Arnold Schwarzenegger’s iconic portrayal of the Cimmerian legend in the Conan the Barbarian movies may not exist without Hercules. Although it does take liberties with Robert E. Howard’s Conan novels, the bodybuilder-turned-actor’s take on the sword-wielding, monster-slaying warrior remains a beloved part of 1980s cinema. When it comes to 1980s fantasy movies, Conan the Barbarian is usually one of the first that comes to mind.
While Howard’s books provided the basic foundation for the character and its world, it’s worth noting that several different factors contributed to Conan the Barbarian becoming the cinematic icon it is today. Among these was a completely different fantasy film from nearly three decades prior, along with its star. In 1958, newcomer Steve Reeves played the тιтular role in Hercules, a live-action adaptation of the famed demigod from Greek mythology. Reeves reprised the role a year later in the sequel, Hercules Unchained. While neither film had a mᴀssive impact on the industry as a whole, it did launch a new subgenre.
Steve Reeves’ 1958 Hercules Film Spawned A New Fantasy Movie Trend
Hercules Led To A Wave Of Fantasy Movies Headlined By Bodybuilder Actors
Similar to Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Reeves was an accomplished bodybuilder ahead of his acting debut, having won the тιтles of Mr. America, Mr. Olympia, and Mr. World between 1947 and 1950. This reputation helped Reeves land a few small parts in movies, and finally, the lead role in an Italian production тιтled Hercules. In the 1958 fantasy movie based on greek mythology, Steve Reeves’ Hercules saved the beautiful damsel in distress (Sylvia Koscina’s Iole), pulled off stunning feats of strength, and did battle with powerful monsters.
Infused with masculine energy, Hercules was different from many of the fantasy films that had come before it, in that it allowed itself to be carried not by the story but by Steve Reeves’ physique and performance. Much of the action was filmed in a way that enabled Steve Reeves to showcase his impressive musculature. Considering that it was Steve Reeves’ aim to build the ideal body by the standards of the ancient Greeks, Reeves succeeded in creating the look of a man audiences felt could truly be Hercules.
After Hercules, various filmmakers (and bodybuilders) took notice. A long list of copycat films followed, several of which being additional adaptations of Hercules. Multiple bodybuilders turned to acting and stepped up to headline films in the Italian “sword and sandal” subgenre of fantasy movies, including Reg Park, Kirk Morris, Mark Forest, Ed Fury. Like Hercules and Hercules Unchained, these centered on immensely strong, burly protagonists who flaunted their physiques throughout the stories. They also came complete with giant creatures for them to overcome and attractive women for them to save.
How Steve Reeves’ Hercules Role Inspired Arnold Schwarzenegger & Conan The Barbarian
Steve Reeves’ Hercules Movie Was A Precursor To Conan The Barbarian
This particular trend spearheaded by Steve Reeves had died long before Arnold Schwarzenegger came onto the scene in the late 1970s, but he was nonetheless integral to the latter’s choice of career. Schwarzenegger himself had acknowledged Reeves’ influence, explaining that watching the actor as Hercules – and one of the many actors he inspired, Reg Park – motivated him to get into bodybuilding in the hopes of developing a similar physique [via Facebook]. Perhaps most importantly, Reeves and Park also gave Schwarzenegger “a vision beyond” that, making him realize that he could use his gains in bodybuilding to begin a career in acting.
Arnold Schwarzenegger played his own version of Hercules in 1970’s Hercules in New York, although his interpretation of the character is clearly not inspired by Steve Reeves.
In the early 1980s, the sword and sandal genre experienced a revival thanks to Conan the Barbarian and its lead, with the movie coming across as an updated, bigger-budget incarnation of what Steve Reeves and others managed to do with Hercules and the dozens of other fantasy films that followed it in the late 1950s and 1960s. So while Steve Reeves and his movie had no tangible ᴀssociation with the Conan movies, his stamp on them is hard to ignore.
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