Barbarella (film)

Barbarella
Theatrical release poster by Robert McGinnis[1]
Directed by	Roger Vadim
Screenplay by	Terry Southern Roger Vadim Claude Brulé Vittorio Bonicelli Clement Biddle Wood Brian Degas Tudor Gates Jean-Claude Forest
Based on	Barbarella by Jean-Claude Forest
Produced by	Dino De Laurentiis
Starring	Jane Fonda John Phillip Law Marcel Marceau David Hemmings Ugo Tognazzi
Cinematography	Claude Renoir
Edited by	Victoria Mercanton[2]
Music by	Bob Crewe Charles Fox[3]
Production companies	Marianne Productions Dino De Laurentiis Cinematografica
Distributed by	Paramount Pictures
Release dates	11 October 1968 (1968-10-11) (New York) 18 October 1968 (1968-10-18) (Italy) 25 October 1968 (1968-10-25) (France)
Running time	98 minutes
Countries	France Italy
Language	English
Budget	$4–9 million[4][5]
Box office	$5.5 million (North American rentals)[6]

Barbarella (later marketed as Barbarella: Queen of the Galaxy) is a 1968 science fiction film directed by Roger Vadim, based on the French comic series by Jean-Claude Forest. The film stars Jane Fonda as the title character, a space traveler and representative of the United Earth government sent to find scientist Durand Durand, who has created a weapon that could destroy humanity. The supporting cast includes John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg, Milo O'Shea, Marcel Marceau, Claude Dauphin, David Hemmings and Ugo Tognazzi.

Having expressed an interest in comics and science fiction, Vadim was hired to direct Barbarella after producer Dino De Laurentiis purchased the film rights to the comic series. Vadim attempted to cast several actresses in the title role before choosing Fonda, his then-wife. A friend of Vadim's, Terry Southern, wrote the initial screenplay, which changed considerably during filming and led to seven other writers being credited in the final release, including Vadim and Forest, the latter of whom also worked on the film's production design. The film began shooting immediately following the completion of another De Laurentiis comic adaptation, Danger: Diabolik, with both films sharing several cast and crew members.

The film was particularly popular in the United Kingdom, where it was the year's second-highest-grossing film. Contemporary film critics praised Barbarella's visuals and cinematography but found its storyline weak after the first few scenes. Although several attempts at sequels, remakes, and other adaptations have been planned, none of these have entered production.