Vixen!

Russ Meyer made movies that are unlike any others I can think of. Remembered as one of the pioneers of nudies and sex comedies, what isn't commented on as much as it should be is the sheer strangeness of his output. Never as flamboyantly bizarre as Jodorowsky, Argento or Lynch he nevertheless in his own way is as surreal as they come. 'Vixen!'s appeal may be mainly the promise of sex, that's a given, and the buxom Erica Gavin is unforgettable in the title role of a Canadian nympho who can't seem to keep her hands off any man, woman or even (in a fantastically strange erotic dance sequence) fish, but how does that explain the unexpected and jarring racial and political themes and speeches? What exactly was Meyer trying to achieve? Beats me. I've been a fan of his for years and I still can't explain him.

Erica Gavin (later in Meyer's classic 'Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls' and Demme's women in prison exploitation flick 'Caged Heat') may not be able to act for toffee, but watching this you can't keep your eyes of her. In between spewing racial epithets and taunts at her brother's draft dodger friend Niles (Harrison Page, also later of '..Dolls'), she screws her husband, a Mountie, a visiting couple, and even her own brother Jud, a hip biker type (Jon Evans). Vixen's loving husband Tom (Garth Pillsbury, 'Supervixens'), a freelance pilot, remains oblivious to her goings on and adores her. However before the end, Vixen, Tom and Niles world's will be turned upside down by the arrival of a mysterious Irishman O'Bannion (Michael Donovan O'Donnell), who has an agenda of his own.

'Vixen!' has to be seen to be believed! Another oddball classic from Russ Meyer.

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

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.

The print I saw was in terrible condition, with several minutes eliminated by jumping and scratching and the colour a uniform washed-out pink. On the bright side, this added an even more surreal layer to Meyer's already fairly radical editing style. Anyway, a lot of it, although entertaining enough, is pretty basic stuff of Gavin pouting and staring and flaunting herself and jumping on every man in sight with an infectious shameless pleasure. It gets radical when she seduces her own brother in the shower, with little moral hesitation (at that point she's already gone through another woman, a Canadian mountie and a couple more guys). The most intriguing aspect is embodied by the black character whom she relentlessly and openly taunts; he then falls in with the IRA guy and...well, see for yourself. The juxtaposition of nudie exploitation with such open rabble-rousing politics is fairly startling just as an idea, but Meyer pushes it so far that the woman goes beyond mere feistiness and carefreeness into a systematic challenger of all niceties and convention - she calls the black guy every racist epiphet, but her lack of bull ultimately opens his eyes.

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.