Mutant Reviewers from Hell do
"A good many dramatic situations begin with screaming."

1968 PG / Scifi Comedy Directed by: Roger Vadim Starring: Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg

Tagline

See Barbarella do her thing!

Summary Capsule

Dippy chick flies through space in a zither, shags every dude on Tau Ceti, and defeats the Orgasmic Piano of Death.

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Shalen's Rating: 0 out of 1 sight-challenged ornithothropes.
Shalen's Review: There’s really not much point in calling this film “good” or “bad,” because all of its trippiness and camp are more or less deliberate. Nor is there much of a plot to summarize. Yes, there’s some silliness about the Planetary President sending Barbarella (Jane Fonda) off to find missing scientist Durand Durand, but it’s not really important. It’s just a reason for our plucky, ditzy heroine to go zooming off to Tau Ceti in her shag-carpeted spaceship, encounter various psychedelic backdrops and odd people, and bang just about everyone.

"I was particularly amused by the fact that during the conversation which follows, she asks Durand Durand to hand her a couple of different pieces of clothing, and he obliges while continuing his diatribe about his evil plans."

The list of the people she… hangs out with starts with the Catchman, who rescues her from the bloodthirsty wild children of Tau Ceti and, um, fixes her stabilizers. At least that’s what he said. Then there’s Pygar, the last of the ornithothropes. He is played in all his tan and topless glory by John Phillip Law, who appears to be so stoned that he doesn’t mind saying lines like “An angel doesn’t make love. An angel is love.” Our heroine restores his will to fly by spending the night in his nest in the Labyrinth outside the evil city of SoGo. Next there’s an overly long scene in SoGo, in which the apparently evil Durand Durand puts her into his kinky piano. This… er… organ is supposed to cause death by orgasm, but Barbarella thwarts it by shorting out all the fuses. I was particularly amused by the fact that during the conversation which follows, she asks Durand Durand to hand her a couple of different pieces of clothing, and he obliges while continuing his diatribe about his evil plans.

And of course there’s Dildano, the man who seems to have wandered in from a Monty Python skit. It turns out, after he rescues Barbarella from some evil parakeets, that he wants to do it like they do on Earth. I’m not going to spoil the scene that follows, but suffice to say it’s one of the funniest in the film. A similar scene in Demolition Man seems to owe more than a little to this movie.

I was almost surprised that Barbarella never does perform any… extravehicular activities with the Great Tyrant, since sex with another woman is about the only thing she doesn’t try in this movie. They do seem to be shaping up for a threesome at the end, though, so no big shock there.

This film is sometimes quite funny, but as you can see from the plot thus far, it’s going to be offensive to many people because of the content. I can’t imagine how it came to be rated PG, and it certainly is not for children. There’s some frontal nudity, lots of sex, and lots of conversation about ditto. The scene with the… big organ… is highly inappropriate for any but mature audiences.

With that said, I think the best way to watch this film is with other people, preferably in the form of a drinking game. I use a carbonic acid product whose name I will not mention, but whose flavor is based on prune juice and whose name rhymes with “Quiet Proctor Zepper.”

• Every time Barbarella changes costume, turn a piece of your clothing inside out and take a drink.
• Whenever you see someone holding one of Pygar’s feathers, drink.
• Each time Barbarella faints, press your hand to your brow and drink.
• Every time the Great Tyrant says “Pretty,” say “Ugly!” and drink.
• Whenever you see a bare breast, say “Look at the torts on that plaintiff!”^* and take a drink.
• Whenever someone talks to Barbarella’s breasts instead of her face, take a drink.
• Every time you see something plastic and inflatable ( the Catchman’s sails, the pillowy things in the alley in SoGo, the knobs on the space ship, etc.), take a drink.
• Each time the “pacifist” protagonist solves a problem by using a weapon, take a drink.
• Every time Barbarella passively does what she’s told, no matter how dumb, take a drink.
• Every time Pygar passively does what he’s told, no matter how dumb, take a drink. They really are meant for each other, aren’t they?

*Dave Barry

Do you like a guy with back feathers? Or a woman with... Yeti hair everywhere? Princess Leia got NOTHING on her!

Didja Notice? [some sources: IMDb]

• Sex isn’t much fun on Earth in the 41st century.
• Jane Fonda had actual hips.
• How often the “boing” sound effect is used?
• The wall in the Tyrant’s chamber shows the same groovy visuals as the viewscreen on Barbarella’s ship.
• How often footage is reversed and reused in effects shots, especially when black guards or ships blow up?
• You can see the reflection of Barbarella’s hand on the plexiglass she is lying on to simulate zero gravity during the opening sequence.
• How often it was possible to show naked breasts and still get a PG rating back then?
• It’s possible to have sex with everyone you meet and still be “innocent.”

Is It Worth Staying Through End Credits?

There’s a fairly silly song that plays over them. It’s amusing if it’s late enough at night.

Intermission! [some sources: IMDb]

Dildano’s really long password is the actual name of a town in Wales. It’s the longest place name in the United Kingdom.

SoGo, the evil city Barbarella visits, is a reference to Sodom and Gomorrah from the Bible. This strikes us as more than slightly ironic.

Apparently David Gilmour, later a guitarist for Pink Floyd, was one of the musicians who performed this film’s original score.

Groovy Quotes

Barbarella: Hold on, I’ll put something on.
Planetary President: Don’t trouble yourself. This is an affair of state.

Barbarella: I’m Barbarella. I’m from the planet Earth.
Pygar: But you’re soft and warm! We’re told that Earth people are cold.

Barbarella: Can you take me to SoGo?
Pygar: I cannot see.
Barbarella: I’ll direct you.
Pygar: Impossible. We would be shot down by the black guards.
Barbarella: Not with my mini-missile projector!

One-eyed wench: You’re very pretty, pretty, pretty.
Barbarella: My name’s not Pretty Pretty, It’s Barbarella!

Barbarella: A good many dramatic situations begin with screaming.

Tyrant: So, I’m your little one-eyed wench. I’m also the Great Tyrant.
Barbarella: Well! That’s nice.

Tyrant: Tell me, my fine feathered friend. What do you think of, when you make love to Barbarella?
Pygar: An angel does not make love. An angel is love.

Dildano: Our rendezvous point will be at 1600 hours. And our password will be Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch.
Barbarella: Llanfairpwllgwyngyllgogerychwyrndrobwllllantysiliogogogoch?
Dildano: Exactly.

Courtier: The creatures in the Labyrinth! They’re revolting!

Tyrant: Why don’t you give him mouth-to-mouth?
Barbarella: I have a better idea.

Barbarella: Why did you save her, after all the terrible things she’s done to you?
Pygar: An angel has no memory.

DVD Review

The DVD is pretty lame, lacking in any special features, menu animation, et cetera.

If you liked this movie, try these:

• The Ice Pirates
• Plan 9 From Outer Space