Review: Russ Meyer’s NSFW ‘Vixen’ Trilogy Brought Back To Life On Severin Films Blu-ray

Indie innovator Russ Meyer is known for his low-budget “nudie cutie” films that trafficked in broad satire, cartoonishly over-the-top sex scenes, and a parade of busty leading women, such as Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! (1964) and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970).

Working with the Meyer Trust, cult movie connoisseurs Severin Films have rolled out the red carpet for 4K UHD and Blu-ray versions of the long out-of-circulation Vixen trilogy: Vixen (1968), Supervixens (1975), Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979). It was with these films — along with 1976’s Up! — that the Meyer Style really came into focus. The formula is basically just a loose plot strung together with soft-core sex scenes, gratuitous close-ups of various parts of the human anatomy, and eye-catching aesthetics (bright colors, canted camera angles, fast editing), all with an anything goes attitude that can only be described as “zany.” All three films bear the title card “written, photographed, produced and edited by Russ Meyer,” so you know these adults-only movies were the labor of love (or lust).

In Vixen, Erica Gavin stars as the title character, who turns a small Canadian town — and her own marriage — on its head by seducing just about every man in sight, including her own brother in a scene that equally comedic and shocking. Vixen was the first first to be given the X rating, and it earns it. But, perhaps because it was made in 1968, Vixen is the most overtly political of the trio, finding ways to spoof the left and the right, hippies and the establishment, in equal measure. The seemingly out-of-nowhere climax involves a Marxist I.R.A. member trying to hijack a private plane to Cuba. It also tackles themes of racism, homosexuality, and the aforementioned incest, but those attempts are generally a mixed bag to say the least, especially when viewed some 50-60 years later.

1975’s Supervixens is probably the closest Meyer ever got to making an action movie, and is likely the most accessible of the bunch. Adding a dash of intrigue, some supernatural vibes, and a bit of the ol’ ultra-violence to the formula, the film pivots around a mechanic Clint (Charles Pitts) and his hyper-sexual wife SuperAngel (Shari Eubank). He’s irresistible to women, while she’s irresistible to men. Things take a dark turn when SuperAngel is killed by a vengeful, misogynistic cop played by legendary character actor Charles Napier (you’ll know him when you see him), who ends up chasing Clint across the country in order to frame him for the murder. The plot is too curvy to explain here, but suffice to say there’s plenty of sex and violence along the way, plus a ghost sighting or two. By the film’s explosive climax, viewers can see that Meyer was influenced as much by Looney Tunes as he was the French New Wave and other experimentally-inclined European filmmakers of the era.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens finds Meyer in full-on self-parody mode, with a loose series of vignettes that satirize the sexual hypocrisies of Small Town, USA (actually the film’s setting), religious leaders, and pretty much any type of authority figure. Exotic dancer-turned-adult film star Kitten Natividad is at the center of it all, although she’s only the top-billed top-heavy actress bewitching Meyer’s leering camera. The virtually non-stop, outrageously silly sex scenes get old after a while, and it can be difficult to sit through the whole thing in one sitting, but Meyer never ceases to come up with inventive camera angles, a perfectly incongruous library music cue, or a hilarious cartoon sound effect to keep things interesting. Co-written by Roger Ebert, and featuring a cameo from Meyer himself, Ultra-Vixens was Meyer’s final completed film and plays as a best-of compilation of his work.

Virtually unavailable in the US in the DVD era and nigh-impossible to stream, these films have been carefully restored and have never looked better. As with many Severin releases, the features on all three discs are carefully selected and include a mixture of new and archival material.

Vintage audio commentaries from Meyer (he passed away in 2004) make it feel like you’re watching the films alongside him, as he not only discusses the filmmaking techniques, but also gruffly points out obvious themes, laughs at his own jokes, leers at the actresses, and injects truly random thoughts.

In an exceptionally candid interview from 2006, Supervixens star Napier recalls getting his big break in Meyer’s Cherry, Harry & Raquel! (1969), and the ensuing challenge of onscreen nudity. He also reveals that Meyer’s scripts were only about 20 pages long and the rest was improvised on the day. Napier also suggests that Meyer was like a counterculture version of surrealist artist Salvador Dali — whether he realized it or not.

Another highlight is a clip from the late ’70s featuring Meyer being interviewed by local access talk show host Ellen Adelstein in Tucson, Arizona, where the director hilariously defends his artistic choices and his predilection for bosomy women. Severin found the clip on YouTube, and tracked the retired Adelstein down for a follow-up interview about the episode. These interviews alone is worth the price of admission.

Severin has more big plans for Meyer’s brand of “Bosomania,” having announced the upcoming release of two more Meyer films — Motorpsycho (1965) and Up — earlier this week.

All three Vixen films are available now on Blu-ray and 4K UHD.