Faster, Pussycat, Kill! Kill!

Odd as it may sound, FASTER, PUSSYCAT, KILL! KILL! is a film that I would suggest (heck, proclaim) that is mandatory for the serious filmgoer's education. If you're not familiar with this movie, and you're judging my request against the above photo, you may be arching an eyebrow about now. But hey, Steven Jay-Schneider did list it as one of the 1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die. And Russ Meyer, the writer/director responsible for this cult extravaganza, is a filmmaker whose work is well overdue for another look. Not that that would be easy, seeing as you'd have to luck into a revival screening in order to see most of his films.

That's how I caught this one. 1995, Atlanta, GA. Reperatory house near midtown. I knew of Meyer from his most famous film, an item called BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS. It was a satire (penned by, yes, film critic Roger Ebert) skewering Jacqueline Susan's earlier novel The Valley of The Dolls. Meyer's take was a visual shmorgasbord of spoofery-all stops pulled out. And, a major studio fim, to boot. But Meyer's relationship with Hollywood was short-lived; he would only do one more major film (the unfortunate THE SEVEN MINUTES) before returning to low-budget home grown fare. Oh, and I see I have neglected to describe the type of films Meyer made. Some might call them, smut. Indecent. Pornographic, even. The latter is a bit strong, but there were definitely some softcore offerings on his ouvre: UP!, BENEATH THE VALLEY OF THE ULTRAVIXENS, and others were reputed to be quite racy. But of the Meyers I've seen, there was nothing that I would consider porn.

They're just, well, energetic. And filled with women with enormous chests. Meyer made a point to cast his heroines based on bust size rather than the more traditional attributes of screen acting. There was usually a fair amount of (mostly offscreen) rolling in the hay, but surprisingly Meyer usually wrapped his naughty packages in some stinging commentaries. Political mores were addressed. Racism was often a target, especially in films like VIXEN. Gender roles are explored in probably every Meyer film, quite extensively. If feminists raised their ire at what they perceived as misogyny in these movies, they just weren't paying attention. Many more "respectable" filmmakers are far more guilty of making women into playthings, domestic servants, window dressing, often little more than just pretty objects to comfort the hero. Meyer empowers his women, perhaps none more than the lead actress in 1965's PUSSYCAT, Tura Satana. And yes, she is buxom.

However, her character, Varla, ain't no mere pinup in bluebrint blue. She's a hellcat, a fiery tough chick who leads a trio of strippers (that's their profession) on a killing spree. These three do it just for kicks. They're not nice girls. Varla kills a guy in a karate fight, then she and her collegaues kidnap the deceased's girlfriend and drag (and drug) her along for more adventures. Eventually, they learn that an old man in the desert has a stash of money and some rather dimwitted sons. Opportunity knocks. Varla and co. visit the family, stay for dinner, and then all hell breaks loose. But not before the single funniest line (in a film filled with hysterical dialogue) is delivered by the patriarch after Varla slaps one of her friends, "Women! They let 'em vote, smoke, and drive-even put 'em in pants! And what happens? A Democrat for President!"

The women as presented here are cunning, calculating, and tough as nails. Dispicable, too. At face value, FASTER PUSSYCAT may seen like any other exploitation quickie. But Meyer is making some very sly points about how society perceives the fairer sex, especially in movies. If the leads were men, acting all slick and ruthless, few would find it unusual. Also, lest I make Varla sound like some vampy sex kitten, don't be fooled. She's a scary looking broad: frightful makeup, grotesque expressions, an acid tongue. She beats the crap out of anyone who pisses her off. So yes, I guess you could call this film a female fantasy. Payback for (even in '65) all the celluloid devoted to male triumphs. All the war pics and westerns. So many others. Now some chicks got to kick ass.

Meyer was quite the stylist. PUSSYCAT is filled with razor sharp editing, breathless action, quick, smash cutting, crazy camera angles. When I watched this, I thought of all the current filmmakers who were obviously influenced. Tarantino came to mind. So did David Lynch. Many admitted students of the Meyer school, I bet. Lynch's WILD AT HEART owes a lot to PUSSYCAT, what with all the dizzy fantasy sequences and bizarre happenings, to say nothing of the abrupt bursts of violence. PUSSYCAT is far more violent then sexy, by the way. No nudity, no explicitness, yet it has such a reputation. That's because Meyer directed it. His other films are far naughtier, but all are worth a look, if they ever come to DVD in the States. The VHSs are floating around (how I saw many of them years back) You could also try bit torrent if you're so inclined.

So, the movie's wild fun, a true guilty pleasure, one that stayed in my mind since that 1995 night I saw it. What about the more academic analysis we started? The gender thesis. Female fantasy. Many more came later, like Abel Ferrara's MS. .45, about a woman who kills every males in sight after she is raped. I spoke of feminists who may rally. Perhaps if they watch Meyer's films again, and stop being so busy being outraged, they may see some very astute observations of just who gets to carry the gun (or whip).