Up! (1976)

This kicks off with the murder of one Adolf Schwartz (who bears a striking resemblance to another famous Adolf) by placing a ravenous piranha fish in his bathtub. Who did it? No-one knows ... See full summary »

Director:

Russ Meyer

Writers:

Russ Meyer (screenplay) (as B. Callum), Russ Meyer (original story)

Stars:

Edward Schaaf, Robert McLane, Elaine Collins

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Edward Schaaf	...	Adolph Schwartz
Robert McLane	...	Paul
Elaine Collins	...	The Ethopian Chef
Candy Samples	...	The Headsperson (as Mary Gavin)
Su Ling	...	Limehouse
Janet Wood	...	Sweet Li'l Alice
Linda Sue Ragsdale	...	Gwendolyn
Harry	...	The Nimrod / Carnivorous Fish
Raven De La Croix	...	Margo Winchester
Monty Bane	...	Homer Johnson (as Monte Bane)
Marianne Marks	...	Chesty Young Thing
Larry Dean	...	Leonard Box
Bob Schott	...	Rafe
Foxy Lae	...	Pocohontas
Ray Reinhardt	...	The Commissioner

Storyline

This kicks off with the murder of one Adolf Schwartz (who bears a striking resemblance to another famous Adolf) by placing a ravenous piranha fish in his bathtub. Who did it? No-one knows or cares, as they're too busy being distracted by busty Margo Winchester, who hitch-hikes into# town and gets involved with all the local men. It all ends with a series of complicated plot twists that reveal that just about everyone is really someone else. And if it gets too confusing, Russ Meyer helpfully arranges for a one- woman nude Greek chorus to pop up at intervals to explain what's going on.

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Plot Keywords:

sexploitation | rape | greek chorus | piranha | close up of woman's pubic hair | 

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Taglines:

"Nobody pulls 'em in, nobody pushes 'em out like Margot!"

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Genres:

Comedy

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Certificate:

X

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

7 December 1983 (France)

Also Known As:

Russ Meyer's Up

Filming Locations:

Vancouver Island, British Columbia, Canada

Company Credits

Technical Specs

Runtime:

80 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Final film of Robert McLane.

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Quotes

The Ethopian Chef: You want to see my tits?
Homer Johnson: You tryin' to bribe police officer?

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Alternate Versions

German version is cut for violence.

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Connections

Featured in Electric Blue 002 (1981)

User Reviews

A characteristically incoherent and outrageous dark comedy from Russ Meyer

During the 1970's Russ Meyer established a reputation for producing low budget movies exploiting violence and nudity which were very successful as midnight features in conventional cinemas, or at drive in cinemas. They established a recognisable genre which usually followed a similar template and made a Russ Meyer film very easy to recognise. Now that these films have reappeared on DVD's for home viewing, and are being featured on some TV channels, interest in them may be reviving. Their most characteristic feature is one or more very violent sequences in which characters who have received what should clearly be fatal wounds, pull themselves together and continue to cut themselves to pieces until even the director has been satisfied. Another almost universal feature is a cast that includes several very generously endowed young women who are not adverse to displaying their natural assets unwrapped. Other common features in Russ Meyer films are (1) great photography of a variety of exceptionally scenic locations (to my mind this is often the most attractive feature of his work), (2) a naked siren or spirit who watches over the proceedings, and periodically comments on them in a moralistic way, (3) a corrupt law enforcement officer with a voracious sexual appetite who eventually meets a "just" death, (4) a script which ultimately delivers violent death to all those characters that Meyer regards as completely antisocial (these include all homosexuals, anyone associated with the drug trade, and any Nazi supporters who have survived World War II), and (5) some sort of postscript that summarises the lessons which we are expected to have learned from the film that we have been viewing. "Up" was released in 1976 and is I believe the best, (or the worst - according to ones point of view), of the films of this genre he produced.

Such a film could not be easily imitated today, it dates from a time when the augmentation of mammaries was not usually practiced, so the fairly vigorous movements Russ required from his cast always led to very pronounced "bouncing boobs". Today most of the starlets who compete to participate in movies that feature their bare breasts, have had silicone implants which lead to a very different physical response. Whilst most of Russ's films feature such starlets in the cast, "Up!" may be the first where Russ recognised that these unusually well developed mammaries are often associated with an unusually generous pubic thatch, and also made a great effort to pay his photographic respects to this characteristic. Clearly the primary focus in the selection of the cast for this film was not acting ability, and too much should not be expected in this area. Nevertheless Raven de la Croix has an extremely expressive face which, when compared with some other Russ Meyer films, minimises any deficiencies in this respect.

This film also features all the other characteristics of his work listed above. The naked spirit who provides a periodic commentary is playfully portrayed by Kitten Natividad, who has a role listed as the Greek chorus and whose comments are frequently delightfully pretentious. Gory violence is perpetrated with an axe and a chainsaw, both of which appear to have been chosen by the characters concerned in preference to the firearm that they could also have used. This scene would be completely intolerable to view were it not filmed with such extreme hyperbole that it is reduced to the level of black comedy. "Up!" also features the ultimate in surviving Nazi supporters - Adolph Hitler himself, together with his daughter by Eva Braun, who in some way appear to have escaped from the bunker in Berlin and taken up residence in California. The story, such as it is, starts with the murder of Adolph and follows the search for his assassin. Continued flashbacks make it difficult to follow, but this film is comedy rather than drama, and anyone viewing it today will be watching it for the visual effects (including both the types of spectacular natural scenery so generously featured), rather than the story line.

A good review should help its reader to decide whether they would regard the film as worth watching. With "Up!" this is simple, if you are a fan of Russ Meyer but do not know this film, you should certainly, in my opinion, accept any opportunity to see it because it is a more mature production than many of those which preceded it. If you have not seen any of his films but are anxious to sample one of them in order to assess why they have become cult favourites, I would recommend "Up!" because it is very characteristic of, but less extravagantly presented than, many of his earlier works. If you are one of those to whom Meyer's somewhat incoherent films will not appeal, the information above should be sufficient to save you from investing valuable time watching it.