Barbarella (1968)

Country of Origin: Italy / France
Year of Production: 1968
Running Times: 98 mins
Format: Technicolor
Ratio:
Sound:

PRODUCTION
Production Companies: Dino de Laurentiis Cinematografica / Marianne Productions / Paramount Pictures
Producer: Dino De Laurentiis
Production Supervisor: Guy Luongo

SCRIPT
Screenplay: Terry Southern, Jean Claude Forest, Roger Vadim, Vittorio Bonicelli, Brian Degas, Claude Brule, Tudor Gates, Clement Biddle Wood
Comic Strip: Jean Claude Forest

DIRECTION
Director: Roger Vadim
2nd Unit Director: Alberto Cardone

PHOTOGRAPHY
Director of Photography: Claude Renoir
2nd Unit Director of Photography: Vladimir Ivanov

EDITING
Editor: Victoria Mercanton

MUSIC
Music: Maurice Jarre? Bob Crewe? Michel Magne (uncredited)
Guitarist: David Gilmour (uncredited)
Songs: Charlie (Charles) Fox, Bob Crewe
Songs Performed By: The Glitterhouse
Conductor: Michel Magne (uncredited)

MAKE UP AND COSTUMES
Costumes: Jacques Fonteray, Paco Rabanne

SPECIAL EFFECTS
Special Effects: Augie (August) Lohman

DESIGN AND SET CONSTRUCTION
Production Designer: Mario Garbuglia
Art Director: Enrico Fea
Title Designer: Maurice Binder
Artistic Consultant: Jean-Claude Forest

LOCATIONS
Locations: Dino De Laurentiis Cinematographica Studios, Rome, Italy

CAST
Jane Fonda (Barbarella)
John Phillip Law (Pygar)
Anita Pallenberg (The Great Tyrant)
Milo O'Shea (Concierge / Duran Duran)
Marcel Marceau (Professor Ping)
Claude Dauphin (President of Earth)
Veronique Vendell (Captain Moon)
Giancarlo Cobelli
Serge Marquand (Captain Sun)
Nino Musco
Franco Gula
Catherine Chevallier (Stomoxys)
Marie Therese Chevallier (Glossina)
Umberto Di Grazia
David Hemmings (Dildano)
Ugo Tognazzi (Mark Hand)
Maria Teresa Orsini (suicide girl - uncredited)
Talitha Pol (pipe-smoking girl - uncredited)
Antonio Sabato (Jean-Paul - uncredited)

In the year 40,000 special agent Barbarella is sent by the President of Earth to deal with mad scientist Duran Duran who is threatening a millennia old peace. Barbarella sets off on her quest to find Duran Duran and along the way has many adventures and sexual encounters.

Tremendous SF fun based on a very sixties European comic strip. Director Vadim turns his then wife Jane Fonda into a version of one of his previous wives, Brigitte Bardot. Production and costume design are very futuro sixties and look great. Quite saucy for its time with Rolling Stones girlfriend Anita Pallenberg dubbed by Fenella Fielding to create the perfect mistress and John Phillip Law from Diabolik (1968) as virtue in human form. The band Duran Duran took their name from one of the characters, who sticks Barberella into a transparent prison to have her clothes pecked off. Groovy.

UK
Video Distributor: CIC

USA
Theatrical Distributor: Paramount
Video Distributor: Fusion; Paramount
Lasererdisc Distributor: Paramount

Finland
Rating: K-16

Germany
Rating: 16

Sweden
Rating: 15

UK
Rating: X

USA
Rating: PG; R
When Barbarella was first released, the MPAA had yet to introduce its R rating (which came along in November 1968). Originally it was released with an M rating for mature audiences which was subsequently switched to an R-rating in 1969. The film was re-issued in 1977 in the wake of Star Wars Episode IV: A New Hope and was cut to get a PG rating. All references to sexuality and nudity were cut and the film retitled Barbarella: Queen Of The Galaxy.

1968
October
10: USA - theatrical release
11: West Germany - theatrical release

November
4: Sweden - theatrical release

See Barbarella do her thing!

The space age adventuress whose sex-ploits are among the most bizarre ever seen.

Barbarella, Queen of the Universe - UK video title
Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy - US re-release title

EXTRACTS INCLUDED IN
Wild Boys, The (1984)

SEE ALSO
Austin Powers -The Spy Who Shagged Me (1999)
Century of Science Fiction, A (1996)
Flesh Gordon (1972)
Galaxy Quest (1999)
Gett Off (1991)
Heavy Metal (1981)
Mother (1996)

MAGAZINES

Films February 1982 p.47 (UK)
review

Halls of Horror 27 p.16 (UK)
UK video data

Starburst no.71 p.14 (UK)

Starburst no.81 p.46 (UK)

Starburst no.83 p.30 (UK)

BOOKS

Aurum Encyclopedia of Films: Science Fiction p.260
credits, review

Creature Features Strikes Again p.33
review, credits

Ghastly Beyond Belief p.174
quotes

Hoffman's Guide to Science Fiction, Horror and Fantasy Movies p.33
review, credits

Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.25
credits

Science Fiction and Fantasy Film Handbook p.17
review, credits

Science Fiction Film Sourcebook pp.32-33
review, credits

space travel, comics into film, spaceships, aliens, scientists, sex

Last Updated: 16 February, 2010