Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979)

3 Stars (out of 4)

Dish Racks

By Jeffrey M. Anderson

Russ Meyer was a filmmaker that knew what he was up to. He loved women. He loved women with huge breasts. And he especially loved women with huge breasts who would bare them for the camera. But he was also smart enough not to be just another maker of "nudie-cuties." He dealt with parody, social commentary, and even female empowerment. He was also a skilled filmmaker, often handling the writing, directing, producing, cinematography, and editing himself. Many cinephiles consider him one of the all-time best director/editors, for his swift, funny, and supremely odd rhythms. Additionally, he was a savvy businessman, controlling the rights and distribution for most of his own films.

That has changed since his death in 2004, and many of his films are hard to find in physical media. Thankfully Severin Films has taken the initiative and released three restored Meyer classics on Blu-ray for the first time, with more to come. They are the informal "Vixen" trilogy, unrelated to each other except for the word "Vixen" in their titles.

Meyer's final feature film, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens (1979) is apparently loosely based on Thornton Wilder's Our Town. An old man narrator talks to us from various locations, telling us all about his small town. We meet Lamar (Ken Kerr) who only likes anal sex and would rather rape his own wife Lavonia (Kitten Natividad, Meyer's partner at the time) than appease her desire for vaginal sex.

Lavonia has sex with some other men, including the 14-year old Rhett (Steve Tracy), and Lamar is forcibly seduced by his boss at the junkyard, Junkyard Sal (June Mack). Attempts are made to "cure" Lamar, including Lola disguising herself as a Mexican stripper, a visit to a "marriage counselor"-slash-dentist, and calling on large-breasted evangelical radio host Eufaula Roop (Anne Marie). The movie opens with a couple having sex in a coffin. This one is kind of all over the place, it has its unsavory parts, and does overstay its welcome a bit, but it's still pretty good, dirty Meyer fun.

Bonuses include an archival commentary track by Meyer, an interview with Natividad, a trailer, a 1979 talk show with host Ellen Adelstein interviewing Meyer, and a new interview with Adelstein about the experience. Recommended.