DVD Corner

Up! Blu-ray Review

“Up!” is a wild and outrageous Russ Meyer film.  

Written by Russ Meyer off of a story by Meyer, Roger Ebert and Anthony-James Ryan, 1976’s “Up!” is an out-there sex comedy/murder mystery. The story begins in a California castle where Hitler is alive and having an orgy in a sex dungeon with a trio of women and a man named Paul. Shortly thereafter, a mysterious assassin kills Hitler in his bathtub with a piranha. The story cuts to a woman (Margo) arriving in a small town who isn’t what she appears to be. She is sexually assaulted by a local sleazebag (Leonard) and winds up killing him in self-defense. The local Sheriff (Homer) covers up the crime and Margo and Homer form a very sexual relationship together. Margo lands work at a local cafe which is run by a married couple (Alice and Paul). Paul begins to have a fling with Margo which Alice doesn’t take too kindly too. To detail the plot any further would be going into spoiler territory, but expect to see lots of sex, plot twists, murder, and the reveal of the assassin (whose work is not yet done).

Director Russ Meyer is no stranger to boundary pushing sex comedy films, but “Up!” might be his craziest movie. Where else will you see Hitler bondage, explicit sex in various locations, a nude narrator (The Greek Chorus), Pocahontas, an unstable lumberjack, a nude fight and chase, axe and chainsaw violence, and perhaps the most ridiculous series of twists in the final act? There were more than a few times where I pondered what exactly I was watching and that comes from someone who is familiar with Meyer’s filmography. Still, all these years later, the movie is nothing if not wildly and unapologetically original.

Much like the Vixen trilogy, “Up!” does suffer from some tonal issues (to put it mildly). While a large majority of this comedy is filled with sexual activity and gratuitous body part close-ups, there’s also a fair amount of violence. The final act in particular gets extremely violent to the point where it feels like you are watching a slasher film. On top of that, the movie features 2 vicious rape sequences which are needless and out of place. The slasher elements are fine as the central story is basically a murder mystery, but the deeply unsettling rape scenes cast a dark shadow on what is supposed to be a comedy.

Cast wise, there are several notable performances here by the likes of Raven De La Croix (Margo), Robert McLane (Paul), and Janet Wood (Alice). They really commit to the parts which are sometimes downright absurd. 

Video/Audio:

Presentation: 1.85:1 1080p. How does it look? Scanned in 4K from the original negative, this is yet another beautiful restoration featuring striking colors. 

Audio Track: Mono. How does it sound? Expect a clean Mono track through and through.

Extras:
* Radio spot
* Commentary by film historian Elizabeth Purchell.
* An archival 18 minute interview with Raven De La Croix.

April 18, 2025 - Posted by nicklyons1 | Blu-Ray review | 70's Film, Russ Meyer, Sex Comedy, Up! Blu-ray review