BARBARELLA (1968)

Barbarella Psychadella ... fade away the duller shade of living! So goes the theme song that kicks off the kitschiest, kinkiest, journey through the cosmos this side of Tau Ceti. Join us this week as we take a closer look at Roger Vadim's iconic romp through hypersexy sci fi pulp...

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BARBARELLA (1968)
Dir. by Roger Vadim
Streaming for free on PlutoTv. Also available to rent on Amazon Prime and YouTube.

Maybe ecstasy was the final frontier all along? Off in the deep reaches of space, the glamorous cosmonaut Barbarella is awoken by an urgent video missive from the president of Earth. A fellow earthling, the genius scientist Durand Durand, has developed a devastating new laser weapon that could spell doom for intelligent life... unfortunately, he's absconded off to the heart of darkness of the distant Tau Ceti system, and only an intrepid explorer such as Barbarella herself is equipped to seek out this threat and neutralize him. Barbarella, however, is more of a lover than a fighter - even if her approach to love is a mighty futuristic one. As she journeys through innumerable perils to find the mad scientist, she will face great trials and temptations. Will the resonances of the flesh be her greatest weapon? Or will they mark humanity's ultimate downfall?

An over-the-top admixture of softcore smut and mind-expanding sci fi, Barbarella is a truly psychedelic artifact of the free love era, rendered unforgettable by an iconic performance by Jane Fonda as the titular spacefarer. Does it hold up? Is its fantasy emancipating or icky? Everything's on the table - let's talk about it!

*As a reminder, this is solely a movie discussion group - we encourage you to watch the film independently prior to coming to the meetings.