"Barbarella", Original First Release Japanese Movie Poster 1968, Ultra Rare, Mint Condition, Linen-Backed, B2 Size (c.51 x 73cm)

Barbarella (バーバレラ) — First‑release Japanese B2, 1968 — “Floating Jane Fonda” design — Linen‑Backed, Mint

Paramount Japan theatrical poster (Japan release) — Roger Vadim × Jane Fonda

Overview

An ultra‑rare Japanese B2 for Barbarella—the deliriously stylish 1968 space‑age fantasy directed by Roger Vadim and starring Jane Fonda. Japanese designers produced some of the most distinctive film posters of the 1960s; this sheet is a showcase of that creative flair, with Fonda suspended in zero‑G against a psychedelic blast, lunar terrain below, and a rocket skimming across the composition. A bona‑fide icon of the era and a centrepiece for any collection.

Film Background

Adapted from Jean‑Claude Forest’s French comic, Barbarella was produced by Dino De Laurentiis and filmed at Cinecittà. Vadim explored other stars for the lead—including Virna Lisi, Brigitte Bardot and Sophia Loren—before casting his then‑wife Jane Fonda as the space‑traveller Barbarella. Costumes are credited to Jacques Fonteray, with widely noted influence from Paco Rabanne’s futuristic couture. Japan received the film via Paramount in 1968. 

Poster design (first‑issue Japanese “Floating Fonda” style)

• Format: B2 one‑sheet for the 1968 Japanese release (Paramount Japan).

• Artwork: Photomontage of Jane Fonda floating in space in red mini‑armour and boots; explosive blue‑green starburst; Earth orb and cratered lunar surface across the foot; small rocket at lower left—an image unique to the Japanese campaign and beloved by collectors.

• Typography & copy:

  • Monumental gold katakana title 「バーバレラ」 across the lower field; テクニカラー〈パナビジョン〉 line above.

  • Red headline at the crown: 「未来40,000年の男は？ 女は？ そのセックスは？」 — roughly, “Men in the year 40,000? Women? And what of their sex?”

  • Vertical sales copy at right praising Vadim’s “erotic SF fantasy,” with パラマウント映画 (Paramount) credit; Roman BARBARELLA logotype at lower left; cast block in Japanese at lower right.

Rarity

Original Japanese B2s for Barbarella—especially this “Floating Jane Fonda” design—surface only infrequently and are highly sought after by collectors of 1960s Japanese graphics, psychedelic/space‑age cinema, and Fonda/Vadim material. 

Condition (after professional conservation)

Mint (restored), LINEN‑BACKED.
Museum‑grade archival backing delivers a pristine, exhibition‑ready presentation:

• Clean, richly saturated color and crisp registration.

• Sheet lies perfectly flat on linen with no distracting defects—ready to frame.

• Standard archival treatments performed during backing (stabilization and subtle blending as needed) while preserving original halftone grain.
  Photographs show the actual poster after conservation. 

Age & authenticity

• Year: 1968 (Japanese first release)

• Origin: Japan / Paramount Japan (パラマウント映画)

• Variant: First‑release Japanese B2 “Floating Jane Fonda” design

• Status: Original vintage theatrical poster — not a reproduction

• Period features present: 1968 artwork/credits; gold バーバレラ title; famous red tagline; Technicolor/Panavision line.

Provenance

Acquired in Japan from a well known collector for the Japan Poster Shop collection. Professionally linen‑backed in 2025. Photographs depict the actual piece post‑backing.

Certification

Sold with a Japan Poster Shop Certificate of Authenticity (COA).