Russ Meyer’s UP – Blu-ray Review

RUSS MEYER’S UP! – SEVERIN FILMS (4K UHD + BLU-RAY) REVIEW

No fairy tale…this! In 1976, producer/director/cinematographer/editor Russ Meyer delivered his penultimate feature film – co-written by BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS screenwriter and Pulitzer Prize winner Roger Ebert – hailed as “jaw-droppingly perverse” (Entertainment Weekly), “Meyer at his most outrageous” (Images Journal) and “definitely not to be confused with the Pixar cartoon” (The Spinning Image): Welcome to a sex-blasted burg in Northern California where sodomised Führers, ravenous piranha, sapphic ecstasy, murder mystery, Shakespearean appropriation and the remarkable Raven De La Croix collide, with Kitten Natividad – in her RM Productions debut – as The Greek Chorus of it all. Janet Wood (THE CENTERFOLD GIRLS) co-stars in “one of Russ Meyer’s best films” (We Are Movie Geeks), now scanned in 4K from the original negative by Severin Films with new and archival Special Features curated in association with The Russ Meyer Trust.

There are filmmakers who dabble in sex and satire… and then there’s Russ Meyer – a one-man wrecking ball of busty mayhem and cartoon carnality. His 1976 fever dream UP! is one of his lesser-seen but no less outrageous offerings – a film so drenched in sex, surrealism, and sweaty satire, it feels like it was summoned in a peyote haze during a particularly spicy episode of Benny Hill. Now, thanks to Severin Films, UP! has been unleashed in 4K UHD, and it’s looking sharper, louder, and more perverse than ever before.

By the time Meyer made UP!, the counterculture had curdled, and the porno chic era was in full swing. Always one to do things his way, Meyer eschewed the outright smut of hardcore and stuck with his signature blend of hyperactive editing, pneumatic women, and dialogue that sounds like Shakespeare if he were writing drunk, horny, and on a tight deadline. UP! doesn’t have the critical darling status of Faster, Pussycat! or the autobiographical punch of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, but what it lacks in prestige it more than makes up for in sheer, unhinged enthusiasm.

The plot – such as it is – involves a series of lurid murders in a remote woodland paradise, where the locals seem far more interested in getting their kit off than solving any crimes. There’s a secret Nazi in hiding, a sex-crazed lumberjack, a narrator who occasionally breaks the fourth wall while barely dressed, and a series of set pieces that oscillate between erotica and absurdist comedy. There’s even a talking trout. Honestly.

As ever with Meyer, the camera ogles with enthusiasm, the editing is like a slap to the face, and the performances sit somewhere between melodrama and amateur theatre – and that’s all part of the charm. There’s no point critiquing UP! You’re either on its wavelength, or you’re left blinking in disbelief. But one thing’s for sure: it’s never boring.

Severin’s new 4K transfer is, frankly, immaculate – far better than a film like this has any right to look. The image is crisp, colours pop (particularly those lovely forest greens and flaming reds), and there’s a surprising amount of detail in the more chaotic scenes. Grain is present but never overpowering, and the disc preserves the texture of Meyer’s 35mm shoot beautifully.

Audio is clean and punchy, with dialogue, score, and the more… let’s say energetic… sound effects all coming through loud and clear.

UP! is Russ Meyer in full beast mode – horny, hilarious, and completely off the rails. It won’t be to all tastes (and it’s definitely not for the easily offended), but for fans of Meyer’s bawdy, barmy style, this Severin release is absolutely superb. Lavish restoration and enough absurdity to fill three cult films – it’s pure, pulpy pleasure.

Extras are a tad thin on the ground, which is a shame as the quality of the new picture scan deserves some fresh new extras. What we do get are:

Audio Commentary With Film Historian Elizabeth Purchell

A half decent commentary, even though I’m not a fan of non cast or crew commentaries. Elizabeth Purchell, a Brooklyn-based queer film historian, programmer and filmmaker does a good job of talking about the film. There’s not much specific scene discussion, as obviously she wouldn’t know much about what actually happened so would all be anecdotal and based on previously released materials. Her thoughts on the film, Meyer’s other films as well as general musings are interesting, breezy and fun and the commentary never feels forced or sluggish.

No Fairy Tale…This! – Interview With Actress Raven De La Croix. A superb, but OLD interview with Raven De La Croix. A really interesting fun insight into how she got the part, what the cast are like and some of the things that happened on set like her nearly being drowned. Love this interview. It also shows how much they’ve improved the video quality in this remaster as this 20 year old video extra is grainy and the relatively poor quality of the original film picture is evident.

Radio Spot – A 30 second radio spot. Not much else to be said about that.

RUSS MEYER’S UP! – SEVERIN FILMS (4K UHD + BLU-RAY) Is available for pre order now ahead of its release on 28th April