Vixen - Ohne Gnade Schätzchen

I find it amazing nobody has yet commented on this film, which it's certainly impossible to ignore (just like any other Russ Meyer fare).

So I'm not going to comment either. I won't talk about how ignored Russ Meyer is as a genuine auteur or how misinterpreted his films are by the vast majority of critics. And I won't mention how I think Russ Meyer has a great talent for writing dialogue with deep, philosophical implications (though some people would never know it).

If I have one complaint, it's that the film (or filmette) is rather too short at only 70 mins US, 63 mins Deutschland. Those poor Germans had fully 10% of the movie slashed, and one wonders why; it was rated 18 or X anyway, and though the film has "adult themes" (in case you didn't notice) it's in no way "pornographic" (for that matter, neither is ANY Russ Meyer film, in my opinion).

The most entertaining aspect of the movie is undoubtedly the unique style of acting. Actually, I don't think the acting in this movie (or for that matter ANY Russ Meyer movie) is "bad". It's just self-consciously mannered in a style that immediately tells you, as soon as you switch on the TV, that you're watching a Russ Meyer movie. Russ worked hard (I'm sure) to coax such performances from his interesting casts. There is no other director I can think of whose work is so strongly styled that it's immediately identifiable as one of his films. When you watch a Russ Meyer film, you enter a parallel universe much stranger than reality.

Russ Meyer's VIXEN was one of the first films to receive the newly-formed MPAA's X rating. There were stories that in some theatres, people would pay just to see the trailer for it then leave before the main feature(shades of THE PHANTOM MENACE!). Comparing it to other adult films of that era or even to some of Meyer's other films, VIXEN looks almost tame. Erica Gavin stars as a sexually voracious woman who lives in Canada with her bush pilot husband. During the course of the film, Gavin has sex with her husband, a Mountie (apparently they always get their WOMAN too), both members of a married couple that they guide through the Great White North and her own brother(!). Oddly enough, the only name I recognized from this movie was Harrison Page, the black friend of Vixen's brother. Page, like Gavin, also appeared in Meyer's BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS, but he also had a sitcom in the Seventies (LOVE THY NEIGHBOR . . . and no, it wasn't about wifeswapping!). As with Meyer's other work, there is no way you can watch this and keep a straight face . . . nor should you want to.

Vixen Palmer (Erica Palmer) is the wife of a Canadian bush pilot… She and her husband run a resort for vacationers, but she utilizes the place more for her erotic exploits than for making money… To say that she is having sexual relations with many is an understatement… She provokes many of the young boys in a nearby town, and basically has a good time...

Everyone seems to know about Vixen's exploits except her husband, who constantly considers her a loving, loyal housewife… The plot moves into high gear when a Communist hijacks the husband's plane and orders him at gunpoint to fly to Cuba…

While Meyer never moved into graphic sex, "Vixen" was one of the early expressing films for the adult market… It contained much simulated intercourse, a lot of nudity, and sex jokes... The film by nature is exploitative, but Meyer always lets the plot move in and out of the erotic encounters, creating a distinct stimulating sex comedy rather than a series of cheap shots… The performances are always exuberant, and—despite the hilarious action—the characters are very realistic

I love this film. So many Meyer fans seem to undervalue it and I don't understand why. I prefer the early films and find the bigger more farcical movies harder to take, so I guess as usual it's all about horses and courses. Nobody can deny, though, the masterful camera-work and editing. The scenes in the woods, the 'rape' and the glorious helicopter ride are so well shot that one is always wishing he could have harnessed these skills to more cinematic effect. The racial taunting surprises now and must have divided audiences at the time (some probably shouting along with them - how times have changed) and similarly the references to Vietnam and communism, whilst now of socio/historic interest must have been far more directly involving. Ms Gavin does well as do the rest of the cast and if she has trouble with her facial expressions once or twice (particularly during the girl on girl scene) there is not much wrong with her breasts, even if she and Meyer thought them a bit small! Very enjoyable and lacking the campy aspect of later output.

SYNOPSIS: The escapades of an insatiable wife living in the backwoods of Canada.

CONCEPT IN RELATION TO THE VIEWER The sexual revolution and the concept of hedonism. Pushing the limits of what is acceptable to show.

PROS AND CONS I have always been a big fan of Russ Meyer. Along with Federico Fellini, I consider him a true innovator in film. Many write him off as a sexploatation film maker of the "B" movie genre. I beg to differ, he was a true pioneer and a maverick and his films have stood the test of time.

What always captivated me about Meyer's work was how he got so much out of a film by doing the basics and doing them well. His films are low budget and look it, but they captivate you regardless. The dialog is crisp and quick, the editing is sharp and the story moves along quickly. This film is only an hour long but you wouldn't know it when it is all over.

Meyer financed most of his own movies, used the same troop of actors, did his own cinematography and writing along with most of the editing. He ran the whole show and answered to no one. What you see on the screen is his vision and no one elses. You have to admire an artist that can create such a large body of work under those terms.

This was Meyer's first 'big' film that got wide release. It was also the first mass distributed film to be given an "X" rating, which is laughable by today's standards. There is no explicit sex scenes or graphic nudity in this film. But there is a lot of implied sexuality and topless women. What made the film controversial in its day was its portrayal of wanton sexuality and taboo subjects such as incest and lesbian relationships.

The plot is rather simple. Vixen likes to fool around and does so with wild abandon. Thrown into this mix are subjects of infidelity, racism, patriotism, honesty and morals. You don't really like Vixen in this film. She is beautiful to look at, but she is a bitch to almost everyone and only appears to seek self gratification and cares for no one but herself.