The Midnite Drive-In: Announcing the Barbarians at the Gates Blogathon

Monday, July 15, 2024

Announcing the Barbarians at the Gates Blogathon

A muscle-bound, (usually) bare-chested Adonis (or in some cases, a woman, although NOT bare-chested..) stands facing a supernaturally powered horde of enemies, the only one who has the courage to face the onslaught and prevent the success of some evil force from it's nefarious goals.

"Sword and Sorcery" stories and movies have been around since the early days of pulp fiction. Authors familiar to all, like Robert E. Howard, made a name for this type of fiction, and beginning in the late 50's, Hollywood even got it's fingers in the pie.

The term 'sword and sorcery" was given to the genre by Fritz Leiber, another stalwart of the pulp fiction days, and it was more or less defined by a statement made by another giant of the print industry of the genre, Lin Carter:

"We call a story sword and sorcery when it is an action tale derived from the traditions of the pulp magazine adventure story, set in the land, age or world of the author's invention - a milieu in which magic actually works and the gods are real _ a story, moreover, which pits a stalwart warrior in direct conflict with the forces of supernatural evil."

This blogathon was originally inspired by a long-planned post on the two Arnold Schwarzenegger / Conan films from the 80's and spurred into commitment by my acquisition of a book "Barbarians at the Gates of Hollywood".

My friend and frequent cohort, Rachel @ Hamlette's Soliloquy agreed to help bring this blogathon into fruition. The sword and sorcery genre is rife with possibilities, not only in film, but as previously noted, in print. Therefore it would be a shame to limit the idea to only movies. Therefore the ground rules are a bit expanded (see rule #1)

Rules for the Barbarians at the Gates Blogathon:

1. Anything that fits the idea of "sword and sorcery" are allowed. Want to write about Robert E. Howard or one of the other authors who kick-started the theme? Or any of the plethora of films that have made their way to either the theater or even direct-to-video films? Any questions about whether an idea fits can be addressed to Rachel or myself, but it's pretty wide open.

2. Only one person per film or idea, but you can go several ways with it. A general overview of the print genre and an entry specifically on the career of Robert E. Howard, say, would be two different ideas. The same goes for movies.

3. We would like to limit the entries per person to 3 (if you are that ambitious..), so more people can enter.

4. For your enlightenment the following page will give you some ideas to start with on movies (but not limited to just these. Got another idea?)

Sword and Sorcery Films

5. The dates of the blogathon are Sept 14-15. Early entries are OK, but we are asking that you post new material. And extensions for late entries could be accepted if you get tied up those days.

6. Please use one of the following banners to help promote the blogathon.

7. Have fun

Additionally, I have a few gifts which will be in a drawing for all people who post entries in the blogathon. You could be the winner of one of these. If you win, I will mail your prize, And postage is not a problem. If you are in the UK, (or elsewhere) you can still be a winner.