Barbarella

[The F Bomb]

Never seen this before, only heard about it through pop culture, maybe 90s kitsch revival stuff which I didn't like. Anyway, it's great fun, colourful and light, Fonda is thoroughly charming throughout in a potentially annoying role. Arrow released it on 4K in the US and it's one of my favourites from them in ages, beautiful colours and glorious filmic presentation.

The film is essentially 'how attractive and loveable is Jane Fonda' for 100 minutes but that was enough for me. The humour is kind of Austin Powers tier but more charming and funny because it's not filtered through the same layers of irony and it's authentic to the era. Costumes and sets are utterly sensational.

I assume this film is considered dated etc but if you can enjoy old things without subscribing to every contemporary value and more, this erotic sci-fi comedy is perfect comfort viewing with your nightmare tea and toast.

[shoulders]

I enjoyed the dreamlike nature of it and it is very charming for the first half an hour, but it's also unfortunately quite dull in places too, I think the very nature of it is meant to be non-committal and fluffy but that doesn't translate to a satisfying watch.

[The F Bomb]

I enjoyed the dreamlike nature of it and it is very charming for the first half an hour, but it's also unfortunately quite dull in places too, I think the very nature of it is meant to be non-committal and fluffy but that doesn't translate to a satisfying watch.

Definitely a threadbare, almost sketchlike narrative (maybe these are episodes from the comics, I dunno) and I totally see why it's not engaging for everyone. It kept me interested almost entirely due to the visuals and dense production design. I think for a lot of it, they assume you'll just be happy looking at Jane Fonda!😂😂😂

I also watch a lot of ostensibly uneventful, dreamily erotic, visual feast stuff like Jean Rollin and Walerian Borowczyk so this was like a fun, American, swinging 60s sci-fi take on the form.

[Brundle-Fly]

That scene with the robot baby dolls terrified me as a kid.

[ros vulgaris]

ESSENCE OF MAN

[The F Bomb]

Rewatching this and very tickled by how funny, dry and aware Jane Gonda's delivery can be. David Hemmings is also absolutely class, silly and weird, reminds me of how perfectly cast he was in Deep Red - both overconfident and insecure, charmingly inept, loveable nob.

[Blumf]

David Hemmings is also absolutely class, silly and weird

When I first saw it, could have sworn it was Rik Mayall. Was trying to figure out how that was possible.

[The F Bomb]

I can definitely see it, not just in appearance but delivery. One of the highlights of the film.

Anita Pallenberg is also a remarkable bit of casting, she's such a force of nature, she doesn't really need to act, kind of Dietrich level raw charisma. She also manages to be funny without being overtly knowing.

I understand the criticisms of this film, but it's very entertaining to me.

[Blumf]

Not a perfect film, but you'd have to be a total miserable git not to get some joy from it.

Wish more sci-fi went all out on weirdness.

[The F Bomb]

Not a perfect film, but you'd have to be a total miserable git not to get some joy from it.

Wish more sci-fi went all out on weirdness.

Yeah, I'd like to see more in this vein but having looked (briefly), it seems pretty sui generis. Gonna start on the original comics this evening.

[Blumf]

Valerian and the City of a Thousand Planets (2017) should have been a good match, having a similar period source, but manages to fail in just about every way Barbarella succeeds.

[dissolute ocelot]

Definitely a lot of fun. Most of the cast look amazing in one way or another. I think John Phillip Law (Pygar) did as much to teenage me as Fonda.

The Wikipedia plot section is inordinately long. But should you be uncertain of some details it may or may not be accurate.