Severin Films Is Bringing THE RUSS MEYERS VIXEN TRILOGY In Sexy And Sultry 4K!
Younger generations of genre fans may not know the name Russ Meyer, but perhaps they should. Russ Meyer was a staple of the grindhouse cinema scene of the 60s and 70s and a pioneer in satirizing some of the conservative leanings in the US. Meyer dabbled in different genres throughout the years but is famously known for his work on films that featured busty women who were often taking vengeance against their male wrongdoers. Meyer was both coveted and revered during his time and while he may not be a household name today, he was decades ago. Luckily, the team at Severin Films is fixing to change that with their first announcement of “The Russ Meyers Vixen Trilogy” on 4K UHD!
We shared news about Severin working with Meyers’ trust in the past, and it seems we are now getting a glimpse at the first slate of films to come from that collaboration. Check out the trailer and press release below, and you can pre-order the films and various bundles over at Severin’s site (US) or their UK Webstore!
From The Press Release
Severin Films today announced the full list of Special Features for their release of Russ Meyer’s VIXEN, SUPERVIXENS and BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTARAVIXENS. The nine hours of Severin-curated bonus materials shine a spotlight on each film’s historic critical and commercial success, nationwide censorship battles and notoriety as landmark American independent films. Hailed by The San Francisco Chronicle as “a pop visionary,” Meyer’s legendary trilogy – each making their Worldwide UHD/Blu-ray Premiere – is being released in collaboration with The Russ Meyer Charitable Trust from negatives restored by The Museum of Modern Art and Severin Films.
VIXEN includes an all-new audio commentary and an on-camera interview with long-elusive star Erica Gavin, as well as a new featurette on the film’s historic Cincinnati court battles. SUPERVIXENS boasts a never-before-seen archival interview with actor Charles Napier of THE BLUES BROTHERS fame and the U.S. disc premiere of the 1988 Russ Meyer episode of Jonathan Ross’ The Incredibly Strange Film Show. BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS – co-written by Meyer and Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Ebert – includes an archival interview with star and latter-day Russ muse Kitten Natividad, plus Meyer’s infamous 1979 appearance on a Tucson talk show. All three films feature revealing archival audio commentaries by Russ himself, who passed away in 2004.
“In addition to our unprecedented restorations, these Special Features collectively comprise a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of Russ Meyer’s legacy,” says David Gregory, co-founder and CEO of Severin Films. “The entire Severin Team is enormously proud of our ongoing efforts to honor Russ Meyer the man, the First Amendment warrior and the American filmmaking legend.” VIXEN, SUPERVIXENS and BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS will be released on Blu-ray and UHD. The UHD and Blu-ray releases will be available for pre-order at the Severin Films UK webstore beginning 8 November 2024 ahead of the UK release on 27 January 2025.
VIXEN
Amid the cultural chaos of 1968 and armed with a budget of only $70,000, producer/director/cinematographer Russ Meyer transcended sexploitation by crafting this “bosomacious melodrama” (Time Magazine) about racism, communism, bush pilots, draft dodgers and a ferociously free-spirited wife named Vixen (the incredible Erica Gavin of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and CAGED HEAT). Despite attempts at censorship that included one of the first-ever X ratings and 23 separate U.S. prosecutions for obscenity, it became one of the year’s top-grossing movies, forever transformed independent film and remains the creative template for Meyer’s unapologetic vision of American cinema. VIXEN is now scanned in 4K from the original negative restored by The Museum of Modern Art with 3+ hours of new and archival Special Features curated by Severin Films in conjunction with The Russ Meyer Trust.
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:
• 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
• Woman... Or Animal? – Interviews With Actors Erica Gavin And Harrison Page
• David Del Valle's The Sinister Image with Guests Russ Meyer And Yvette Vickers
• Entertainment... Or Obscenity? – Marc Edward Heuck on the Film's Historic Cincinnati
Censorship Battles
• Trailer
SUPERVIXENS
Following the ‘serious’ features THE SEVEN MINUTES and BLACK SNAKE, this 1975 return to form written, photographed, edited, produced and directed by Russ Meyer remains perhaps his most over-the-top and savagely entertaining epic of all: When a hot-blooded wife (Shari Eubank) and a psychotic cop (a startling performance by Charles Napier of THE BLUES BROTHERS fame) come together, it will ignite a cross-country odyssey of violence, vengeance and relentless coitus. John Lazar (BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS), Uschi Digard (BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS) and Haji (FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!) co-star in Russ’ “super-sexy live-action Road Runner cartoon” (Empire), now restored by Severin Films in conjunction with The Russ Meyer Trust and scanned in 4K from the original negative stored at The Academy of Motion Picture Arts & Sciences.
Special Features for SUPERVIXENS
UHD:
• Archival Audio Commentary with writer/cinematographer/editor/producer/director Russ
Meyer
• Trailer
BLU-RAY:
• Archival Audio Commentary with Writer/Cinematographer/Editor/Producer/Director Russ
Meyer
• Russ Meyer Versus the Porn-Busters – Mike Carroll Interview with Russ Meyer
• 'The Return Of Harry Sledge – Interview With Actor Charles Napier'
• The Incredibly Strange Film Show Season 1, Episode 5: Russ Meyer
• Trailer
• TV Spot
BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS
The final feature produced, photographed, edited and directed by Russ Meyer is a wicked take on Our Town, co-written by Meyer and Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Ebert (BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS). Russ’ latter-day muse Francesca ‘Kitten’ Natividad stars – along with Uschi Digard, Ann Marie, June Mack, Candy Samples and Russ himself – in this unwashed look at Small Town, U.S.A., complete with faith healers, war criminals, bosom buddies and the loin-girding quest for sexual salvation. Because the original elements for BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS had been stored in less-than-optimal conditions, Severin Films devoted months to the painstaking restoration of its weather-damaged negative before scanning it in 4K and compiling 2+ hours of new and archival footage, all with the blessing and cooperation of The Russ Meyer Trust.
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:
• 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
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