42 replies to this topic

[Jaybird]

What exactly is this wheel of pain that Conan pushes in CTB for? What does it do?



Builds strong slaves?

Grinds up wheat?

Some sort of underground river/aquaduct well pump?

[nutopian]

What exactly is this wheel of pain that Conan pushes in CTB for? What does it do?



Builds strong slaves?

Grinds up wheat?

Some sort of underground river/aquaduct well pump?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Director/Writer John Milius wrote it in as a symbol of the fruitless toil of life and at first did not designate a purpose for it.
It was Set designer/Artistic Director Ron Cobb who came up with the point that it should at least have some practical use and designed it as a wheat grinder.

Edit: The scene also served as a representation of 'Survival of the fittest'.

Edited by nutopian, 01 June 2005 - 11:49 PM.

[Jaybird]

Thanks

Was that on the commentary on the DVD? I was watching it today with that commentary on and started it at the tower scene. By the way Arnold schwartdfjhkdf sounds like the biggest dumby when he talks on it.

[nutopian]

Thanks

Was that on the commentary on the DVD? I was watching it today with that commentary on and started it at the tower scene. By the way Arnold schwartdfjhkdf sounds like the biggest dumby when he talks on it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

The sources for my reply are indeed the commentary itself, the films screenplay and numerous critical essays and interviews.

Arnold holds a masters in business, so he is not that much of a dummy.
It is interesting though, that many people do equate a foriegn accent with limited intellectual capability.

I'm sure if we were to hold a conversation with Mr Swarzenegger in his native tongue, it would be us ourselves who sound idiotic.

Edited by nutopian, 02 June 2005 - 12:48 AM.

[Jaybird]

It's not his accent. He just sounds kinda dim. I mean come on, how many times does he say, " huu... boobies" "see the titties"

I thought his performance was pretty good, but his commentary is like listening to an 11 year old talk.

[Kortoso]

Thanks

Was that on the commentary on the DVD? I was watching it today with that commentary on and started it at the tower scene. By the way Arnold schwartdfjhkdf sounds like the biggest dumby when he talks on it.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Actually I think his comments at that point were the high point of the commentary. Milius said that the Wheel was for grinding grain, and Arnold asked where they were growing all the wheat, since the scene was filmed in a barren wasteland. Milius quickly changed the subject.

[nutopian]

It's not his accent. He just sounds kinda dim. I mean come on, how many times does he say, " huu... boobies" "see the titties"

How many times?

Not once as far as I am aware.
What part of the film does he say these words?

Edited by nutopian, 02 June 2005 - 12:14 PM.

[Kane]

It's not his accent. He just sounds kinda dim. I mean come on, how many times does he say, " huu... boobies" "see the titties"

How many times?

Not once as far as I am aware.
What part of the film does he say these words?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Have to agree with Nutopian on this. While the commentaries for CtB were not the best that I've ever listened to, I never found that Arnold came across as ignorant. I do belive that it would have helped if he had previewed the film before making his comments. seemed to me that a large part of his comments were spent trying to recall things on the spur of the moment. As far as I can recall, he never made the the statements that Jaybird seems to be crediting him with.

[Kortoso]

Arnold was very well-informed when it came to the height and weight of all the actors, and could come up with all of their statistics.

I guess we all specialize in what's important to us...

[Jaybird]

He said it when there was a body hanging upside down ready to get put in the split-pea and hand soup, right before the orgy slaughter! He says, "auh...BooBies" Boo-ya! look it up! He also says it earlier in the film, I just don't recall where.


I'm not bashing Arnold, he must have some smarts somewhere to be a state Gov., I just think he sounds slow and uninformed in his commentary, and he makes up for it with 12 year-old comments.

[Jaybird]

You are right on about his knowledge of the guys stats though. I was impressed with that (in part because he didn't seem to know anything else).

[korak]

I thought Arnold was pretty cool, but he is obviously very elitist when it comes to professional bodybuilding, etc. I was sorry that to become the best in the world, it is apparent that one has to be a narrow specialist, and so he had little or no room for being a fan of REH on a personal level, which is a real shame considering. He barely mentioned reading some Howard in the documentary, and I watched the first half of the commentary and never heard one word about Howard. Do they ever mention Howard in the commentary? You would think that a guy like Arnold would really like Howard's fiction.

[Jaybird]

I think he would if he read it, but I think he doesn't see it as being important or worth while to him. Not that there is anything wrong with that. He has been EXTREMELY successful at everything he has done: Body Building (Mr. Universe & Olympia), Acting (one of the highest paid, and most important for a 2 decades), and Politics (Gov. of one of the larger/important states in the union). But if he read Howard I imagine he would have liked it on a level of, "oh cool he cut his arm off" or on a level of respecting Conan's power. I don't see it as going any deeper than that though.






PS- I like him, liked his performance in both movies, especially CTB, but HE STILL SOUNDED KINDA DUMB in the commentary.

[Kieran]

Do they ever mention Howard in the commentary?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

They mention him a bit on the "Conan Unchained" documentary on the DVD. And the actress who played the princess said she enjoyed "the books" if you look at her spotlight on the DVD. Whether she meant REH's work or not by "the books" is anybody's guess.

[Kortoso]

I'm not bashing Arnold, he must have some smarts somewhere to be a state Gov.,...

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

We in Kalifornia desperately hope so.

[Kortoso]

Do they ever mention Howard in the commentary?

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

Milius says that he was a crazy gun-nut. Maybe he was... how do you say? Projecting?

[korak]

kortoso writes- Milius says that he was a crazy gun-nut. Maybe he was... how do you say? Projecting?


Yes, MIlius said that in the documentary-- I meant did they mention him in the running commentary. That little yarn he made up about Howard was quite imaginative indeed. A very personal, impressionistic take on REH that MIlius greatly exaggerated. Sounds like he and Arnold were stoned out of their gourds a time or two, and Milius came up with that crap about Howard, and it sounded so cool at the time that it stuck.

[Strom]

Jaybird  Jun 1 2005, 06:01 PM
What exactly is this wheel of pain that Conan pushes in CTB for? What does it do?

It's amazing how many people - myself included - ask this question. It seems to be a powerful and striking image in the movie. The scene is filmed very well - with the young boy chained to this wheel with many others and the passing of many years till eventually there is just Conan pushing the wheel by himself. It makes people want to know - why? What does it do? It is probably the coolest and biggest grain grinder in all of movie history.

[Servant of Crom]

Jaybird?  Jun 1 2005, 06:01 PM
What exactly is this wheel of pain that Conan pushes in CTB for? What does it do?

It's amazing how many people - myself included - ask this question. It seems to be a powerful and striking image in the movie. The scene is filmed very well - with the young boy chained to this wheel with many others and the passing of many years till eventually there is just Conan pushing the wheel by himself. It makes people want to know - why? What does it do? It is probably the coolest and biggest grain grinder in all of movie history.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

It's great isn't it?
It is a very well shot scene and one that apparently caused many a cheer when shown in theatres.
I've always loved the fact that Conan outlived his fellow slaves.
It intrigues me how the lust for revenge can bolster a man's spirit.

[nutopian]

Aye, but as I said before it is mainly there as a symbol of life's vicious circle of pointless toil and to represent survival of the fittest.