Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens – Severin Films (4k UHD/Blu-ray Combo)

Theatrical Release Date: USA, 1979
Director: Russ Meyer
Writers: Roger Ebert, Russ Meyer
Cast: Kitten Natividad, Ann Marie, Ken Kerr, June Mack, Patrick Wright, Henry Rowland, Robert E. Pearson, Michael Finn, Sharon Hill, Don Scarborough, Aram Katcher, DeForest Covan, Steve Tracy, Uschi Digard, Stuart Lancaster, Candy Samples, John Furlong, Russ Meyer

Release Date: January 28th, 2025
Approximate Running Time: 93 Minutes 2 Seconds
Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1 Widescreen / 2160 Progressive / HEVC / H.265 / HDR10+
Rating: NR
Sound: DTS-HD Mono English
Subtitles: English SDH
Region Coding: Region Free
Retail Price: $59.95

"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." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (4K UHD), 4/5 (Blu-ray)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, "Because the original elements for Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 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 over 2 hours of new and archival footage, all with the blessing and cooperation of The Russ Meyer Trust."

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens comes on a 66 GB dual layer 4K UHD.

Disc Size: 60.4 GB

Feature: 59.3 GB

Though Severin Films has done a great job considering the source's limitations, it is not in as good of shape as the other two Russ Meyer films they recently released. There are instances of color variations and occasional instances where the image flickers; fortunately, these are very mild and never intrusive. Image clarity and compression are solid, black levels are strong, and the image retains an organic look. That said, the source is a noticeable improvement over all of this film's home media releases.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens comes on a 50 GB single layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 31.7 GB

Feature: 26.8 GB

This Blu-ray uses the same master that is used for the 4K UHD disc.

Audio: 4/5

This release comes with one audio option, a DTS-HD mono mix in English with removable English SDH. Though Severin Films has done a great job considering the source's limitations, it is not in as good of shape as the other two Russ Meyer films they recently released. Though there are no issues with background hiss or sibilance, dialog comes through clearly, and everything sounds balanced. Range-wise ambient sounds are well-represented, and the score sounds appropriately robust. That said, not only does the audio sound better than ever, it is difficult to imagine it sounding any better.

Extras:

Extras on the 4K UHD disc include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 57 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with co-writer/producer/cinematographer/editor/director Russ Meyer.

Extras on the Blu-ray disc include a theatrical trailer (1 minute 57 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), Talk It Over – Ellen Adelstein Interviews Russ Meyer For Her Tucson Talk Show In 1979 (23 minutes 28 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with Ellen Adelstein titled Still Talking It Over (7 minutes 20 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an archival interview with actress Kitten Natividad titled The Latin Brünhilde (17 minutes, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), and an archival audio commentary with Russ Meyer.

Other extras include a slipcover.

Summary:

The residents of Small Town USA are overcome by carnal delights.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens is the last film in a trilogy of Vixen films; the other two films are Vixen and Supervixens. Though the Vixen films are self-contained, Russ Meyer was one of the first filmmakers who created his own cinematic universe where characters would appear in multiple films. Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens is a sexy spoof of Our Town.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens marked the end of an era; it is the final theatrical feature film directed by Russ Meyer. A planned fourth Vixen film, titled The Jaws of Vixen, never materialized. Russ Meyer's output after Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens consists of a few documentaries and the unfinished mockumentary titled The Breast of Russ Meyer.

A narrator oversees the events, but some moments feel like vignettes loosely connected to the main story. The main focus of the narrative is a husband and a wife who are going through a rough patch. The wife has an insatiable sex drive; unfortunately, her husband can only get aroused when he backdoors her. Wanting to cure her husband of his anal fetish, the wife assumes another identity to lure and drug her husband so she can have her way with him. Other colorful characters in Small Town USA are a huge-breasted evangelical radio preacher, a dentist/marriage counselor, and a Nazi war criminal.

When it comes to the performances, it is not hard to get caught up in the cast's enthusiasm. Though the cast is filled with busty beauties, it is clear that Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens is a star vehicle for Kitten Natividad, Russ Meyer’s muse at that time. When her character is not wearing an Alice in Wonderland-like dress, she’s nude. She delivers a captivating performance that steals every moment she’s in. Other performances of note are Anne Marie, who portrays a huge-breasted evangelical radio preacher, and Uschi Digard, who reprises her role from Supervixens.

From a production standpoint, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens takes all of the elements that have become synonymous with the cinema of Russ Meyer and turns them up to 11. The humor is tongue firmly in cheek, and it's laced with sexual innuendo. Visually, Russ Meyer always ensures his leading ladies ample assets are fully exploited, and once again he uses the beneath-the-mattress camera angle to great effect. The most surprising aspect of Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens is its choice of music; songs like That Old Time Religion, When the Saints Go Marching In, and The Ride of the Valkyries do a superb job of reinforcing the mood. Ultimately, Russ Meyer delivers a highly entertaining swan song with Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens gets a definitive release from Severin Films, highly recommended.

Note about the 4K screenshots: It is not possible to make Dolby Vision or HDR10 screenshots that faithfully match the experience of watching a film in motion on a TV. Instead of not having any screenshots, all of the 4K screenshots are m2ts taken with a MPC-HC player and lossless PNGs.

Written by Michael Den Boer