Fab Film Friday
Petula Darling is pleased to announce that Fridays (not all Fridays, necessarily.... maybe just a couple....or, you know, only this one) are now dedicated to the promotion of films of the highest cinematographic caliber.
Today's masterpiece of the silver screen: Barbarella
Barbarella, released in 1968, is a visionary tale of the future. It features Jane Fonda as a five-star double-rated astr0-navigatrix whose mission is to save earth from destruction. Her skill lies mainly in her ability to change outfits more often than logic should allow.
I can't believe I hadn' t see this movie until just recently - it's so much fun. The costumes are great (well, not exactly "great" in an "I think I'd like to get one of those numbers to wear to the theater" way, more "great" as in "I didn't know fabric could do that"), and it must be said that Jane looks amazing in them. The visuals are incredible - you can't really tell from the preview but the sets and the colors are spectacular.
The storyline? Well, that might be a tad weak (ok, it's pathetic). But it is quite funny - both intentionally and not.
I should mention that this film is likely to present some challenges for those attuned to feminist issues (I won't even try to go into them, there are so many issues here). However, I think most women will end up feeling empowered after seeing it, due to the realization that even without training most of us would make far better astro-navigatrixes than Barbarella. Seriously, it's one of those movies where you can't help but joyously yell, "What are you thinking?!" numerous times at the screen.
Today's masterpiece of the silver screen: Barbarella
Barbarella, released in 1968, is a visionary tale of the future. It features Jane Fonda as a five-star double-rated astr0-navigatrix whose mission is to save earth from destruction. Her skill lies mainly in her ability to change outfits more often than logic should allow.
I can't believe I hadn' t see this movie until just recently - it's so much fun. The costumes are great (well, not exactly "great" in an "I think I'd like to get one of those numbers to wear to the theater" way, more "great" as in "I didn't know fabric could do that"), and it must be said that Jane looks amazing in them. The visuals are incredible - you can't really tell from the preview but the sets and the colors are spectacular.
The storyline? Well, that might be a tad weak (ok, it's pathetic). But it is quite funny - both intentionally and not.
I should mention that this film is likely to present some challenges for those attuned to feminist issues (I won't even try to go into them, there are so many issues here). However, I think most women will end up feeling empowered after seeing it, due to the realization that even without training most of us would make far better astro-navigatrixes than Barbarella. Seriously, it's one of those movies where you can't help but joyously yell, "What are you thinking?!" numerous times at the screen.
posted by Petula Darling at
1/05/2007 12:19:00 AM
1 Comments:
Truly a ground breaking film. As a kid, I learned the word "anathema" from this film, so it really is quite a literary vocabulary builder.
And Jane is totally a babe.
Julia G | Homepage | 01.05.07 - 1:29 pm | #
Oh, and next week should be "Night of the Lepus":
[from Amazon]
Whoever persuaded MGM to make a movie about giant, bloodthirsty bunnies must have been some kind of mad genius. Night of the
Lepus features Stuart Whitman (star of such classics as Omega Cop and Demonoid, Messenger of Death) and Janet Leigh (whose
career had taken a downturn from Psycho) as a pair of scientists who say things like "I wish I knew what the effects of this serum would
be--let's hope it works" as they inject test rabbits with hormones that turn them into slavering, carnivorous giant bunnies. That's the plot;
the rest of the movie is scenes of giant bunnies attacking horses, giant bunnies jumping through windows to attack people, giant bunnies
running in herds down the freeway...lots and lots of giant bunnies, sometimes with blood smeared across their ferocious jaws as they
rear up to attack. The special effects are breathtakingly cheap; the bloody corpses are actors with red syrup splashed over them. But
what makes Night of the Lepus even more astonishing is that the dvd features dubbing in French, presumably for European viewers
bored with their usual diet of Truffaut and Rohmer. In fact, the movie makes more sense in French (assuming you don't actually speak
the language); you can pretend it was created by an inspired Surrealist, and that Janet Leigh says things like "My bicycle has wheels of
cheese" or "Beauty kisses my savage earlobe," instead of "Rabbits aren't exactly Roy's bag." Also starring Rory Calhoun (Roller Blade
Warriors: Taken by Force) and DeForest Kelley (Dr. McCoy on the original Star Trek), who wears several colorful turtlenecks. A camp
classic.
Julia G | Homepage | 01.05.07 - 1:38 pm | #
Do yourself a favor and rent "Carnival of Souls". Another classic!
You must be hilarious by noon!
Gina | Homepage | 01.05.07 - 5:31 pm | #
I must admit ,Barbarella is all about the costumes for me!
jungle dream pagoda | Homepage | 01.08.07 - 12:42 pm | #
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