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With: Raven De La Croix, Edward Schaaf, Robert McLane, Kitten Natividad, Candy Samples, Su Ling, Janet Wood, Linda Sue Ragsdale, Monty Bane, Marianne Marks, Larry Dean, Bob Schott, Foxy Lae, Ray Reinhardt, Elaine Collins
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Written by: Russ Meyer (as "B. Callum"), based on a story by Russ Meyer, Anthony-James Ryan, Roger Ebert (as "Reinhold Timme")
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Directed by: Russ Meyer
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MPAA Rating: X
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Running Time: 80
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Date: 10/01/1976
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High Spirits
By Jeffrey M. Anderson
It begins with the words "no fairy tale, this!" Russ Meyer's Up! (1976) is full of sex, but it's not especially erotic; it's silly, fun, funny sex, which is kind of refreshing. The color movie has Meyer's companion Kitten Natividad as a Greek Chorus, jump-cutting naked (except for boots) into many strange and funny positions and narrating with purple prose. Things begin in a kind of sex dungeon where, presumably, a still-alive Adolf Hitler (Edward Schaaf), is paying people — including Black and Asian dominatrixes (Elaine Collins and Su Ling) and cook Paul (Robert McLane) — to humiliate him. After they leave, a shadowy figure kills Adolf by putting a piranha in his bath.
The story moves to Margo (Raven De La Croix), who we first see jogging (an eye-opening sight). A man spots her and tries to coerce her into sex, and winds up beating and raping her. She kills this scum-sucker, but she's caught by the local sheriff (Monty Bane) and they start having sex… a lot of sex. Meanwhile, Paul works at a diner with his wife Alice (Janet Wood). They are both having affairs, Alice with a Black woman (Linda Sue Ragsdale) and Paul with Margo. (Don't worry… the sheriff is also sleeping around.) I think the point is that we're supposed to wonder which one of the characters killed Adolf, but it doesn't really matter. The movie is bonkers and cheerful and silly fun.
Severin Films's 2025 Blu-ray release looks terrific, bright and sharp, and contains a commentary track by film historian Elizabeth Purchell, and interview with De La Croix, and a radio spot. Highly Recommended.
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