Heavy Metal Magazine Fan Page - Movies

Basic Information

Release Date - October 10, 1968 in Theaters. March 4, 1991 on VHS. January 26, 1994 on LaserDisc. June 22, 1999 on DVD. July 3, 2012 on Blu-ray. March 6, 2018 on Blu-ray with DVD and Digital. November 28, 2023 on 4K.

Running Time - 1hr. 38min.

MPAA Rating - PG (14A in Canada)

Distributor - Paramount Pictures

Links:
The Internet Movie Database

Blu-ray Features

Region 1:
- Audio: English (Mono Dolby TrueHD), French (Mono Dolby Digital), and Spanish (Mono Dolby Digital)
- Subtitles: English, English (For The Deaf And Hard Of Hearing), French, Spanish, and Portuguese
- 1080p
- Theatrical Trailer - 3min.

Credits

Main Crew:
Director - Roger Vadim
Writer - Jean-Claude Forest, Claude Brulé, Terry Southern, and Roger Vadim
Producer - Dino De Laurentiis
Cinematographer - Claude Renoir
Editor - Victoria Mercanton

Main Cast:
- Jane Fonda - Barbarella
- John Phillip Law - Pygar
- Anita Pallenberg - The Great Tyrant
- Milo O'Shea - Concierge, aka Durand Durand
- Marcel Marceau - Professor Ping
- Claude Dauphin - President of Earth
- David Hemmings - Dildano

Music - Score:
Composer - Michel Magne

Music - Songs:
- The Glitterhouse - "Barbarella"
- The Glitterhouse - "Drag Me Down"
- The Glitterhouse - "Love Theme From "Barbarella""
- The Glitterhouse - "An Angel Is Love"

Additional Information

This movie wasn't made by Heavy Metal, but it is loosely based on the first episode of the story, "Barbarella" by Jean-Claude Forest. The first episode unfortunately was not printed in Heavy Metal. Heavy Metal only printed the third episode, "The Moon Child!", which was published in each issue from February to July 1978. Originally when this movie was first released in 1968, it was rated M; Suggested for Mature Audiences. It was re-released in 1977 with the nudity removed and was re-rated to PG. When it was released on home video, the uncut verson was used but incorrectly list it as rated PG.

Lostboy's Review

This movie was released almost a decade before Heavy Metal magazine was even created. So, even though Barbarella appeared in Heavy Metal, this movie was made at a different time in our culture. A time, in 1968, where love, peace, and the sexual revolution had a strong influence on the culture. Imagine the look of Austin Powers mixed with the set design and production values of Star Trek the original series.

Before re-watching the movie, what I remembered about the film was that it was a very sci-fi story with some sexual undertones. However, after seeing it again, I didn't realise how much sexuality is in this movie. The film is almost like a space "road movie", where Barbarella takes a journey towards a destination, while meeting interesting characters along the way. In doing so, she also stumbles upon her own journey of sexual exploration.

Another thing that I forgot is how often she becomes the damsel in distress, needing to be rescued. And even though she's sent out to be the hero, she never really does much saving without the help of the people she meets.

But what really makes this a good movie is that it doesn't take itself too serious. I don't think I'd exactly call it a comedy, but it's made to be just a fun, innocent, sci-fi, fantasy. Jane Fonda plays the character well and really set the mark for Barbarella to become a legendary icon. And although the score can be unnecessarily overpowering at times, the songs have an uplifting catchy 1960's flow to them that work well with the movie. The title song easily gets stuck in my head for days.

Barbarella was a product of the times. It captures the 1968 culture wonderfully. Don't take yourself too seriously. Peace. Beauty. Love. Honesty. Fun.

Description On The Back Cover - Slip out of your spacesuit and into something more comfortable! It’s time to join Barbarella on a series of cosmic adventures in this Dino De Laurentiis production directed by Roger Vadim (And God Created Woman) and starring Jane Fonda as the intergalactic glamour puss created by comic book artist Jean-Claude Forest.

It is the year 40,000AD. When evil scientist Durand Durand (Milo O’Shea) creates a deadly weapon with the potential to cause mass devastation, the President of Earth dispatches Barbarella (Fonda) to hunt him down. Crash-landing in an icy wilderness somewhere within the Tau Ceti planetary system, Barbarella is rescued by Mark Hand (Ugo Tognazzi, La Cage Aux Folles) and guided by the blind angel Pygar (John Phillip Law, Danger: Diabolik) to Durand's lair in Sogo, a city of corruption and debauchery, where an encounter with the Great Tyrant Black Queen (Anita Pallenberg, Performance) and her minions throws her mission into jeopardy.

With an all-star cast including David Hemmings and Marcel Marceau, and glorious retro-futuristic costumes and art design dripping with 60s psychedelia, Barbarella defined an era and has never looked better than this brand new 4K restoration, loaded with never-before-seen bonus features!

(images from the 1999 DVD)