Customer Reviews

Russ Meyer-The Life and Films: A Biography and a Comprehensive, Illustrated and Annotated Filmography and Bibliography

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Anyone expecting a definitive biography of the life and work of the Sultan of Sexploitation be warned -- this is anything but a biography! Instead, it is a BIBliography of newspaper and magazine articles having anything remotely to do with the auteur, his campy cinema classics and the ridiculously endowed women who graced them with their wildly varying acting abilities but always welcome presence. There are also numerous references to documents used during the obscenity trials that periodically hounded his career, particularly in connection with one of his best films, "Vixen."

However, these entries -- which are broken down by his personal life, his wives, the aforementioned actresses and, primarily, his films -- do contain one-paragraph descriptions that -- either by design or by accident -- reveal interesting tid bits on Meyer's sometimes fun, sometimes testy, but always interesting relations with his casts, his distributors and a public
that was never at a loss for strong feelings about the Man and his Mammarial MacGuffins. Also, there is a concise and well written essay at the beginning which covers Russ' career from his WWII newsreel shoots (including the invasion of Normandy) to the inception of his still unfinished video reminiscence of his work and the writing of his massive (and hideously expensive) three-volume autobiography, "A Clean Breast."
In the end, until a real biography comes along (the jury's still out on whether the new "The Very Breast of Russ Meyer" is a bio or just another reference guide) this 1990 squib will suffice as a provider of facts, figures and leads for hungry Meyer fanatics who've exhuasted all the web sites. And the crazy poster reproductions and pictures of the ladies don't hurt either.

This slight but attractive book is best described as a "beginner's guide" on Russ Meyer, recommended to those of you who may have recently discovered Meyer, as I did, on either cable TV or video rentals.

Author David K. Frasier's introductory essay (in which he examines whether or not the multi-talented but breast-obsessed Meyer can really be considered a filmmaking auteur) is excellent in its clarity and accuracy. It helps that Frasier was a personal friend of Meyer's and had his complete cooperation in the writing of this book, circa 1990.

For the most part, though, the book is a rundown on where you can find other articles on Russ Meyer, which is bound to put off those fans looking for a more straightforward biography. It shouldn't, though. The last section of the book, the filmography, is wonderful in that you get all the facts and figures (pun intended) on all the RM films and actresses. Nice, sharp B & W reproductions of film posters are included, as are many rare photos of RM's beautiful actresses and RM himself at work.

As I say, for a really in-depth look into Russ Meyer's private life you'd need to look elsewhere. While this is not the most detailed book about him, I do find it's the one I personally pick up the most, therefore I'd call it the only ESSENTIAL book on Russ Meyer.