Roger Vadim’s 1968 science fiction picture Barbarella is based on Jean-Claude Forest’s eponymous French comic book. Jane Fonda plays the lead role in the movie, a space traveler and official from the United Earth government tasked with tracking down scientist Durand Durand, who has developed a weapon that might wipe out humankind. John Phillip Law, Anita Pallenberg, Marcel Marceau, David Hemmings, Ugo Tognazzi, and Claude Dauphin are among the supporting cast members.
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.
In an unspecified future, space adventurer Barbarella is sent by the Earth’s president to retrieve Durand Durand from the Tau Ceti planetary system. Durand is the inventor of a laser-powered weapon, the positronic ray, which Earth’s leaders fear will cause mass destruction. Barbarella crash-lands on Tau Ceti’s 16th planet and is knocked unconscious by two children. They bring her to the wreckage of a spaceship, where they bind and attack her using mechanical dolls with razor-sharp teeth. Barbarella is rescued by Mark Hand, the Catchman who patrols the ice looking for errant children. Hand tells her that Durand is in the city of Sogo and offers her a ride to her ship in his ice boat. When Barbarella offers to repay him, Hand asks her to make love to him. Barbarella is confused since Earthlings no longer have intimate physical contact; instead, they take pills “until full rapport is achieved.” Hand suggests having đť‘ eđť‘Ą in his bed instead. Barbarella relents and enjoys it but admits that she understands why đť‘ eđť‘Ą is considered primitive and distracting on Earth.