Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 4K Blu-ray Movie

Rating summary

Movie		3.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		2.5
Overall		3.0

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 4K Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman January 22, 2025

Note: Severin Films is releasing a trio of Russ Meyer efforts in both 4K UHD and 1080 formats, for a total of six releases (the 4K UHD packages come with a 1080 disc): Vixen 4K, Vixen, Supervixens 4K, Supervixens, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 4K and Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens . Severin's website has a number of other offerings, some fairly pricey, which may be of interest to, um, hardcore Russ Meyer fans, including items advertised as having come from the Russ Meyer Estate (the back cover of this release offers a slightly different formulation by mentioning The Russ Meyer Trust). The entire collection has been branded with a Russ Meyer's Bosomania imprimatur, which I for one really wish had come with a ™ symbol.

If you've ever wanted a detailed account of the sex lives of Russ Meyer and Kitten Natividad as a couple, you'll get a veritable earful from each in both the archival commentary by Meyer and a newer interview with Natividad included on this disc as a supplement. Suffice it to say Kitten in particular seemed to have a rather insatiable appetite (so to speak) during the filming of Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens, and conveniently in that regard, Meyer had already remodeled a home that served as the location for much of the shoot, meaning he and Kitten could just head off to some unpopulated nook and/or cranny on "breaks" to satisfy themselves. The fact that Kitten Natividad might seem to be what might be jokingly referred to as a "real life Vixen (or, let's face it, even a Supervixen) may somewhat hilariously give this outlandish enterprise a semi-imprimatur of "authenticity", helping to let Meyer make his exit from his multi-hyphenate big screen career with a fair amount of winking humor and of course a resolute focus on naked females with extremely curvaceous bodies.

That aforementioned hilarious imprimatur of "authenticity" is just as jokingly offered by Meyer himself in Beneath the Valley of the Ultra- Vixens, as the film purports to give a "documentarian" depiction of Small Town, U.S.A., in what Meyer is on record as stating is a winking reference to Thornton Wilder's classic Our Town. That may actually be true in an unintended (and also hilarious) way due to this film's lack of opulent sets and a certain theatrical sensibility. Suffice it to say in any case Small Town, U.S.A. is a veritable hotbed (emphasis on the bed part) of activity, with a population including several pulchritudinous women, including focal character Lavonia Shed (Kitten Natividad). Lavonia is another of the patented Meyer female characters who, to put it bluntly, just can't get enough, and one way or the other, may not be getting much of anything from her ostensible partner, in this case a doofus named Lamar (Ken Kerr).

Lamar's "predicament" (and, yes, there's a juvenile pun buried in that word) drives what little plot there is here, which is another vignette driven escapade that sees various sexual couplings and typically cheeky humor. It's of course probably necessary to see this film not just as Meyer's swan song, but also as something made in the wake of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, which this film may be not so subtly (re?)parodying. In that regard, it's probably salient to note that this film, like Meyer's first foray into "mainstream" filmmaking, was co-written by none other than Roger Ebert, who I am absolutely positive that despite the historical record no doubt received his Pulitzer Prize at least in part for his collaborations with Meyer.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 4K Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Note: Screenshots are sourced from the 1080 disc in this package.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens is presented in 4K UHD courtesy of Severin Films with an HEVC / H.265 encoded 2160p transfer in 1.85:1. A prefatory text card before the main feature offers this information:

This 4K restoration was produced by Severin Films, on behalf of Severin Films and RM Films International.

The film was scanned, colored and restored from the 35mm original camera negative at Illuminate Studios Hollywood. The OCN is the only pre-print element still available and unfortunately suffered from environmental and chemical decomposition.

Over 100 hours of work went into restoring this classic to ensure an optimal viewing experience.

The audio was sourced from the 35mm theatrical prints and 1" tape masters to create a complete composite track.

The back cover of this release also touts that this film, like its two predecessors, is being offering in high definition and UHD for the first time courtesy of this release. This is another perhaps surprisingly strong looking presentation, though it is arguably not quite at the consistently excellent levels seen in its predecessors' debuts in high definition and UHD, which I'm attributing to the above referenced damage the negative must have suffered. That said, considering what sounds like some fairly extensive age related wear and tear (the "chemical decomposition" part in particular), aside from a somewhat less vivid looking palette and what I'd argue can be slightly less clarity and a chunkier grain field than in the two previous presentations, things are remarkably intact, or at least have been restored to seem so. While maybe not at the same density and saturation levels seen in the two previous films, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens often pops extremely well. This UHD version offers probably even more lurid representations of blues and reds in particular, but it can also look just slightly purple tinged at times with regard to flesh tones. Detail levels on props and costumes (yes, they are occasionally actually on characters) is typically excellent in close-ups.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 4K Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens features a spry sounding DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 Mono track. The jangly score by William Tasker sounds bright and engaging, and occasional goofy sound effects also resonate well. Dialogue is rendered cleanly and clearly throughout. Optional English subtitles are available.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 4K Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

4K UHD Disc

• Archival Audio Commentary with Writer / Cinematographer / Editor / Producer / Director Russ Meyer


• Trailer (HD; 1:57) hilariously refers to Meyer as "the rural Fellini".

1080 Disc

• Archival Audio Commentary with Writer / Cinematographer / Editor / Producer / Director Russ Meyer


• The Latin Brünhilde (HD; 17:00) is a fun if probably NSFW interview with the inimitable Kitten Natividad.


• Talk It Over (HD; 23:28) is a kind of hilariously quaint local talk show featuring Russ Meyer interviewed by Tucson hostess Ellen Adelstein, from 1979. What can you say after Ms. Adelstein starts with a mention of softcore and hardcore pornography and then Meyer jumps in by saying he calls Beneath the Valley of the Ultra Vixens "limbercore"? Tucson audiences may have had a raised eyebrow or two.


• Still Talking It Over (HD; 7:20) is a new interview with Ellen Adelstein.


• Trailer (HD; 1:57)

Packaging features a slipcover.

Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens 4K Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Yes, Meyer films are undeniably smarmy and probably come nowhere near to meeting muster with politically correct contemporary sensibilities, but that may be part of their allure. At least Meyer never really seemed to take himself seriously (with the possible notable exception of The Seven Minutes, which was a notorious flop), and that is certainly the case with this energetic romp. If you're a fan of Meyer but perhaps haven't yet seen this film, you still know pretty much what you're getting. If you are a newcomer to Meyer's filmography and have even the slightest hint of prudishness, you might want to move on to something else. Technical merits are generally solid, especially considering the information imparted about the condition of the negative, and the supplements very enjoyable, for anyone who may be considering making a purchase.