If you’re a casual queer moviegoer who has never heard of Russ Meyer, I recommend watching Faster Pussycat, Kill! Kill! and then calling it a day. But if you’re a fan of Meyer or a cinephile interested in the sexploitation genre and the history of sex on-screen, I have great news: Severin has put together definitive home releases for three of his films. And that includes Vixen! which, yes, features one of the first ever lesbian sex scenes.

But Vixen! isn’t your average softcore porn. It’s the kind of film that will intercut a sex scene with a discussion of communism. It’s the kind of film that has as much commentary on racism as it has boobs. And it has a lot of boobs.

Does Vixen! work in its commentary on racism in America, communism vs. capitalism, and sexual freedom? Does the second film, SuperVixens, work as a feminist(??) satire? Does the third film, Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens, have anything to say about small-town America deserving of its supposed Our Town inspiration? In my opinion, the answers are somehow almost, not at all, and sure lol.

But whether or not I’m a Russ Meyer devotee isn’t the point. His influence on cinema is undeniable and that’s what makes these new releases so exciting. The restorations are as gorgeous as the women on-screen and the discs are packed with special features that contextualize the work. All three films have archival commentary tracks from Meyer, as well as interviews — new and old — with the actors, and discussions of the censorship the films faced.

Severin obviously has a reverence for Meyer — you can’t dedicate the hundreds of hours required for these restorations and releases without it — but they also don’t try to hide the less desirable aspects of Meyer, the man and the filmmaker. One of the most painful and informative special features is the interview with Vixen! star, Erica Gavin. She talks about her fondness for Meyer while also acknowledging the ways he could be cruel, controlling, and vindictive, and the eating disorder she developed after the film’s release.

During this interview, she also goes into detail about the lesbian sex scene and how she was nervous about it because Meyer informed her that lesbian sex was fast scissoring. Opting not to do that, she felt a pressure to perform. Meyer berated her inability to do the scene well until she finally did something to his liking which resulted in him saying, “I need to change my pants.” A true professional!

The scene is much slower than most of the frenetic sex in Meyer’s films and with that sensuality allows a glimpse of eroticism to a film that mostly seems pointedly un-erotic. After all its heroine is as unapologetic about her racism as her promiscuity. At times, this makes it more difficult to watch than the more cartoonish later Meyer films, but it also makes it a fascinating time capsule of 1968. Meyer uses his greatest love — boobs — to seduce audiences into listening to didactic commentary. It results in some of the wildest tonal shifts I’ve ever seen, but it’s also a fascinating portrait of a time.

There’s also no judgment if you want to bypass that experience and jump straight to the bonkers bouncing boobs of Beneath the Valley of the Ultra-Vixens. Lesbians are allowed to enjoy looking at beautiful women even through the male gaziest of male gazes.

Personally, I like my sexploitation a bit more art house than Looney Tunes, but I’m still grateful to learn more about this noteworthy artist in film history. After all, without Russ Meyer, there is no John Waters. Sometimes it takes a pervert (derogatory) to give us a pervert (complimentary).

The restoration of Russ Meyer’s Vixen! comes out tomorrow from Severin.

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