Barbarella (1968)

In the far future, a highly sexual woman is tasked with finding and stopping the evil Durand-Durand. Along the way she encounters various unusual people.

Director:

Roger Vadim

Writers:

Jean-Claude Forest (comic "Barbarella"), Claude Brulé (collaborating writer),

Stars:

Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Jane Fonda	...	Barbarella
John Phillip Law	...	Pygar
Anita Pallenberg	...	The Great Tyrant
Milo O'Shea	...	Concierge / Durand-Durand
Marcel Marceau	...	Professor Ping
Claude Dauphin	...	President of Earth
Véronique Vendell	...	Captain Moon (as Veronique Vendell)
Giancarlo Cobelli
Serge Marquand	...	Captain Sun
Nino Musco
Franco Gulà
Catherine Chevallier	...	Stomoxys
Marie Therese Chevallier	...	Glossina
Umberto Di Grazia
David Hemmings	...	Dildano

Storyline

After an in-flight anti-gravity striptease (masked by the film's opening titles), Barbarella, a 41st century astronaut, lands on the planet Lythion and sets out to find the evil Durand Durand in the city of Sogo, where a new sin is invented every hour. There, she encounters such objects as the Exessive Machine, a genuine sex organ on which an accomplished artist of the keyboard, in this case, Durand Durand himself, can drive a victim to death by pleasure, a lesbian queen who, in her dream chamber, can make her fantasies take form, and a group of ladies smoking a giant hookah which, via a poor victim struggling in its glass globe, dispenses Essance of Man. You can't help but be impressed by the special effects crew and the various ways that were found to tear off what few clothes our heroine seemed to possess. Based on the popular French comic strip.

---

Plot Keywords:

evil | queen | scientist | planet | mission | 

---

Taglines:

Who seduces an angel? Who strips in space? Who conveys love by hand? Who gives up the pill? Who takes sex to outer space? Who's the girl of the 21st century? Who nearly dies of pleasure?

---

Genres:

Action | Adventure | Comedy | Fantasy | Sci-Fi

---

Certificate:

Approved

Details

Country:

France Italy

Language:

English

Release Date:

10 October 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Box Office

Budget:

$9,000,000 (estimated)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica, Marianne Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

98 min

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

When Dildano and Barbarella are speaking to Dr. Ping about the mission and Dildano's transmission finish, a soprano sings Caro Nome, Rigoletto's famous aria by Giuseppe Verdi.

---

Goofs

When Barbarella first has to go down for a crash landing, she puts her right arm up to her head. However in the next shot her left arm is up to her head.

---

Quotes

[first lines]
videophone: Stand by for a message from Dianthus, President of Earth and Rotating Premier of the Sun System.

---

Crazy Credits

In the opening credits, the letters in the words move around in an attempt to obscure Barbarella's nudity.

---

Connections

Referenced in Pervirella (1997)

---

Soundtracks

"Barbarella"
Written by Bob Crewe & Charles Fox
Performed by The Glitterhouse

User Reviews

the most beautiful film ever made

This film is beautiful. From the gorgeous Jane Fonda, and sexy Pygar to the wonderful costumes, and the very shiney sets, there is nothing ugly in the whole thing.

Unbelievably silly it has some fantastic lines of dialogue like "de-crucify the angel or I melt your face!" Great characters, a killer lava lamp, fur lined space ship and a villain called Duran Duran.

The evil organ of desire scene, and the opening strip tease still manage to be erotic, even though this film is dated. Cult with a capital C, this is never going to appeal to a mainstream audience, and yet remains my favourite movie of all time. A classic. And very pretty pretty.