Severin Films has announced the release of a Russ Meyer trilogy, including Vixen, Supervixens, and Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens, now available for worldwide UHD and Blu-ray pre-order starting November 8, 2024. These films, each a landmark in American independent cinema, are set to be released on January 27, 2025, in collaboration with The Russ Meyer Charitable Trust. Each restoration comes from negatives preserved by The Museum of Modern Art and Severin Films, bringing Meyer’s work into a new era of high-definition.
This release, curated by Severin, features over nine hours of special content highlighting the films’ impact, critical reception, and Meyer’s legacy. Each title includes historical insights, archival footage, and previously unreleased material. Vixen features a newly recorded audio commentary and an interview with star Erica Gavin, along with a special feature on its 1968 censorship battle in Cincinnati. Supervixens brings a rare, unseen interview with Charles Napier and the first U.S. disc release of the 1988 Russ Meyer episode of Jonathan Ross’ The Incredibly Strange Film Show. Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens showcases an archival interview with Kitten Natividad and Meyer’s appearance on a 1979 Tucson talk show. Each film is accompanied by Meyer’s own commentary, providing insight into his experiences and creative process.
David Gregory, Severin Films co-founder and CEO, stated, “In addition to our unprecedented restorations, these Special Features collectively comprise a once-in-a-lifetime celebration of Russ Meyer’s legacy.” This release not only preserves Meyer’s cinematic achievements but also celebrates his influence as a First Amendment advocate and visionary in American filmmaking.
VIXEN
“A LANDMARK IN AMERICAN CULT CINEMA… Russ Meyer’s skin-flick blends non-stop softcore with asides on racism, draft dodging and Cuban communism. Erica Gavin exudes a rapacious, sneering sexuality.” – Film Four
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
Feature Specs for VIXEN
• Runtime: 71 mins
• Audio: English Mono
• Closed Captions: English SDH
• Region: A/B/C
• Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
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
Feature Specs for SUPERVIXENS
• Run Time: 106 mins
• Audio: English Mono
• Closed Captions: English SDH
• Region: A/B/C
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
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
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
