One of the most frustrating aspects of collecting movies on laser disc is those seemingly endless delays. One of the most rewarding aspects is after a long delay, a disc finally arrives and you find the quality such that it was worth the wait. Such is the case with 'Barbarella'.
'Barbarella' was released some 26 years ago. This and the fact that this odd sci-fi fantasy would never be confused with '2001' or 'Lawrence Of Arabia' had my expectations rather low. I must say, I was pleasantly suprised. The quality of the transfer is excellent. The color balance is near perfect. Flesh tones appear accurate and stable and overall saturation could not be better. Contrast is also excellent. The picture is sharp and well focused with barely a trace of grain. The letterboxed ratio for this Panavision film is about 2.40:1. This video transfer is, considering the source material, about as good as one can expect from this format.
The audio is mono with limited dynamic range, however, the sound quality of the disc is very good. Dialog and music is clear and undistorted.
As on the earlier release of 'The Keep', Paramount has included the trailers for several sci-fi films that are or will soon be available on disc. Unlike 'The Keep', which Paramount chose to release at $44.95, 'Barbarella' is priced at a more reasonable $34.95. Highly recommended to sci-fi fans or Fonda watchers. Enjoy.
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