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Russ Meyer, the WW2 combat and later i.a. Playboy photographer became one of the most significant
of all Cult film directors. Outside of the studio systems he created a world full of aggressive women
with big boobs in a series of sexploitation and rural social drama. His obsessive Bosomania made his
films instantly recognizeable, but also his use of lush bright colors and snappy editing which gave the
films a delightful cartoonish look. Also, there are a lot of comedy and social satire in Russ movies.

A, B, C or Z ? These grades don't apply to Russ as his films exist in a unique world of their own.
The 2 films above is widely considered to be Meyer's best films. The 1968 Vixen made a fortune as it
made a big splash among both men and women. It was an instant cult phenomenon due to the glorious
performance of Erica Gavin and it was genuinely erotic even though Meyer only made softcore films.

Meyer would use Erica Gavin again, in his 1970 Cult Classic "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls".

The other one above is the 1966 Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! and I can't say much about this cult classic
besides it may be the best film ever made. The Immortal Tura Satana gave us one of the most unique and
intense performances of the 20th Century. This violent gothic melodrama about three psychotic Go-Go
dancers, Varla (Tura), Billie and Rosie on a mission to rob a crippled old man living in the desert.

Both these editions at the top are my old VHS copies that I bought from Russ Meyer "personally" as he
managed his film shop himself in the 1980's and 1990's.
Director John Waters famously stated that "Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! is, beyond a doubt, the best movie
ever made. It is possibly better than any film that will be made in the future".

 

Vixen (1968) is finally released by US Severin and RM in a beautiful 4K Ultra HD bluray with
a 4K version disc and a bluray region all version disc. Film restored by MOMA and Russ Meyer
directed, produced and photographed it and Erica Gavin is fascinating as Vixen. It's her film.
She lives in the Canadian Rocky Mountain woods (but it was shot in northern California).
She's like a sex hungry lioness and happily seduces everyone she meets, incl. her brother. The
film is a sex drama comedy with some social discussion.

The film is presented in 1.66:1 ratio with DTS-HD MA 2.0 english audio with english subtitles.
Disc 1 features an Archival audio commentary with co-writer, producer, cinematographer, co-
editor and director Russ Meyer, and another audio commentary with Erica Gavin plus a trailer
Disc 2 features an interview with Erica Gavin and actor Harrison Page (Niles in the film) made
in 2005 (20 minutes). A theatrical re-release prologue. A 21 minutes Sinister Image episode with
Russ Meyer and Yvette Vickers plus Marc Edward about the censorship battles (13 minutes)




2 disc US Severin and RM Films edition of 1975 Russ Meyer's Supervixens.
One disc with the 4K UHD version and one with the bluray version. Christy Hartburg
on the cover. Producer, director, screenplay, cinematography and editor Russ Meyer

One of Russ Meyer's most popular films and Supervixens got slapstick comedy, bright
colors, a great but mean Charles Napier as the psychotic cop and a lot of supervixens
as SuperLorna (Christy Hartburg), SuperAngel (Shari Eubanks), SuperVixen (Eubanks
in a double role), SuperCherry, SuperHaji (Haji) SuperSoul (Uschi Digard) and Super
Eula (Deborah McGuire).
Napier's Harry Sledge kills Angel in a rage and her husband Clint escapes the town
afraid to be blamed for the murder. On his journey he meets a lot of busty women.



One of them Uschi Digard as Soul the mailorder wife of Stuart Lancaster. Besides
saying Ja ... Jaa funny Uschi says "Tack så mycket" in perfect swedish. I think she
was austrian or swiss and also stayed for some time in Sweden (?).
A delightfully strange and funny sex-comedy-action with just one nasty murder at
the beginning. Entertaining, gorgeous women and shot in nice crisp colors

The film is presented in widescreen 1.85:1 ratio with english audio mono and with
extras: Russ Meyer interview: Russ Meyer vs. the porn busters (1990, 24 minutes),
The Return of Harry Sledge: Interview with Charles Napier (19 minutes, 2024),
The Incredibly Strange Film Show, season 1 episode 5 with Russ Meyer (39
minutes, 1988) on disc two.
On disc 1 an audio commentary with Russ Meyer and a trailer. Region all

 

 

2 disc US Severin and RM Films edition of 1976 Russ Meyer's UP..
One disc with 4K UHD version one with bluray version.

Russ Meyer's Up (1976) with Russ Meyer as producer, editor, cinematographer,
co-story and director. Another northern woods rural sex-comedy drama.
For a normal film watcher this film probably is Awful, Terrible and listening to
the dialogue lines may assault your braincells badly, sure. BUT what the film also
is it's delightfully bizarre, funny with snappy editing and glorious crisp colors
and .... with the gorgeous dancer Raven de la Croix as the mystery woman
Margo Winchester with the NY accent.
She's great and I would've loved to see her in many more films.



Above: Raven de la Croix in her dance outfit (not from the film)

The start of this film may be one of the worst and most bizarre Meyer
scenes. Beware of watching Adolf Hitler having fake anal sex in his North
California castle with a leathered up Candy Samples seen as a S&M
dominatrix. We can't see her face only her famous boobs.

Then, we get to see a beautiful woman out jogging on a mountain road.
She's attacked and raped by a local pervert and then punishes him by
breaking his back and killing him (as Tura Satana in Faster Pussycat,
Kill, Kill). The sheriff Homer (Monty Bane) watches their fight and gives
her an alibi in exchange for a lot of sex in his cabin and in the woods..

Above: Raven de la Croix in her exotic dance outfits (not from the film)
Their exotic quality suits her as she is said to be 3/4 native US indian.
Raven de la Croix was a stunning goddess and she owns this film.
Maybe even the most beautiful of all Russ Meyer heroines ever.

Homer is the Sheriff of the little town/village Miranda and the Mystery
woman calls herself Margo Winchester. She starts flipping burgers at
Alice's Café and tries to blend in with the locals, but what is her real
mission ? Russ Meyer can be seen as one of the locals visiting the
the Café and also sitting on the steps outside. This film ends with a
lot of gore involving an axe and a chainsaw. Herschell Gordon Lewis
level of gore even. Kitten Natividad can be seen as The Greek Chorus.

The film is presented in widescreen 1.85:1 ratio with english audio
mono and with extras:
Audio commentary on the 4K UHD disc by film historian Elizabeth
Purchell, and on the Bluray disc an interview with Raven de la Croix
(18 minutes, 2005), Radio spot

 

Russ Meyer giving info about his upcoming gargantuan biography A Clean Breast
A luxurious item that would surely be highly sought after among collectors today

 

Two disc edition from US Severin and RM Films with the 4KUHD version on disc 1
and bluray version on disc 2. Widescreen ratio is 1.85:1 and audio english mono.
Region all. Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens was made in 1979 with Russ Meyer
as director, cinematographer, producer, editor, co-script writer.

Sex comedy and satire of Smalltown, USA, and with Stuart Lancaster narrating the
happenings and sexual escapades of the topheavy women in the film. Not so funny
if burlesque sex comedy, but with ultra crisp colors and the bust of Kitten Natividad.
Anne-Marie plays Eufala Roop, the noisy religious radio channel healer nut.
Uschi Digard makes a bizarre cameo at the end as the Soul.

Extras: On disc 1 an Archival audio commentary with Russ Meyer and a trailer.
Disc 2 with an interview with Kitten Natividad (17 minutes, 2024, and she gives
a very nice impression,
Ellen Adelstein interview with Russ Meyer in her 1979 talkshow (23 minutes)
A new interview with Ellen Adelstein (7 minutes, 2024)

 

 

 


Russ Meyer Biography released by US Three Rivers Press in 2005

 

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