The Seven Minutes

During the time of VHS the only way to get new copies of Russ Meyer movies would be to order them directly from his marketing outlet. I called to get The Seven Minutes and I was told he didn't own the rights to the movie or to Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Both movie were assignments and not personally produced by him. I asked, "Are you Russ Meyers?" and to my astonishment he answered "Yes". We chatted for 20 minutes. 35 years later I have finally tracked the original through an English distributor. It's exactly as I remember when I saw it as a 16 year old. It did not drive me murder. The small crowd I saw it with was hurling derisive comments at the screen throughout. It is a scream. It's hard to describe. It's one of a kind. For a film buff and a Meyer fan like myself it is a hoot. Stars galore, all playing it straight but you can see it in their eyes that they're having a walloping good time. Pious and self-patronizing as only Russ Meyer could do. All tongue-in-cheek. Anyone taking this seriously has missed the point. Not the same over-the-top as Beyond the Valley of the Dolls and certainly not the unbridled, raunchy sex fare of his personally produced classics. But it's the kind of sly slight at puritanical mores that only Meyer could pull off . It is a riot. The story revolves around the possible obscenity of the book The Seven Minutes and local government officials using it as a political cudgel. In this regard it's quite topical in a smirking way. It's a must see for those with sense of humor. Star gazing at its best. Carey, Flippen and De Carlo are especially fun.