Product Details

• Actors: Anna Biller, Jared Sanford, Bridget Ann Brno, Chad England, Marcus DeAnda
• Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.85:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: R (Restricted)
• Studio: Cult Epics
• DVD Release Date: February 24, 2009
• Run Time: 102 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (10 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B001LIK8JS
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #422,002 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)

Editorial Reviews

VIVA - DVD Movie

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Modern retro sexploitation ala Russ Meyer!, September 17, 2009

By 

Elan Bodwick (las vegas) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Viva (Unrated Edition) (DVD)

When i first got this i thought it was some long lost 70s softcore exploitation film but the picture looked a bit crisp and it became somewhat clear that this was a recent made ode to Russ Meyer and 70s era swinger films. Despite being made in 2007 Viva is a beautifully filmed and entertaining piece of cinema. The sets costumes and music are all great and the feel and moods are spot on for the early 70s. It starts alittle slow but gets better as the movie progresses. There are many scenes that are almost perfect recreations of classic films like Beyond the valley of the dolls and Vampyros Lesbos- shot so well that its difficult to place it anywhere beyond 1972. The film-maker has a real talent for filling the screen with visual treats and colors that are stunning. Despite the campy nature of the story which ofcourse is done on purpose, the camerawork rivals any noteworthy film especially for a lowbudget B-movie. Oh yeah i must add thats there's tons of both male and female frontal nudity in this unrated version and the orgy scene is a mix of pyschedelic imagery and comedy that is a must see. Not everyone ofcourse will get the "in jokes" as this film is aimed at people like myself who live for retro trash cinema exploitation and cult films. I can see this on an x-rated version of mystery science theatre and will be a definite showing at any 70s party or swinger convention. Turn off the volume and make up your own dialogue at your next party for a good laugh. I think Russ Meyer would have gave his blessing to this one and thats the best praise a film like this could hope for!

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Viva, February 26, 2009

By 

Movie Lover - See all my reviews

This review is from: Viva (Unrated Edition) (DVD)

Viva is one of the most original films I've seen in years. Its excessive portrayal of the 70s sexual revolution, accompanied by its campy production design, transported me back to my wild misspent youth. The deliciously saturated colors were exquisitely captured by the utterly phenomenal cinematography of C. Thomas Lewis. The incredible lighting and lensing were spot-on for the genre, and added the convincing edge needed for this homage to sexploitation. One eye-popping scene after another culminated in an orgy of visual delight certainly befitting the diva Viva. If for no other reason buy this dvd to delight in the kind of beautifully lit color that has been absent from recent movie making for far too long.

6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Sex and the 70's housewife, January 26, 2009

By 

Zack Davisson "japanreviewed" (Seattle, WA, USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Viva (Unrated Edition) (DVD)

It is almost impossible to believe that this flick was made in 2007 and not thirty years earlier in the height of the swinging sexploitation era. The illusion is simply perfect, not only in set and costume design but also in characterization and acting styles. I first saw it thinking it actually was an older film, and was surprised to discover that it was entirely modern.

"Viva" is nothing what you would expect. Anna Biller, who is the writer, director, costume designer, lead actress and pretty much everything else, is firmly in the sex-positive feminist camp and has set out to make a movie that lures you in with the promise of easy sleaze but then delivers something else. Oh, to be sure there are nudist camps and swinger parties, orgies and naughty poolside antics, but none of it is there to sexually excite the viewer, with no tight focusing on body parts. The men are fully naked more often than the women, and all the sex scenes are cut short right when the action begins. Anyone looking for some naughty indulgence is going to be disappointed.

The story is straight out of the letters column of an old Penthouse. Bored and unhappy with their spouses, the dark-haired Barbie (played by Biller, who is half-Japanese) and her blonde neighbor Shelia (Bridget Brno) decide to experience the sexual revolution. Shelia quickly hooks up with a wealthy old gentleman who can ply her with diamonds and furs, but Barbie, re-christened "Viva" to show her new freedom, only finds one bad affair after another. She tries everything from a gay hairdresser and his bi-sexual hunk of a lover, to a guitar-strumming hippie nudist, to a lesbian model and finally a modern artist. Nothing satisfies her, and things just don't go as planned. All of the "scenes" are tinged with darkness, and the purity of word doesn't translate to purity of action.

Biller apparently created the storyline for "Viva" by looking at advertisements in old men's magazines from the time period, then creating a story around images she liked. Because of this, the plot can be a little jerky, as the characters move to suit the scene rather than the other way around. The visuals are stunning, with an outrageous color palette and era-perfect hair-dos and costumes.

I don't personally think that Biller was as successful as she wanted to be in transmitting her theme of "What is a feminist woman made a 70's sexploitation flick?", and the film often comes off as little more than a comedic parody of the genre. Some scenes are easier to digest than others, and there is some brilliance. The best scene is when one of the male characters talks about how wonderful this time is, with open shirts and women at his beck and call, and a warning that such a paradise for men will not come again.

There is a message to be found here, however, and multiple viewings of "Viva" are probably required to get the full impact. Fans of Russ Meyer's flicks like Beyond the Valley of the Dolls are going to have a blast here, and even if you aren't in the mood to mine the deeper feminist message you can just have a good time with all the bright colors and funky fun.