Jane Fonda is Barbarella. The Sexy 60s Sci-Fi Adventure gets a gorgeous 4K Restoration with Dolby Vision and a wealth of Extras on Arrow Video’s new 4K UHD Release.
The Film
Damn, Roger Vadim was something else.
Was a director ever able to infuse Pop Culture, Genre, and Sex so perfectly? Barbarella is both ridiculously stupid and utterly fascinating in its design and its sexuality. Though sexy the film never devolves into perversion or ugliness that so many films of the era and the proceeding years were so set upon in film.
Based on the comic book series by Jean-Claude Forrest the film concerns itself with the adventures of Barbarella (Jane Fonda) as she attempts to figure out why Duran Duran (Milo O’Shea) has created a weapon of mass destruction. Something that hasn’t been seen in over 10,000 years. As Barbarella begins to unravel the mystery and finds Duran Duran she also manages to find her sexuality beyond the government-issued pills that are to simulate sex.
Barbarella works because of one person – Jane Fonda. Not to say crass but Fonda is the perfect combination of talent, sexuality, physicality, and lithe womanhood. It’s a role that feels perfectly matched to Star at the zeitgeist of the late 1960s. Barbarella is both naïve and capable of a balance that Fonda captures even in the most salacious of moments. Even the voyeuristic opening moments as we watch our hero undress for no other reason than to immortalize Fonda’s perfect physique.
The opening works because of Fonda’s innocence working in tandem with director Vadim and cinematographer Claude Renoir’s gaze. In fact, the entire film is a testament to the star power of Jane Fonda. Fonda is in control of every frame of the film. No matter who is on screen be it David Hemmings, John Phillip Law, or Ugo Tognazzi they are no match for the presence of Fonda. Her Barbarella is the gravity-pulling sun of this wild 60s Go-Go Sci-Fi universe. No matter what the film throws on screen we are fascinated by Barbarella and her ponderous wanderlust and wanting to stop the plans of Duran Duran.
Barbarella is both innocent fun and sexy naughty romp that works because of its lead actor Jane Fonda’s incredible star performance. Once you see Barbarella it will be impossible to not want to see the movie or her again.
The Transfer
The all-new 4K restoration from the original negative by Arrow Films in Dolby Vision (HDR10 compatible) is a beautiful example of what’s possible with 4K UHD. The transfer from head to toe is a perfect representation of Barbarella’s 35mm image. The image is drop-dead gorgeous in its color reproduction, sharpness, contrast levels, and grain structure. Having seen the film in the format four times now there is nary a fault or issue that this review can find. Barbarella may stand as the best 4K UHD transfer this reviewer has seen. Needless to say, Arrow Video’s work here is the best transfer of 2023 but may be the best this reviewer has seen yet. Bravo to Arrow for this accomplished work.
The Extras
They included the following;
NOTE: The Blu-Ray housing the Extras does NOT include the feature film on the UHD edition.
DISC ONE [UHD]
- Audio commentary by film critic Tim Lucas
- Alternative opening and closing credits (in 4K with Dolby Vision)
- Isolated score
- Original lossless English mono audio, plus remixed Dolby Atmos surround and lossless French mono (featuring the voice of Jane Fonda)
DISC TWO [BLU-RAY]
- Another Girl, Another Planet
- 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
- Framing for Claude
- Tognazzi on Tognazzi
- An Angel’s Body Double
- Dino and Barbarella
- Trailer
- US TV and radio spots
- Image gallery
DISC ONE [UHD]
The all-new Audio commentary by film critic Tim Lucas opens with a quote by Roger Vadim about how he and his wife (Jane Fonda) became involved in the film. Some of the details include how they accomplished the zero-gravity opening scene; the account of by Jane Fonda how the original opening scene was accomplished; the two versions of the film that were released; the work of production designer Mario Garbuglia; the work of special creature effects supervisor Carlo Rambaldi; the work of cinematographer Claude Renoir; the differences between the source material and the film; the songs and score that were produced the film – including the various musicians that created them; the possible FX work by Mario Bava; a discussion of the various dubbed soundtracks including Fonda’s own voice in French; discussions throughout about the various Special FXs and how they were accomplished and who they were credited to; a larger discussion of French Graphic Novels/Comic Book history; a discussion of the various actors and their careers both on film and outside of film; a larger discussion of the various crew Vadim worked with here and throughout his career; a larger discussion of the various sets, and locations that the film was shot; a larger discussion throughout the commentary track about the various actors and their work here and throughout their career; and much more. Lucas brings the sort of deeply researched and informative facts to this track as he does with his writings and other commentary track.
Alternative opening credits [in 4K with Dolby Vision] (2:21) – the censored version of the opening credit sequence.
Alternative closing credits [in 4K with Dolby Vision] (1:16) – the censored version of the closing credit sequence.
Isolated score – fans of the film will not want to miss this isolated score. As visually lush as the film is, the score and songs from the film are as audibly lush. Those Burt Baccarat-inspired compositions can be heard in 5.1 glory.
DISC TWO [BLU-RAY]
Another Girl, Another Planet (23:03) – film critic Glenn Kenny dissects and appreciates Barbarella. This visual essay touches upon the film; its production; the various crew that made the film; its source material – and the adaptation; its producer Dino DeLaurentis; its director Roger Vadim; its star Jane Fonda; its reach within not just film but pop culture; and much more. The essay is beautifully constructed using various pieces of art, stills, and scenes from this movie and others.
Barbarella Forever! (14:54) – This is the pot of gold. This short featurette from photographer Paul Joyce is a behind-the-scenes featurette from 1967. The footage is amazing with looks at behind-the-scenes intercut with the sort of “cheeky” lifestyle pieces that one would find in a ’60s edition of Playboy Magazine. Joyce’s work here is much more artfully done than your standard behind-the-scenes featurette from the era or even now – though one will take major pause when the featurette stops to show Fonda cooking for her husband/director Vadim.
Love: Tim Lucas and Steve Bissette on Barbarella (1:53:20) – this Zoom based discussion between film and cultural historian and author Tim Lucas & film and cultural historian and comic book artist Steve Bissette on the impact and legacy of Barbarella is literally like a second commentary track about the film. Though this is not screen-specific still really delves into the film and why it is so important even in 2023. Some of the details include their own personal experiencing discovering Barbarella – the film and the graphic novel; a discussion of the various edition of Barbarellaof graphic novels; the censoring of French Comic Books by France – how it relates to Barbarella; the comic books/graphic novels at the time that Barbarella was released; Bissette’s discussion of his feelings towards Barbarella the movie – which leads to a larger discussion of Comic Book adaptations at the time including Danger Diabolic; a larger discussion of the opening title sequence in Barbarella – but also leads to a discussion of title sequences in the era including James Bond film; the directorial style of Roger Vadim; and much more. There is so much to this conversation that I’ve only breached the surface. Anyone who loves or even doesn’t like Barbarella would do well to watch this conversation which is more of a back-and-forth as they are honest about their discussion of the film and the effect it had on pop culture. The discussion is intercut with various stills, and video clips to maximum effect.
Dress to Kill (31:30) – this interview with film fashion scholar Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén on Barbarella’s costume designer Jacques Fonteray’s costumes and how this informed costume design moving forward and fashion. Some of the details include Fonteray’s life before becoming a costume designer; how Fonteray never considered himself a “costume designer” but an artist first; the collaborative nature of the production between the various department heads; the interesting approach to materials they used to create the costumes; the crafting of the costumes and the issues that came up – and why they look the way they do; his collaboration and working in tandem with production designer Mario Garbuglia; and much more.
Framing for Claude (17:12) – in this interview with Roberto Girometti the camera operator discusses his work with Claude Renoir. Girometti discusses work on Barbarella (including some great anecdotes about Vadim); his friendship with John Phillip Law; working with Vadim; being hired by and working for Claude Renior; working for Lewis Gilbert; and much more. In Italian with English Subtitles.
Tognazzi on Tognazzi (21:56) – actor/director Ricky Tognazzi discusses the life and work of his father and Barbarellastar Ugo Tognazzi. Opening with a series of info title cards about Tongnazzi the featurette sets the stage for a discussion of the unconventional star through the lens of his son. Some of the details include his father not being into science fiction as a genre but being a tech-head who loved gadgets; the type of films that Ugo loved – including some great anecdotes about Marcello Mastroianni and other actors; the way that his father worked and what he preferred when working with directors; his father’s love of modern art and for that matter all modernity’s; his father’s work in Barbarella and where he was in his career; and much more. In Italian with English Subtitles.
An Angel’s Body Double (24:26) – in this interview acting legend Fabio Testi discusses his early life in Italy – as a teen watching productions in his home town which led to an early career as a stuntman and body double for John Phillip Law on Barbarella. Some of the details include how a small part in a pirate film led to having to go to Rome; his early career in Rome – including a series of ads for Coke; a wild anecdote about performance with a Lion; getting an agent because he could play futbol – with amongst other famous creatives like Passolini, Ugo Tognazzi; how producer Demofilo Fidani gave him his first real big break as a star in the film And Now … Make Your Peace with God – on the condition that he could do all the stunts, not just his stunts but all the stunts; his love of the work and how even after the success still working in bit parts and stunts; a discussion of his involvement with Once Upon A Time in the West – and his eventual friendship with Sergio Leone; being cast as the stunt double/body double for John Phillip Law on Barbarella; stories from the production and working with Law and their relationship; and much more. Testi is a fabulous storyteller with so much more in the interview intercut with some great footage from the various works he’s discussing (including the Coke commercials!). In Italian with English Subtitles.
Dino and Barbarella (14:27) – in this video essay by Eugenio Ercolani explores the life and career of producer Dino De Laurentiis. Beginning with De Laurentiis’s first appearance on TV in 1959 (a “skit” called Incontri) which is a funny but telling De Laurentiis a charming trickster able to convince everyone of anything moving through his career’s early days producing Bitter Rice to his work with Fellini in the early days to the Massive Epics The Bible to War and Peace (the Hepburn starring one) including the tumultuous times of the 1970s and how this affected De Laurentiis production. Ercolani’s essay is an amazing piece of contextual journalism that gives context for how the producer of Barbarella went from Italian film producer to a Major Hollywood/European moving maker including how Barbarella fit in his career and helped this transition.
Promotional Material – The trailers and ads can be found in this submenu.
- Trailer (3:21)
- US TV Spot (0:55)
- US radio spots (2:55) – the three radio spots play over three different pieces of original poster art.
Image gallery – the gallery consists of 85 different production stills, promotional art, poster art, lobby cards, and behind-the-scenes photos. The gallery can be navigated by
The Final Thought
Barbarella has been given a luxurious 4K UHD edition filled with a beautiful 4K restoration and otherworldly special features. This is one of the releases of 2023, not to be missed!!! Highest Possible Recommendations!!