Russ Meyer, "King of Sexploitation", with 26 films under his belt, was one of only a few in movie-making history to write, direct, produce, film, finance, edit, act and distribute his own films. He even carried his own equipment on location. His best-known film is the cult classic Faster Pussycat! Three go-go dancers looking for adventure in the desert kick up all kinds of trouble in the faces of the weak-willed men they come across.
Russ Meyer, who has died aged 82, directed the sadomasochistic soft-porn cult classics Faster, Pussycat! Meyer's films reflected his fixation with phenomenally busty women and featured awful acting, cartoonish storylines and ludicrous dialogue. In Faster, Pussycat, one character says: "Your old man's been blasted out of his wheels, and your king-size brother's been twisted like a pretzel. You're all that's left, lover, and you won't be around for long. But the nonsense was superbly shot, fast-moving, stylish and could be seen as satire. William Goldman rated Meyer as perhaps the only American auteur director.
To make the experience complete, Russ Meyer was there in person to talk about his work. I became an instant fan and to this day I find him to be one of the most distinctive and original filmmakers of the s and s. Too many of these self-proclaimed critics and film historians, who should be defending him from those who look down on the supposed immorality of his movies, are prone to write off Russ Meyer as simply a pornographer. Russ Meyer takes a call with relaxing at the pool with frequent collaborator Uschi Digard. Russ Meyer is a Giant and Getting Bigger.
Culture Film. Related articles. Russ Meyer, skin-flick auteur, dies aged 82 Russ Meyer - obituary. Click on any image for an even bigger picture. Russ Meyer, - An appreciation Few artists have encompassed such a breadth of talent - and feeling - in such limited material.