Disc Reviews
The Vixen Trilogy 4K
The Vixen Trilogy 4K/Blu-ray 4K Review
Russ Meyer’s Vixen, Supervixen and Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens get the 4K restoration treatment from Severin films.
The three films really only have Meyer and the word Vixen in common. This isn’t a trilogy in the narrative sense; more an excuse for Meyer to deliver heavily on what he was good at back in his era: Large-breasted women.
There is of course some story to be told in each film – but nothing perhaps as crazy as his Beyond the Valley of the Dolls film which is sadly not part of this release.. 1968’s Vixen stars Erica Gavin as an oversexed wife who manipulates pretty much anyone who comes across her periphery in a Canadian wilderness resort. 1975’s Supervixens features various Meyer favourite actors including Uschi Digard, Charles Napier, John Lazar and Haji and ups the ante in terms of breasts, sex and violence. The final film from 1979 introduces Kitten Natividad and is equally as bonkers as the other films as it focuses in on small-town America. This one takes an ever lighter approach than the previous films. In short – If you like a bit of cartoonery amidst your smutty pictures, then Meyer is the guy for you.
Now, Russ Meyer is long gone, but that hasn’t stopped the producers of these discs from grabbing hold of some bountiful treasures in the form of audio commentaries from the man himself for each film and retro interview programs featuring lengthy interviews with the man himself. Meyer is very frank with his interviewers and makes no apologies for the work he has filmed or the adult cinema movement he helped create. There is also the inclusion of an episode of an old UK TV show called The Incredibly Strange Film Show hosted by a very young Jonathan Ross. This was made at a time when the UK was all but starved of films about the movies and its content holds up to date as Ross visits the man at his house and interviews him about his back catalogue. Anyone interested in such treasures should look up this show as each episode focuses on a cult film figure (except John Waters, Sam Raimi etc). The inclusion of the Meyer episode was well sought out by Severin films.
Regardless of how you feel about smutty films, these are a part of American film history and were an important part of the cultural shifts in the late 60s, through the 70s. Meyer’s work deserves all the restoration they can get.
Steven Hurst
Special Features for VIXEN
UHD:
- Archival Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer/Cinematographer/Co-Editor/Director Russ Meyer
- Audio Commentary With Actress Erica Gavin
- Trailer
BLU-RAY/DVD:
- 1981 Censor Prologue (Theatrical Re-Release)
- Archival Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer/Cinematographer/Co-Editor/Director Russ Meyer
- Audio Commentary With Actress Erica Gavin
- .. Or Animal? – Interviews With Actors Erica Gavin And Harrison Page
- David Del Valle’s The Sinister Image With Guests Russ Meyer And Yvette Vickers
- .. Or Obscenity? – Marc Edward Heuck On The Film’s Historic Cincinnati Censorship Battles
- Trailer
Feature Specs for VIXEN
- Runtime: 71 mins
- Audio: English Mono
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
- Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Special Features for SUPERVIXENS
UHD:
- Archival Audio Commentary With Writer/Cinematographer/Editor/Producer/Director Russ Meyer
- Trailer
BLU-RAY/DVD:
- Archival Audio Commentary With Writer/Cinematographer/Editor/Producer/Director Russ Meyer
- Russ Meyer Versus The Porn-Busters – Mike Carroll Interview With Russ Meyer
- The Man With The Square Jaw – Interview With Actor Charles Napier
- The Incredibly Strange Film Show Season 1, Episode 5: Russ Meyer
- Trailer
- TV Spot
Feature Specs for SUPERVIXENS
- Run Time: 106 mins
- Audio: English Mono
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
Special Features for BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS
UHD:
- Archival Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor/Director Russ Meyer
- Trailer
BLU-RAY/DVD:
- Archival Audio Commentary With Co-Writer/Producer/Cinematographer/Editor/Director Russ Meyer
- The Latin Brünhilde – Interview With Actress Kitten Natividad
- Talk It Over – Ellen Adelstein Interviews Russ Meyer For Her Tucson Talk Show In 1979
- Still Talking It Over – New Interview With Ellen Adelstein
- Trailer
Feature Specs for BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS
- Run Time: 93 mins
- Audio: English Mono
- Closed Captions: English SDH
- Region: A/B/C
- Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
The Vixen Trilogy 4K is out on 27th Janurary 2025