In the pantheon of 1960s B-movie filmmakers whose work later became reappraised and celebrated for its progressive themes, Russ Meyer has the kind of legacy that rivals Roger Corman. Best known for a series of sexploitation films like “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” and “Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!,” Meyer’s pornographic filmography is now viewed by many as boundary-pushing work that brilliantly encapsulates many of the changing social norms of his generation.
Meyer was fiercely independent and maintained ownership of all of his films until his death in 2004, and quality copies of all but his most famous works have been hard to come by in the 21st century. But thanks to Severin Films, fans will now have a chance to own three iconic Meyer films on DVD, Blu-ray, and 4K UHD. The distributor has partnered with the Russ Meyer Charitable Trust to release new editions of his trilogy consisting of “Vixen!,” “Supervixens,” and “Beyond the Valley of the Ultravixens” restored from Meyer’s original camera negatives.
Released in 1968, “Vixen!” starred Erica Gavin as a seductress who lures tourists into her home and manipulates them with sex. One of the first theatrical films to receive an X rating, it was wildly successful at the box office for its pornographic content, but still featured plenty of subtext about Meyer’s opposition to racism. He revisited the loose premise with 1975’s “Supervixens,” which marked a return to X-rated independent filmmaking for Meyer after an unsuccessful foray into studio projects. Released in 1979 and co-written with Roger Ebert, “Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens” expands on Meyer’s love for satire, taking place in a city named Small Town, U.S.A. and revealing endless amounts of sexual violence and moral hypocrisy that take place behind closed doors.
“As a filmmaker, distributor and First Amendment warrior, Russ Meyer is one of the last great icons of American cinema,” David Gregory, co-founder and CEO of Severin Films, said in a statement. “We’re grateful for the support of The Russ Meyer Trust as we begin what we hope will be an ongoing and bountiful partnership. The Severin Films team is enormously proud of our work in restoring these legendary titles for a new generation of fans and look forward to bringing Russ’ classic catalog back to the bosom of cinéastes everywhere.”
“Russ Meyer’s biggest requirement was QUALITY,” Janice Cowart of The Russ Meyer Trust added. “RM Films is overjoyed that Severin Films took on this gargantuan effort to meet Russ’ expectations, and we are delighted his films will once again be available.”
