 'Journey to the Center of the Earth from 59 to get that feeling of awe when removed from the comfort of the world you had known all your life and suddenly thrown into a new environment, prehistoric or lost civilisation. Not saying that Conan should act like Weismuller's Tarzan, that's not Conan, more the feel and look of some of those films, especially the drama and tension between Tarzan and the big game hunters and treasure seekers he falls in with for a time, that dynamic.
Romance, well we have Belit for that, her ship the perfect vehicle to explore those strange other worlds.
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Post by johnnypt on Jan 29, 2019 8:25:43 GMT -5
Something almost in the vain of the better old 'lost land' adventure movies. Conan journeys to strange old cities in distant lands full of mystery and intrigue, and we ( the viewers ) are made to feel like outsiders along with Conan. Hard to articulate in print ( at least for me ), but the mind conjures up all sorts of obstacles and enemies ( arcane and physical ) for Conan to overcome. This could be epic. Just get the Hollywood execs to watch some of the old Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller, maybe also the classic 'Journey to the Center of the Earth from 59 to get that feeling of awe when removed from the comfort of the world you had known all your life and suddenly thrown into a new environment, prehistoric or lost civilisation. Not saying that Conan should act like Weismuller's Tarzan, that's not Conan, more the feel and look of some of those films, especially the drama and tension between Tarzan and the big game hunters and treasure seekers he falls in with for a time, that dynamic. Romance, well we have Belit for that, her ship the perfect vehicle to explore those strange other worlds. I would guess they think that genre has been beaten into the ground since it's been used in a lot of the Tarzan films, along with movies like King Solomon's Mines, etc. Red Nails is a prime example of a story that on the surface could be just another "lost city" story, but underneath there's a lot more going on. It just takes the right talent and the right approach to bring something new to the table to an archetype that's been around since...well, since people have been telling stories.
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Post by kemp on Jan 29, 2019 19:42:17 GMT -5
Something almost in the vain of the better old 'lost land' adventure movies. Conan journeys to strange old cities in distant lands full of mystery and intrigue, and we ( the viewers ) are made to feel like outsiders along with Conan. Hard to articulate in print ( at least for me ), but the mind conjures up all sorts of obstacles and enemies ( arcane and physical ) for Conan to overcome. This could be epic. Just get the Hollywood execs to watch some of the old Tarzan movies starring Johnny Weissmuller, maybe also the classic 'Journey to the Center of the Earth from 59 to get that feeling of awe when removed from the comfort of the world you had known all your life and suddenly thrown into a new environment, prehistoric or lost civilisation. Not saying that Conan should act like Weismuller's Tarzan, that's not Conan, more the feel and look of some of those films, especially the drama and tension between Tarzan and the big game hunters and treasure seekers he falls in with for a time, that dynamic. Romance, well we have Belit for that, her ship the perfect vehicle to explore those strange other worlds. I would guess they think that genre has been beaten into the ground since it's been used in a lot of the Tarzan films, along with movies like King Solomon's Mines, etc. Red Nails is a prime example of a story that on the surface could be just another "lost city" story, but underneath there's a lot more going on. It just takes the right talent and the right approach to bring something new to the table to an archetype that's been around since...well, since people have been telling stories. Exactly, and I probably should have clarified that what I was referring to was more of a template on top of the underlying complexities. Red Nails would fit right into that category of story telling, in this case you have Valeria as the travelling companion ( perhaps romantic interest ) with Xuchotl as the lost and dying city, you have feud and treachery, certainly intrigue. The best part is that it would not be another Conan vengeance movie, and the cultural decadence and disintegration motifs has some contemporary significance. REH used lost cities in other Conan and non Conan stories, and there is a literary tradition that goes back to Haggard and ERB and further back. Yes, it should be updated for a modern audience, agree with you. Kind of like that awe we had when the J J Abrams Star Trek was released in 2009…before they fracked it up in the last instalment. O.K. I did like the first two movies, Benedict Cumberbatch's Khan was as good as the one portrayed by Ricardo Montalban in the older movie, albeit a different version.
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Post by kemp on Jan 30, 2019 8:15:24 GMT -5
I should have added that the big Hollywood movie guys should shoot for some of that nihilism present in the original CtB. At least it captured something of REH, in feel, even if it was just another revenge of the barbarian flick. If anything it was a good one, and no one has produced anything better since CtB.
Not many are aware that the film'The Good, the bad, and the ugly', although directed by Sergio Leonie, and shot in Europe, was also financed in very large part by United Artists. The American studio was impressed by the success of the first two 'spaghetti westerns' and so gave the financial backing to make the last and most popular instalment, with an aim for distribution in the US of course.
Maybe in the perfect world the ( real ) fans would get to produce and direct a Conan movie, be financed by a major Hollywood studio, and with a supporting cast that may or may not include an international line up. Just shoot the thing in Span again.
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Post by johnnypt on Jan 30, 2019 8:43:18 GMT -5
I should have added that the big Hollywood movie guys should shoot for some of that nihilism present in the original CtB. At least it captured something of REH, in feel, even if it was just another revenge of the barbarian flick. If anything it was a good one, and no one has produced anything better since CtB. That's what I've always thought: even if it didn't get the particulars necessarily correct, Milius caught a feel for the material. It's got a mood that no other S&S film ever captured.
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Post by johnnypt on Jan 30, 2019 11:00:02 GMT -5
I should have added that the big Hollywood movie guys should shoot for some of that nihilism present in the original CtB. At least it captured something of REH, in feel, even if it was just another revenge of the barbarian flick. If anything it was a good one, and no one has produced anything better since CtB. Not many are aware that the film'The Good, the bad, and the ugly', although directed by Sergio Leonie, and shot in Europe, was also financed in very large part by United Artists. The American studio was impressed by the success of the first two 'spaghetti westerns' and so gave the financial backing to make the last and most popular instalment, with an aim for distribution in the US of course. Maybe in the perfect world the ( real ) fans would get to produce and direct a Conan movie, be financed by a major Hollywood studio, and with a supporting cast that may or may not include an international line up. Just shoot the thing in Span again. Well, Blondie certainly had a bit of that old Conan f*ck you attitude, and Leone could've certainly delivered something suitably epic ... in a perfect world. ...... You know...I can almost see a Conan GBU, starting in Zamora, searching for a lost treasure and getting involved in the Kothic Wars...
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Post by Char-Vell on Jan 30, 2019 11:21:29 GMT -5
I imagine the Hyborian Eli Wallach constructing a personalized crossbow from various parts in a shop now.
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Post by johnnypt on Jan 30, 2019 11:39:01 GMT -5
I imagine the Hyborian Eli Wallach constructing a personalized crossbow from various parts in a shop now. He's the thief Conan runs into in Black Colossus!
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