Film: Barbarella

Barbarella

The cult favourite features queen of the galaxy Barbarella battling baddies in space - usually without many clothes on.

A huge influence, not just on the world of science fiction but also pop culture at large, Barbarella has the distinction of being one of the few erotic science-fiction movies ever made - no doubt one reason why its legend looms so large. From Jane Fonda’s opening gravity-free striptease onwards, Roger Vadim’s adaptation of Jean-Claude Forest’s French comic is a campy, tongue-in-cheek tour de force, filled with lava-lamp era special effects, PVC costumes and psychedelia.

Although the results are never quite as much fun to watch as they are to describe, Barbarella still enjoys a massive cult following and has been extensively raided, especially by the world of pop. Kylie Minogue spoofed the famous striptease for a video, Prince has a history of referencing it and, most famously, Duran Duran are named after the movie’s villain. The film also led to a stage show, and Drew Barrymore’s name spent most of the 1990s attached to a rumoured Hollywood remake.