Overview: 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.

Blu-ray Verdict: 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.

The plot isn’t very important: it’s a farcical sci-fi odyssey full of deus ex machina in which a ditzy Jane Fonda saves the universe. The acting, plot, and dialog are all cheesy and superficial, but behind that is something legitimately engaging, worthy, even wondrous. Barabarella is creative and has an abundance of striking images that--by virtue of weirdness, ridiculousness, creepiness, or sexiness--will stick with you if you are paying attention.

The effects are massively low budget by today’s standards: it’s more like you’re watching a stage play than a film. But this stage play has scenery, costumes, and props that are often really gorgeous and interesting. You’ll see hedonists smoking essence of man in the City of Night, the priests and architecture of that city, bizarre and disconcerting carnivorous dolls, the Excessive Machine and its hall scattered with the remains of ladies, and the psychedelic Chamber of Dreams.

The movie has plenty of interesting concepts too, for which the comic is largely to thank. They are cheesily executed but still thought-provoking. The future has replaced physical sex with some weird psychic act. The galaxy is so peaceful that the only way to combat a terrorist is to dust off weapons found in an old museum. And we see a switcheroo on heaven and hell where the evil are exalted in the beautiful city and the good are exiled to wander around a bleary labyrinth.

All of these things are wondrous to see. You just need a coping mechanism to deal with the fact that the dialogue is ridiculous and the acting is often lame--even Marcel Marceau. I found that I could just suspend judgement and go along for the ride. Maybe you can, zen-like, just ignore the embarrassment of it of it all. I implore you to do so as it’s well worth it to do so.

Oh, did I mention that it’s cheesy as hell? Well, it is, but it is also sexy, fun, creepy, strange, gorgeous, and intriguing. Best watched horny and intoxicated on something or the other. You’ll have a blast, trust me!

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, with an HDR/Dolby Vision color grade so rich it can be seen from space, loaded with never-before-seen bonus features!

4K ULTRA HD BLU-RAY LIMITED EDITION CONTENTS
Brand new 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films
Reversible sleeve featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tula Lotay
Double-sided fold-out poster featuring original and newly commissioned artwork by Tula Lotay
Six double-sided collector’s postcards
Illustrated collector’s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Anne Billson, Paul Gravett, Véronique Bergen and Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén, and select archival material

Disc One - Feature (4K Ultra HD Blu-ray):
4K (2160p) Ultra HD Blu-ray presentation in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible)
Original lossless English mono audio, plus remixed Dolby Atmos surround and lossless French mono (featuring the voice of Jane Fonda)
Optional English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
Audio commentary by film critic Tim Lucas
Alternative opening and closing credits (in 4K with Dolby Vision)
Isolated score

Disc Two - Extras (Blu-ray):
Another Girl, Another Planet, an appreciation of Barbarella by film critic Glenn Kenny
Paul Joyce’s behind the scenes featurette, Barbarella Forever!
Love, a two-hour in-depth discussion between film and cultural historians Tim Lucas & Steve Bissette on the impact and legacy of Barbarella
Dress to Kill, a 30-minute interview with film fashion scholar Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén on Jacques Fonteray’s world-changing costume designs
Framing for Claude, an interview with camera operator Roberto Girometti
Tognazzi on Tognazzi, actor/director Ricky Tognazzi discusses the life and work of his father and Barbarella star Ugo Tognazzi
An Angel’s Body Double, actor Fabio Testi discusses his early career as a stuntman and body double for John Phillip Law on Barbarella
Dino and Barbarella, a video essay by Eugenio Ercolani on producer Dino De Laurentiis
Trailer
US TV and radio spots
Image gallery

www.arrowfilms.com