‘Barbarella’ Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray Review – Classic Comic Book Tale Offers Sexy Cosmic Vibes

Slip out of your spacesuit and into something more comfortable! It’s time to join Barbarella on a series of cosmic adventures in this Dino De Laurentiis production directed by Roger Vadim (And God Created Woman) and starring Jane Fonda as the intergalactic glamour puss created by comic book artist Jean-Claude Forest. It is the year 40,000AD. When evil scientist Durand Durand (Milo O’Shea) creates a deadly weapon with the potential to cause mass devastation, the President of Earth dispatches Barbarella (Fonda) to hunt him down. Crash-landing in an icy wilderness somewhere within the Tau Ceti planetary system, Barbarella is rescued by Mark Hand (Ugo Tognazzi, La Cage Aux Folles) and guided by the blind angel Pygar (John Phillip Law, Danger: Diabolik) to Durand’s lair in Sogo, a city of corruption and debauchery, where an encounter with the Great Tyrant Black Queen (Anita Pallenberg, Performance) and her minions throws her mission into jeopardy. With an all-star cast including David Hemmings and Marcel Marceau, and glorious retro-futuristic costumes and art design dripping with 60s psychedelia, Barbarella defined an era and has never looked better than this brand new 4K restoration, with an HDR/Dolby Vision color grade so rich it can be seen from space, loaded with never-before-seen bonus features!

For thoughts on Barbarella, please check out our discussions on The Video Attic:

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Video Quality

Barbarella debuts on 4K UHD Blu-Ray in its original 2.35:1 with a pretty miraculous 2160p Dolby Vision/HDR transfer sourced from a 16-bit 4K scan of the Original Camera Negative along with select sections of an original 35mm Interpositive to replace sections in poor condition on the OCN. The film was previously released on Blu-Ray by Paramount in 2012, but we do not have that disc to compare. Judging by other catalog titles from the studio released at that time, this is undoubtedly a monumental improvement, made all the better with an encode from David Mackenzie from Fidelity In Motion. 

The strength in contrast and overall clarity is readily apparent, especially in unique details like the incredible production design and the elaborate costumes. The Dolby Vision unlocks very nuanced, deep colors throughout with a nearly candy-colored palette that dazzles in every frame. This is a journey built on vibes and aesthetics, and this release nails the beauty of this experience. Highlights are bright and stable without veering into blooming. Black levels are deep and allow the picture to maintain a significant amount of depth and detail in darker environments. There is the perfect amount of natural film grain that resolves naturally and gives a lot of nice texture and detail to the transfer. Skin tones look great with no apparent instances where characters look in any way desaturated. The clarity of the transfer gives you a great amount of facial detail including makeup effects and other minute details. This transfer is a god-send from Arrow Video.

Audio Quality

This 4K UHD Blu-Ray comes with an audio experience that matches the brilliance of the video side of the equation. Arrow has restored the original mono in both English and French (featuring the voice of Jane Fonda) and featured it in LPCM 1.0 audio. The label went a step further and used this mono track as the basis for an all-new Dolby Atmos presentation. Arrow understands that fans demand the original audio to be included for artistic purity, but if they want to create something to appeal to audiophiles looking to engage every speaker they have, they will not get any objections. All of these tracks represent the film with terrific purity and strength. 

Barbarella has a world of great atmospheric effects that engage the surround speakers in the Atmos track with material of Barbarella traveling around from space to space. Dialogue comes through clearly in the front channel without being overshadowed by any sound effects or the terrific soundtrack. The track has a precise sense of directionality with sounds always emanating from the appropriate channels. The height channels are used to complement rather than carry the main load, and it allows the world to feel more spacious. The movie has a few thrilling moments which puts the low end to work on occasion. The music provides the perfect atmosphere for this larger-than-life story which fills the speakers well. There are absolutely no issues with fidelity or damage to the track. This audio presentation is pretty fantastic thanks to an upgraded audio mix to go along with the video upgrade. There are optional English SDH subtitles provided. 

Special Features

The Limited Edition Collector’s Set of the Arrow Video 4K UHD Blu-Ray of Barbarella comes beautifully packaged in a hard outer case and includes a 118-page bound book featuring new writing on the film by Anne Billson, Paul Gravett, Véronique Bergen, and Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén, and a recreation of the 1968 British Press Book for the film. These works provide a great analysis of the film and the talent at large in a thoughtfully written style. This package also includes a double-sided poster and six double-sided, postcard-sized lobby card reproductions. The on-disc special features are as follows: 

Disc One (Film)

• Audio Commentary: Film critic Tim Lucas provides a really informative commentary track in which he discusses the history of this film, the background of the creative figures, how they filmed the opening credits, the nuances of the production design, the work of Roger Vadim, the film’s legacy, and much more. 

• Isolated Score Track: An option to watch the film with only the score audible in LPCM 1.0 audio. 

• Alternative Opening Credits: A nearly two-and-a-half-minute alternate version of the strip-down opening credits. 

• Alternative Closing Credits: A nearly minute-and-a-half alternate version of the closing credits. 

Disc Two (Extras)

• Another Girl, Another Planet: A 23-minute appreciation piece by film critic Glenn Kenny is provided here which does not go into the film itself very much, but it does offer a good deal of background information on the figures involved. Kenny discusses the burgeoning career (and missteps) of Dino De Laurentiis, Jane Fonda’s relationship with director Roger Vadim, where Fonda was at this point in her career, the observations of film critic Roger Ebert from his visits to the set during the bird pecking scene, and more. 

• Barbarella Forever!: A 15-minute look at some rarely seen footage from 1967 shot by Paul Joyce in Rome of the production including rehearsals along with some interesting activities outside of the set. 

• Love – Tim Lucas and Steve Bissette on Barbarella: A massive 114-minute conversation between the two film historians in which they casually discuss their history with Barbarella, the comic book source material, the theatrical work of Roger Vadim, the Italian science fiction films of the 1960s, how film acts as a feat of adaptation, the depiction of sexuality, and much more that benefits from a less rigid structure. 

• Dress To Kill: A new 32-minute piece in which film fashion scholar Elizabeth Castaldo Lundén discusses Jacques Fonteray’s background, his unbelievable costume designs, the aesthetic throughout the film, the manufacturing of the costumes, the deeper significance of how certain characters appear, and more. 

• Framing For Claude: A new 17-minute interview with camera operator Roberto Girometti in which he discusses getting involved with the film, working with director of photography Claude Renoir, memories of Jane Fonda, awkward interactions with Roger Vadim, amusing anecdotes from other sets, and more.

• Tognazzi on Tognazzi: A 22-minute interview with actor/director Ricky Tognazzi who discusses the life and work of his father and Barbarella star Ugo Tognazzi. There are some great reflections about how his father got involved in different projects, how he felt about his output, what he was said to have brought to Barbarella, and more. 

• An Angel’s Body Double: A nearly 25-minute interview with actor Fabio Testi who discusses his early career as a stuntman and body double for John Phillip Law on Barbarella. Testi has worked with a deep array of talented figures, and he has some fascinating stories to share. 

• Dino and Barbarella: A nearly 15-minute new video essay by Eugenio Ercolani on producer Dino De Laurentiis that delves into his career, his famous collaborations, successes and failures, his work on Barbarella, and more. 

• Promotional Material

• • Trailer (3:21)

• • US TV Spot (0:55)

• • US Radio Spots (2:55)

• Image Gallery: A collection of production stills and promotional images are provided here. 

Final Thoughts

Barbarella is one of the original “vibes” movies that you have to sort of give yourself over to and let the cosmic journey unfold before you. There is a narrative that offers up its own unique logic, but most will probably not care about the particulars of tracking down Durand Durand or most of the figures Barbarella finds herself opposite of (or under). Jane Fonda is incredible here, balancing playfulness and sex appeal with an innate sense of timing to strike the tonal balance. The production design is spectacular as it offers up a visual feast that few films can replicate as well. Arrow Video has released a truly unbelievable 4K UHD Blu-Ray which brings new life to the film through its impeccable A/V quality and stellar assortment of special features. If you are a fan of the film, you could not ask for a better collection. Highly Recommended 

Barbarella will be available to purchase on 4K UHD Blu-Ray and Blu-Ray on November 28, 2023. 

Note: Images presented in this review are not reflective of the image quality of the 4K UHD Blu-Ray.

Disclaimer: Arrow Video has supplied a copy of this disc free of charge for review purposes. All opinions in this review are the honest reactions of the author.