Rating: PG
Genre:
Science Fiction
Theatrical Release: 10/18/1968(Italy)
Release Date: 06/22/1999
Dubbed: English/French
Sound: 1
Run Time: 98 Minutes
Flags: Violence, Nudity, Adult Situations, Not For Children, Adult Language
Distributor/Studio: Paramount
A voluptuous outer space agent travels to another galaxy in search of a missing inventor in this
science fiction send-up.
Barbarella (
Jane Fonda), an interstellar representative of the united Earth government in the 41st century, is dispatched to locate scientist
Durand Durand, whose positronic ray, if not recovered, could signal the end of humanity. Outfitted in an array of stunning
Star Trek/
Bond girl outfits and cruising around in a plush, psychedelic spaceship,
Barbarella travels to the Tau Seti system and promptly crash-lands. She then spends the rest of the film discovering the joys of interstellar sex with a keeper of feral children (
Ugo Tognazzi), a blind, beatific angel (
John Phillip Law), and an inept revolutionary named
Dildano (
David Hemmings). Slowly but surely, she also finds her way to
Durand Durand by moving from one exotic,
Wizard of Oz-style locale to another. Along the way, she meets the kindly
Professor Ping (a surprisingly verbal
Marcel Marceau), a Eurotrash dominatrix named
the Great Tyrant (
Rolling Stones gal pal
Anita Pallenberg), and
the Concierge (
Milo O'Shea), a strangely familiar lackey of
the Great Tyrant who tries to destroy
Barbarella with his great big organ of love.
Jean-Claude Forest, who created the character
Barbarella in 1962 for
V-Magazine, served as visual advisor on the adaptation. The film's missing scientist character famously inspired the band name of '80s
pop stars
Duran Duran (who altered the spelling slightly). Almost two decades later, the film also inspired
electronic act
Matmos, which was named after the aqueous personification of evil unleashed by
the Concierge at the movie's climax.
~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide
