Runtime: 98 minutes
Directed by: Roger Vadim
Starring: Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg, Milo O’Shea, Marcel Marceau
From: Paramount
The film was definitely “of its time.” Believe it or not, this was a first-time watch despite knowing and laughing for years that the villain was named DURAND-DURAND. Naturally, many different opinions of the film have been heard. Somehow, I never knew that early on, Jane Fonda is captured and skates on ice accompanied by two twin girls… and is propelled by a stingray-like creature!
As for the film: the charmingly lo-fi, trippy effects/sets and the groovy late 60’s soundtrack were of MUCH more interest than the bizarre sex-charged story that has many credited writers and at least one uncredited. Ostensibly, the plot is that the titular character is tasked with finding Durand-Durand; actually, its cards are laid on the table right away during the opening credits. Jane Fonda disrobes out of her outfit in her shag carpet spaceship (no kidding, it covers the floor, ceiling, AND walls) until she’s fully nude. From there is a whole potpourri of nonsense where Barbarella-always scantily clad-is in random situations w/ random characters; this includes Marcel Marceau as a scientist instead of a mime and John Phillip Law as a blind angel.
The story is a gigantic mess when it isn’t incredibly juvenile (was the French comic book this is based on made for a horny 14 year old audience?); the time period is probably to blame but they try to present “a strong female character” while objectifying her at every opportunity. This is why a remake-long in gestation-would actually be OK with me as I hope that would be less inane than this film even if the groovy elements would be eliminated. I get why some would enjoy this kitsch; me, the most I’ll ever get out of this was that it gave us the name for a great 80’s band.
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