{"id":24625,"date":"2026-09-26T16:19:04","date_gmt":"2026-09-26T20:19:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=24625"},"modified":"2026-09-26T16:19:04","modified_gmt":"2026-09-26T20:19:04","slug":"barbarella-1968","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=24625","title":{"rendered":"Barbarella-1968"},"content":{"rendered":"

Barbarella-1968<\/strong><\/p>\n

Director Roger Vadim<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starring Jane Fonda\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scott’s Review #1,553<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reviewed September 26, 2026<\/p>\n

Grade: A<\/strong><\/p>\n

For film connoisseurs circa 1968, Barbarella must have been a breath of fresh air in cinematic creativity. It took paths not yet forged, especially in feminism and sexuality.<\/p>\n

The groovy, psychedelic sets and costumes alone project a level of ‘cool’ and colorful inventiveness perfectly encapsulating the 1960s.<\/p>\n

Don’t get me wrong, by the late 1960s, earlier groundbreaking treats like The Naked Kiss (1964), The Graduate (1967), and Bonnie and Clyde (1967) had already been released to thunderous appreciation.<\/p>\n

But Barbarella is wilder and more outer-world, especially with its mix of science fiction, progressive, and campy elements.<\/p>\n

It’s like a saucer filled with zany art materials thrown into a blender, and out comes Barbarella.<\/p>\n

Ironically, it was released the same year as another brilliant science fiction film, Stanley Kubrick’s 2001: A Space Odyssey.<\/p>\n

Then and now (2026), the best way to view this wacky masterpiece is late at night, alongside a strong hallucinogen or a lavish cocktail, for film sophisticates who appreciate art in film.<\/p>\n

The film stars Jane Fonda as the title character, a futuristic space traveler and representative of the United Earth government sent to the Tau Ceti planetary system to find scientist Dr. Durand Durand (Milo O’Shea), who has created a weapon that could destroy humanity.<\/p>\n

Planet Earth’s leaders fear it will cause mass destruction. Until now, they have been a peaceful, loving, non-violent community.<\/p>\n

Barbarella roams 41st-century space with her blind and shirtless guardian angel, buff Pygar (John Phillip Law). She encounters a bevy of weird characters like sinister children, mechanical dolls with razor-sharp teeth, and other outcasts and miscreants.<\/p>\n

On a more adult level, she meets Mark Hand (Ugo Tognazzi) and the Black Queen (Anita Pallenberg), who both fall madly in love with Barbarella and desire her instantly.<\/p>\n

Fonda was a smoldering beauty in 1968 (and still is ravishingly elegant in 2026), so she oozes sexuality combined with a relatability from the moment she graces the screen.<\/p>\n

As she wriggles out of an encasement, completely nude, her perfect figure is on display. But this isn’t chauvinistic or exploitative, as the character embraces her femininity.<\/p>\n

At the time, the scene must have been shocking, though most of the time her lithe nude figure is only suggested.<\/p>\n

Barbarella and Fonda are both strong, opinionated women who want truth and fairness for humanity. Neither is anyone’s patsy, and both control their lives.<\/p>\n

Fonda embodies the character seamlessly, and we can’t help but think she brings her own guts to the role.<\/p>\n

With a sweetness and sincerity, the audience instantly falls in love with Barbarella as she begins her science fiction journey.<\/p>\n

Clearly, Fonda, Hollywood royalty, had some influence on Barbarella since she was married to French director Roger Vadim.<\/p>\n

One can immerse themselves in the inventive visuals that Barbarella offers.<\/p>\n

Cinematographer Claude Renoir, who also worked on 1977’s The Spy Who Loved Me, adds a cartoonish, hallucinogenic dreamscape to the set pieces.<\/p>\n

Barbarella’s spaceship is lined entirely with shag carpet and pink faux fur, resembling a flying cosmetic case.<\/p>\n

The underground city of Sogo features astounding production design and a trippy, throbbing look, using molten wax, oils, and colored liquids to mimic a massive, glowing lava lamp.<\/p>\n

The costumes, especially Fonda’s, are iconic: her green-and-black caped bodysuit, high-heeled shiny silver boots, and many more shine and sparkle amid the purple\/gray-hued sets.<\/span><\/p>\n

Costume comparisons to the legendary Princess Leia from the Star Wars films are hard to miss.<\/p>\n

The infamous ‘Pleasure Machine’ is a titillating sequence where Barbarella is placed in a contraption designed to kill by way of orgasm. As Barbarella rolls her eyes in ecstasy, the scene is deliciously naughty and groundbreaking.<\/p>\n

The scene makes clear it celebrates sexuality and makes no apologies.<\/p>\n

That said, the story isn’t the film’s highlight, nor should it be taken too seriously. It’s largely convoluted and nonsensical, but that’s okay since the film offers so much.<\/p>\n

Though campy, Barbarella (1968) remains a highly influential film.<\/p>\n

1980s new wave band Duran Duran took their name from it, and viewers will notice numerous films like the successful Austin Powers film series patterned after it.<\/p>\n

Lesser-known campy science fiction films like Star Crash (1978), Flash Gordon (1980), and Tank Girl (1995) drew inspiration from it.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Barbarella-1968 Director Roger Vadim Starring Jane Fonda\u00a0 Scott’s Review #1,553 Reviewed September 26, 2026 Grade: A For film connoisseurs circa 1968, Barbarella must have been a breath of fresh air in cinematic creativity. It took paths not yet forged, especially in feminism and sexuality. The groovy, psychedelic sets and costumes alone project a level of … Continue reading Barbarella-1968<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,187,103],"tags":[12740,12742,6106,846,12739,12741,9605,12738,12743],"class_list":["post-24625","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1968-films","category-campfilms","category-scifi","tag-anita-pallenberg","tag-claude-dauphin","tag-david-hemmings","tag-jane-fonda","tag-john-phillip-law","tag-marcel-marceau","tag-milo-oshea","tag-roger-vadim","tag-ugo-tognazzi"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24625","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24625"}],"version-history":[{"count":6,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24625\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":24643,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24625\/revisions\/24643"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24625"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24625"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24625"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}