Review of Beneath The Valley Of The Ultra Vixens

Introduction

This so-called third instalment in Meyer`s trilogy of Vixen movies was his last ever bona-fide feature, despite the fact that he was fit and fighting until late last year.

Supposedly a parody of a small-town drama from 1940 (`Our Town`), it just comes across as a completely madcap, disjointed affair where Meyer seems to be having the time of his life. What the audience get, however, is in my view, the weakest of his films where the fun and outrage are wearing thin.

It`s also nudging past cheeky titter territory into slightly cheesy soft-core, probably in an effort to compete with box-office smashes like `Deep Throat` that made Meyers work seem positively tame.

The narrative is definitely peripheral to the general assault on the senses feeling that you get watching this roller-coaster ride of mayhem, but it may be worth giving a hint here at what you can expect.

There`s the usual parade of impossibly well-endowed women including the almost freakishly outsized Ann-Marie who has gone AWOL since the picture was made. (Not an easy feat for a lady so easily recognised…). The movie also features then girlfriend of Meyer, who also featured in his previous movie `Up!` Kitten Natividad, a former Miss Nude Universe.

She plays the part of a wife of a junkyard worker who fails to satisfy her sexually. So she looks elsewhere. Surprise surprise.

What you then get is a series of encounters that defy description, intercut on occasion with Ann Marie as an evangelical preacher broadcasting her message across the airwaves.

This is clearly an uncut version of the movie as there are one or two fleeting shots that I feel certain I would have recalled from a previous viewing (including a bizarre close-up wide-angle lens shot of the tip of a penis).

Not for the faint-hearted and easily offended - but also not for those seeking much in the way of erotic thrills either. There are comic sound affects and a banjo-led soundtrack to put pay to any of those thoughts.

Video

Not great. There are definitely some serious signs of wear and tear here. But the vivid colours (a hallmark of Meyer cinematography) hold up pretty well.

The additional interview piece with Kitten Natividad is standard video and looks fine.

Audio

The mono to stereo soundtrack could be summed up with two words; `tinnily loud`. It`s very toppy (we`re talking about the sound here folks…) and often a bit peaky too. But then this is a blast of noise from start to finish. There`s nothing subtle about a Meyer soundtrack!

Features

There`s an audio commentary here from Meyer but this time the intimate tone gets almost too intimate. He gives away much here that should have been confined to the `too much information` category about his own sexual antics with then girlfriend Kitten Natividad on set. All a bit seedy really.

There`s also an interview with Kitten herself who treads over the same ground as Russ though with clear affection for the man.

Conclusion

Maybe, having viewed several Meyer movies over the last couple of weeks, I`m just `Meyered-out`. The relentless visual assault and shouted narration can do that to a man…

But this, his final movie, is not only one of the most bizarre, it`s also one of the least enjoyable.

You get the sinking feeling that a line had been crossed that, previously, Meyer had been a master at straddling. There are moments here that go beyond cheeky into seedy - which must have saddened Meyer.

Of course, there is still much here to enjoy, including some energetic performances from the cast. But in the final analysis - this is Meyer`s `Carry On Emmanuelle`. All the ingredients seem to be here but it doesn`t quite cut the mustard.