MUDHONEY (1965) dir. Russ Meyer

Released the same year as MOTOR PSYCHO and FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!, during the era Meyer began veering away from nudie-cuties and by extension making better films (his monumental roughie LORNA came just one year earlier), MUDHONEY tells the story of a small town ripe with moral quandaries, all of which involve town drunk/instigator Sidney Bradshaw (Hal Hopper) who commits countless deplorable and selfish acts without a hint of remorse. Sidney married good girl Hannah Bradshaw simply to control her and inherit her family farm after her weak hearted father, Lute (Meyer regular Stuart Lancaster), croaks. When Calif (John Furlong), a drifter on his way to California (with a name like that where else), is hired as a farm hand by Lute and Hannah a romantic spark ignites. Sidney grows jealous as his wife falls for the gentle drifter and amps up his destructive behavior. Your standard volatile love triangle story, right? Well this is a Russ Meyer film, so why don’t we throw in a nearby farmhouse that doubles as brothel to amp up the sexual energy and a morally conflicted (or is he just corrupt) preacher to convolute the story. Okay, now we’re good to go.

While there are hints of Meyer’s, at the time burgeoning, trademark absurdist humor present, the “in-on-the-joke” laughs aren’t quite funny yet, missing more often than not. As a result the film comes across as a poor man’s Sirkian melodrama (WRITTEN ON THE WIND comes to mind). I say “poor man’s” because his cast doesn’t quite have the skill or consistency to pull off the over-the-top material. Meyer never did have the sensibilities to create a convincing drama (as was evident in his big budget flop THE SEVEN MINUTES). The biggest misstep occurs when he clumsily inserts his obligatory cameo into the film’s climax, undermining an otherwise violent and intense conclusion. In the end we’re left with a film that has no identity, just a mix of unrefined comedy and sophomoric drama.

Luckily the content remains sensational enough to avoid tedium. The antics at the brothel/farmhouse are fun, highlighted by Lorna Maitland (of Meyer’s LORNA) who plays one of the promiscuous sisters. Yummy. There are also some nice formal touches as is Meyer’s wont. He refrains from showing us any faces, focusing mainly on feet, until three minutes into the film when Sidney rapes his wife. Not sure of the significance, but it ingrained itself into my brain – maybe that’s its significance.

This minor, though presumably necessary, failure in the Meyer cannon is naturally best viewed within context and recommended to Meyer fanatics/completists only. The casual viewer would be better served by either of the other films he released that year.