Barbarella (1968)

User Rating:

5.6/10   

Director:

Roger Vadim

Writers:

Jean-Claude Forest (comic "Barbarella") and
Claude Brulé (collaborating writer) ...
(more)

Release Date:

10 October 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Adventure | Sci-Fi | Fantasy

Tagline:

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?

Plot:

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.

Plot Keywords:

Evil | Planet | City | Sex | Machine

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

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
Ugo Tognazzi	...	Mark Hand
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Honey Autumn	...	Bald handmaiden at Sogovian court (uncredited)
Loriana Bartella	...	(uncredited)
Marina Bartella	...	(uncredited)
Diane Bond	...	(uncredited)
Carla Cassola	...	(uncredited)
Tania de Paolis	...	(uncredited)
Sadre Girodani	...	(uncredited)
Gara Granda	...	Girl (uncredited)
Joan Greenwood	...	The Great Tyrant (voice) (uncredited)
Beatrice Lanscat	...	(uncredited)
Katiuska Lanvin	...	(uncredited)
Janet McLeod	...	Girl in Sogo (uncredited)
Gabriella Morganti	...	(uncredited)
María Teresa Orsini	...	Suicide Girl (uncredited)
Talitha Pol	...	Pipe-smoking girl (uncredited)
Fred Robsahm	...	Dildanos assistant (uncredited)
Antonio Sabato	...	Jean-Paul (uncredited)
Kitty Swan	...	Girl in Sogo (uncredited)
Silvana Venturelli	...	(uncredited)
Barbara Winer	...	(uncredited)

Directed by
Roger Vadim

Writing credits
Jean-Claude Forest		comic "Barbarella" (as Jean Claude Forest) and
Claude Brulé		collaborating writer (as Claude Brule)
Terry Southern		(screenplay) and
Roger Vadim		(screenplay)
Vittorio Bonicelli		(writer) and
Clement Biddle Wood		(writer) and
Brian Degas		(writer) and
Tudor Gates		(writer) and
Jean-Claude Forest		(writer) (as Jean Claude Forest)

Produced by
Dino De Laurentiis	....	producer

Original Music by
Michel Magne
James Campbell		(uncredited)

Cinematography by
Claude Renoir

Film Editing by
Victoria Mercanton

Production Design by
Mario Garbuglia

Costume Design by
Jacques Fonteray
Paco Rabanne		(as Paco Rabane)

Production Management
Guy Luongo	....	production supervisor

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Alberto Cardone	....	second unit director
Carlo Lastricati	....	first assistant director

Art Department
Umberto Campagna	....	assistant art director
Jean-Claude Forest	....	artistic consultant (as Jean Claude Forest)

Sound Department
David Hildyard	....	sound engineer

Special Effects by
Gérard Cogan	....	special animation effects (as Gerard Cogan)
Augie Lohman	....	special effects supervisor (as August Lohman)
Thierry Vincens-Fargo	....	special animation effects

Visual Effects by
Charles Staffell	....	optical effects

Camera and Electrical Department
Wladimir Ivanov	....	camera operator: second unit (as Vladimir Ivanov)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Gloria Musetta	....	wardrobe supervisor (as Gloria Mussetta)

Music Department
Bob Crewe	....	music supervisor
Charles Fox	....	conductor
The Glitterhouse	....	music performers: songs
Michel Magne	....	conductor (uncredited)

Other crew
Maurice Binder	....	title designer
Suzanne Durrenberger	....	continuity (as Suzanne Durramberger)
Lucilla Mussini	....	production assistant (uncredited)
Chuck Painter	....	unit publicist (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica
• Marianne Productions

Distributors

• Paramount Pictures (1968) (USA) (theatrical) (dubbed)
• Fotomat (Drive-Thru Movies) Video (1979) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Fusion Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• CIC-Taft Home Video (199?) (Australia) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Paramount Home Video (199?) (USA) (VHS) (pan/scan)
• Argentina Video Home (????) (Argentina) (VHS)

Other Companies

• Atlas Copco  compressed air for special effects
• Ditta Maggi  wigs
• Le Terrain Vague  best seller "Barbarella" published by
• Rocchetti  wigs
• Sartoria Farani S.t.L.  costume house
• The Bob Crewe Generation Orchestra  music performed by

Also Known As:

Barbarella (USA)
Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy (USA) (promotional title)

Runtime:

98 min

Country:

France | Italy

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Westrex Recording System)

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:13 | Singapore:NC-16 | Australia:M | Canada:13+ (Quebec) | Canada:14 (Nova Scotia) | Canada:G (Quebec) (cut US version) | Canada:PG (Manitoba/Ontario) | Finland:K-16 | France:-16 | Norway:15 | Sweden:15 | UK:15 (video rating) (1986) | UK:X (original rating) | USA:Approved | USA:PG (re-rating) (1977) (cut) | West Germany:16 | Iceland:L

Filming Locations:

Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica Studios, Rome, Lazio, Italy

Company:

Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica

Trivia:

The scenes during the opening credits where Barbarella seems to float around her spaceship were filmed by having Jane Fonda lie on a huge piece of plexiglas with a picture of the spaceship underneath her. It was then filmed from above, creating the illusion that she is in zero gravity. (If you look carefully, you can see the reflection in the glass as she removes her gloves.)

Goofs:

Continuity: 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:

The Great Tyrant: Hello, pretty pretty.
Barbarella: Hello...
The Great Tyrant: Do you want to come and play with me? For someone like you I charge nothing. You're very pretty, Pretty-Pretty.
Barbarella: My name isn't pretty-pretty, it's Barbarella.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Easy Rider: Shaking the Cage (1999) (V)

Soundtrack:

Love Theme from 'Barbarella'

Pop Art

I'm not sure if I liked this film or hated it!! It reminds me of "Danger:Diabolik", that flash trash movie also with John Phillip Law. It is bright and loud and trashy with a little soft porn thrown in for good measure. It does tend to hold your interest throughout, maybe because you can't wait to see what outrageous scene will assault your senses next. And oh, all that phallic symbolism! Roger Vadim certainly exploited Jane Fonda in this one and she would probably like to forget the whole thing....but you've got to admit she doesn't look too bad in that plastic see-through bustier. John Phillip Law, who is a handsome devil(oops, angel), plays the part of the blind angel, Pygar, without emotion or feeling....but he played every character he ever portrayed exactly the same way. He wasn't much of an actor but it works here. This film screams the 60's, so turn on, tune out, plug in your lava lamp and take a look at it. You'll love it or hate it but you are guaranteed to have fun with it. It's the epitome of pop art!