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 Duran Duran, 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 Duran Duran 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. 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.| Jane Fonda | Barbarella |
| John Phillip Law | Pygar |
| Anita Pallenberg | Black Queen |
| Milo O'Shea | Concierge |
| David Hemmings | Dildano |
| Talitha Pol | Pipe-smoking girl |
| Marcel Marceau | Prof. Ping |
| Antonio Sabato | Jean-Paul (uncredited) |
| Ugo Tognazzi | Mark Hand |
| Maria Theresa Orsini | Suicide Girl (uncredited) |
| Joan Greenwood | The Great Tyrant [uncredited] [Voice] |
| Franco Gula | |
| Marie Therese Chevallier | Glossina |
| Catherine Chevallier | Stomoxys |
| Veronique Vendell | Captain Moon |
| Claude Dauphin | President of Earth |
| Giancarlo Cobelli | |
| Nino Musco | |
| Umberto DiGrazia | |
| Serge Marquand | Captain Sun |
Genre/Type - Science Fiction, Satire, Space Adventure, Fantasy Adventure,
Comic-Book Superhero Film
Produced by - Paramount
Running time - 98 min.
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The Fifth Element (1997, Luc Besson)
Supergirl (1984, Jeannot Szwarc)
Space Thing (1968, B. Ron Elliott)