Russ Meyer passed away.

[Videoskooter]

Today the news was out that good old Russ Meyer has died at the age of 82.

The man was THE pioneer of erotic movies with the well-known vixens (= women with very big talents).

"Faster pussycat, kill kill kill" , "Vixens", "Supervixens".

Russ, man, you were a part of my education

RIP and wherever you are now, I hope you find your taste!

[paul]

Just read this too Johan.
I only remember seeing Supervixens and Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. BTVD definitely had the better looking women IMHO. Of course with a Russ movie you know the women had to have big tits as a prerequisite. :D

[nrgbeat]

Beyond The Valley of The Dolls was a weird piece of cinema. Not exactly my cup of tea.

I think it got an X rating when it was released, but is tame by today's standards.

[paul]

You're right about it being wierd nrgbeat. Then there was that whole moralizing thing at the end. Drugs bad, free love bad, gays bad, Ozzie and Harriet good. At least that's what I got out of it.

[Videoskooter]

"Beyond the valley of the dolls" was Meyers' Hollywood effort.

It almost brought the studio down since it was so weird and scandalous. "Beyond the valley of the ultra-vixens" is much better and so is "Mondo topless".

I have two of the Vixen-movies on dvd and I can still enjoy them since they are complete over the top but they are very funny and they have the atmosphere of "oops-we are naughty" that is completely lost in today's erotic movies. The stuff that's released now is dreadful. No joy in it, no hilarious plots. It's all fake.

And my favourite quote of Russ: " If I wouldn't have been that fixated on big breasts, I probably would have been a great director"

[JussiK]

Beyond The Valley of the Dolls has the eternally quotable line: When does the party begin? When we get there. - Russ of course shot his films with his tongue firmly not in the cheek, believing them to be genuinely dramatic, erotic etc. It was only after the flop realese and the following cult rep of Beyond..that he realised what was going on, claiming the pictures were always intended to be seen as overblown americana. This same syndrome happened with Michael "Death Wish" Winner's incomparable Dirty Weekend, a jawdropping adaption of Zahavi's feminist novel. Announced as a heartfelt arthouse dramatisation it first became a critical and commercial disaster just like the Meyer opus, then got re-animated as a cult fave among lovers of genuinely out-of-control trash cinema.

[Nano]

Don't you think the same thing (flop converted into "satire") happened to Brian DePalma when he did "Raising Cain" in 1992, Jussi? And still he couldn't get a good movie of it any way :roll:

From "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" the image of a black model with a very tight push-up bra somehow remains in my mind :)

[JussiK]

I understand the offical jury is still out for "Raising Cain", personally I think it's a genuine turkey. De Palma's "Femme Fatale" of course was something else again, most of the hipper critics seemed to agree it's a brilliant return to the norm for the obviously talented but somehow lately ignored director.

[Boodikka]

I'ts always amused me knowing that Mr. Pompous Posterior himself, Roger Ebert, helped pen "BTVOTD"! :D

Anyway, RIP Russ...Uschi Digard, Raven Delacroix, Haji, Tura Santana and the rest are all goddesses of trash cinema, and you exposed them to the masses.

[judydoggie]

Originally Posted by Boodikka

I'ts always amused me knowing that Mr. Pompous Posterior himself, Roger Ebert, helped pen "BTVOTD"! :D
.

Boodikka: Can you please expand on this delicious little tidbit? I never knew! Give me as much of the sordid details as possible, if you would kindly do so. Thanks,

Paul

[Boodikka]

Roger "Buffet Table" Ebert collaborated with Russ Meyer many times, though he seems to have forgotten it now.

Besides BTVOTD, he also co-"wrote" UP! and BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS. He also worked with Meyer on a never-finished documentary about the Sex Pistols. Once the "Sneak Previews" gig started, he became "respectable", I guess, and his explotation career was forgotten...kind of like Laura "Speed Racer" Bush's vehicular homicide.

[judydoggie]

Dearest Boodikka:

Thanks for fast, delightful reply. What's next... Bill Clinton's long-lost footage from JOHN WATERS' cutting room floor?! Decided to probe your profile page, also -- found your "Other Interests" to be intriguing. Please email me at jazzsinger@asianfusion.net because I would like to ask you a couple of questions. Also, if you were in NYC in late '70s, early '80s, please check main thread "Disco promotions, events, etc." (or something like that -- I forgot) and check subthread "ICE PALACE 57 REUNION" to find out about a wonderfully nostalgic party that's brewing that could turn out to have some far from run-of-the-mill folks in attendance. Hope to hear from you soon.