Barbarella - Queen Of The Galaxy DVD Duration - 98 minutes Package Dimensions - 7.48 x 5.31 x 0.47 inches; 3.77 Ounces Director - Roger Vadim Actors - Jane Fonda, John Phillip Law, Marcel Marceau Region - NTSC Zone 1 Lang - English Includes extras Barbarella is a 1968 erotic science fiction film directed by Roger Vadim and based on the French Barbarella comics from Jean-Claude Forest. Duran Duran took their name from the mad scientist Dr. Durand Durand, a character in the film. The year is 40,000 on Planet Lythion where Barbarella [Jane Fonda] makes a forced landing during a secret mission to find the lost evil scientist Durand Durand [Milo O'Shea]. Once there, she must use her skills, style, beauty and eroticism to vanquish evil in the form of robots and monsters. See Barbarella do her thing in the wild excessive machine, in the biting bird cage, in the chamber of dreams, in the labyrinth of love, in the deadly doll house, in the palace of pleasure. You'll find adventure beyond your imagination, when you get lost in space with Barbarella! It has since become a brilliant cult film. Style Barbarella is famous for a sequence in which the title character, played by Jane Fonda, undresses in zero gravity during the opening credits. The whole film is played in a tongue-in-cheek manner;especially when it comes to the frequent (but not explicit) sex scenes. The most controversial of those scenes involves Barbarella being tortured by the use of a piano-like instrument that delivers sexual pleasure in doses that can be lethal, although Barbarella survives the ordeal and is visibly disappointed when it is discovered she has overloaded the machine. The film was simultaneously shot in French and English. Some characters' lines were performed by the same actors in both languages; others were not: In the French version, Fonda performs her own lines in French. Marcel Marceau's lines are dubbed into English. De Laurentiis returned to camp science fiction (but with far less erotica) with 1980s Flash Gordon. Reception and influences 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." Another major critic at the time claimed the film was a "mix of poor special effects and the Marquis de Sade."However, it has gained a cult following since its re-release in 1977 on home video, and has had considerable influence on pop and film culture in the decades following its original release. Jane Fonda has subsequently 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. Sound track The film's score was also popular and obtained a cult following. The music was composed by Bob Crewe and Charles Fox. During his first European tour in 1967 Frank Zappa flew from Copenhagen to Italy to meet Vadim and Fonda in order to discuss the possibility of him composing the music for the film. It never happened, but Frank Zappa remained faithful to his love for sci-fi, and composed several tributes to the genre. The Bob Crewe Generation: Robert Stanley Crewe (November 12, 1930 – September 11, 2014) was an American songwriter, dancer, singer, manager, and record producer. He was known for producing, and co-writing with Bob Gaudio, a string of Top 10 singles for the Four Seasons. As a songwriter, his most successful songs include "Silhouettes" (co-written with Frank Slay); "Big Girls Don't Cry", "Walk Like a Man", "Rag Doll", "Silence Is Golden", "The Sun Ain't Gonna Shine (Anymore)", "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and "Bye, Bye, Baby" (all co-written with Gaudio); "Let's Hang On!" (written with Sandy Linzer and Denny Randell); and "My Eyes Adored You" and "Lady Marmalade" (both co-written with Kenny Nolan). ************************************************************************ Excellent condition. ***************************************************************