Barbarella (1968) Belgian Movie Poster

Barbarella is a 1968 Franco-Italian science fiction film based on Jean-Claude Forrest’s French Barbarella comics. The film was directed by Roger Vadim and stars Jane Fonda, who was Vadim’s wife at the time.

Barbarella is noted for its title sequence, which features Jane Fonda undressing in zero-gravity.

The film was both a box office and critical failure on its release. Variety’s review stated that “Despite a certain amount of production dash and polish and a few silly-funny lines of dialogue, Barbarella isn’t very much of a film. Based on what has been called an adult comic strip, the Dino De Laurentiis production is flawed with a cast that is not particularly adept at comedy, a flat script, and direction which can’t get this beached whale afloat.” Despite this, in the years since its initial release, Barbarella has garnered a cult following. It was re-released from 1977-1980 with a PG rating; the re-release found a bigger audience.

The film was simultaneously shot in French and English. Some characters’ lines were performed by the same actors in both languages; others were not. For instance, Fonda is fluent in French and performs her own lines for the French version, while Marcel Marceau’s lines are dubbed for the English film.

Fonda has lamented the fact that she turned down starring roles in two major hit films, Bonnie and Clyde and Rosemary’s Baby to stay in France and star in Barbarella, which was being directed by her then husband Roger Vadim.

Sophia Loren turned down the role of Barbarella.