MOVIE NEWS – The 1980s were a golden age of epic cinema, with films that have become cultural touchstones. Among these was Conan the Barbarian, the 1982 movie that catapulted Arnold Schwarzenegger into stardom and cemented his place as one of the most iconic action heroes in history. However, the journey to bring this legendary tale to the screen was fraught with danger, and Schwarzenegger himself nearly didn’t make it out alive.

The making of Conan the Barbarian was a pivotal moment for Schwarzenegger, who was relatively unknown in Hollywood at the time. The film featured him as the fearless warrior Conan, battling sorcerers and monsters in a quest for vengeance. The epic nature of the film was matched only by the scale of its production, which was as perilous as it was ambitious.

The first day of shooting in Spain’s rugged Ávila region was particularly treacherous. According to Schwarzenegger, what was supposed to be a routine scene turned into a nightmare when one of the dogs used on set attacked him. The animal knocked him off a rocky ledge, sending him tumbling into a thorn bush. In a harrowing recount, Schwarzenegger recalled:

“On the very first day of filming, I was attacked by a dog. It dragged me off the rocks and into a thorn bush. I had to get stitches right there on the set.”

The scene in question involved Conan being chased by a pack of wolves. In an eerie twist of fate, the dogs, instead of merely performing their trained tasks, saw Schwarzenegger as genuine prey. One of them overpowered the future action star, causing him to fall and sustain injuries that required immediate medical attention. The camera captured his scream of pain, and the crew was thrown into chaos as the dog’s handler rushed to his aid.

This incident was just one of many during the tumultuous production of Conan the Barbarian. Beyond the dog attack, the set was plagued by accidents, including a stuntman colliding with a camera during a high-speed horse ride. There were also allegations of animal mistreatment, adding further controversy to the production.

Despite these setbacks, Schwarzenegger’s determination never wavered. He knew that Conan the Barbarian was his chance to break into the film industry, and he was willing to endure the physical and mental challenges that came with it. His perseverance paid off, and the film’s success launched a career that would define action cinema for decades.

Source: 3djuegos