Conquest (1983 film)

Conquest
File:Conquestposter.jpg Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Lucio Fulci
Produced by	Giovanni Di Clemente
Screenplay by	Gino Capone Carlos Vasallo José Antonio de la Loma
Story by	Giovanni Di Clemente
Starring	Jorge Rivero Andrea Occhipinti Conrado san Martín Sabrina Siani
Music by	Claudio Simonetti
Cinematography	Alejandro Ulloa
Edited by	Emilio Rodriguez Oses
Distributed by	Clemi Cinematografica Clesi Cinematografica Conquest Productions Esme Golden Sun
Release dates	April 6, 1983 (1983-04-06)
Running time	88 minutes
Country	Italy Spain Mexico
Language	Italian

Conquest is a 1983 fantasy horror film directed by Lucio Fulci.

Plot

A mysterious man with no facial features bursts in and shoots up a room full of people. The last person he kills, using a magical energy bow, is the Queen of an evil empire. She awakens suddenly, revealing that it was all a dream or a vision. This drives her to seek out the man that is the harbinger of her demise. He turns out to be a kind young man who is trying to fight against her rule. Meanwhile, the tribal people out in the plains are being violently repressed by her werewolf henchmen. Many of them are killed in a violent scene that is par for the course in a Fulci film. They take some of the women with them to make the trip back entertaining. In mid-route, the young man attacks the villains, but is overwhelmed.

Fortunately, a large, rugged man appears to help him out. He makes short work of the wild beast-men and escapes with the man. Their battle has only just began. The older man learns of the younger one's mission and agrees to help him out. The journey is not an easy one, as it leads them through a swamp full of zombie-like creatures. This section is shot with an eerily-strange tint that gives it a rather dream-like quality. After a vicious battle, the duo escapes and continues their quest to stop the evil queen. Getting desperate now, after another failure, she calls upon the power of an ancient evil force that is inhabiting an inanimate statue in the center of her room. It calls up greater forces than she ever could to destroy her enemies.

Now in the midsts of a desert-like plain, the May-December duo is led into a trap involving the werewolf henchmen. In the midst of this, the young men is quite efficiently killed, seemingly putting an end to the threat against her. Driven on by his companion's decapitation, the veteran fighter picks up his magical weapon and vows to finish the job that he started. Since she fails more safe, the Queen lets her protection lax a little bit, playing right into our protagonist's hands. Placing the bow in his hand, he uses its magical properties to shoot energy projectiles at his foes. His volley of magic proves to be very efficient and effective in dealing with the threat. Nothing can stand in his way.

Production

Conquest was part of an early 1980s cycle of sword and sandal films inspired by the success of Conan the Barbarian. This features many of the trademarks of that genre; muscled warriors, masked villains and a nameless, primeval setting. It is, however, a lot rougher than most of the other films of the genre, due to Lucio Fulci's trademark gore and nudity.

After collaborating with horror film scripter Dardano Sacchetti for six years, Fulci went off on his own in 1983 to direct Conquest in Mexico, failing to involve Sacchetti in the deal. The film was supposed to be a very big budget "A" picture, and Sacchetti allegedly resented the fact that Fulci had not thought to involve him in the project. The film actually wound up doing quite poorly upon its release, and afterwards, Fulci had trouble jump-starting his working relationship with Sacchetti, who by this time had gone his own way. Most Fulci fans agree that the films Fulci made without Sacchetti after 1983 were not nearly as good as their previous collaborative efforts.

A notable feature of Conquest is the cinematography by Alejandro Ulloa, which uses filters, soft focus and fog in an attempt to give the film a dreamlike atmosphere. The look of the film has received mixed responses from critics. A young twenty-year-old Sabrina Siani appeared nude in this film, shocking the 1983 viewers.

Reception

Allmovie was favorable in its review, calling it a "truly special film", "even with the shoddy production values and downright embarrassing monster masks".

External links

• Conquest at IMDb
• Conquest at AllMovie