Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (The Criterion Collection) [DVD]

By the time “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” came out in 1970, Charles Manson and his “Family” had already put the final nails in the coffin of the 1960’s by murdering original “Valley of the Dolls” co-star, Sharon Tate, and a handful of others. That the murders obviously served as a blueprint for the savage, out-of-left-field climax of “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” is deplorable, considering the film was released less than a year later. And yet, one wonders if that bloody ending helped extend the film’s audience beyond director Russ Meyer’s usual T&A crowd, resulting in a box-office hit. Apparently Meyers, along with screenwriter Roger Ebert (yes THAT Roger Ebert), were hoping it would, and for whatever reason, the film seemed to pull audiences into theaters. Yes, in 1970, I even succumbed to the lure of BVOD, joining several other underage classmates in the trunk of a car as we were smuggled into the drive-in movie theater by a gaggle of older boys, all of us eager to view our first X-rated film. In spite of the plethora of T&A on display, I felt somewhat disappointed: as far as X-rated movies went, it didn’t seem like much. Still, I remember kind of liking the movie, the appalling ending notwithstanding.Viewed today, it’s hard to pin a specific description on BVOD. It’s not so much a time capsule of a specific era or place—indeed, it feels outside of time and the place is strictly studio backlot—and it isn’t much of a satire, though there are some funny bits. It’s certainly NOT a sequel to Jacqueline Susann’s “Valley of the Dolls”, which had 1967 film critics scrambling for their dictionaries to locate new synonyms for “awful” (to be sure, after viewing BVOD, 1970 film critics were scrambling for superlatives that went beyond the merely awful). BVOD, really, almost defies description: it’s a goofy mishmash of parody, soap opera, horror show, cautionary lecture, rock video and enough libidinous horndogs, Playboy playmates, heaving bare bosoms and simulated sex to give the suggestion of a skinflick. And then some. It’s a hell of a ride, fast-paced, beautifully filmed and brightly colored, populated by gorgeous people spouting terrible, outrageous, often hilarious dialogue.The tale of a small-time, all-girl rock band that comes to L.A., falls into the hands of a rock music impresario, hits the big time and ends up with “everything but the bloodhounds nipping at her rear end” (to quote Thelma Ritter in the superior “All About Eve”), BVOD is nothing if not entertaining. Far from cerebral, it’s a visual feast, (especially the Criterion Blu-Ray) and the hit-or-miss lines, especially from John LaZar’s Z-Man, are classic. Interspersing quasi-Shakespearean iambic (ish) pentameter with such howlers as “This is my happening and it freaks me out” and “ere this night does wane, you will drink the black sperm of my vengeance”, LaZar is like the Dr. Frankenfurter of BVOD, and the most interesting (and, ultimately, most frightening) character in the film. To be fair, I won’t bother criticizing the acting in the movie. It is what it is. Some performers are more competent than others but the acting is pretty much beside the point because, let’s face it, you’re not watching BVOD for the acting and it’s not “All About Eve”. The singers who make up the fictitious rock band, The Carrie Nations (what a god-awful name!) are played by Dolly Read, Cynthia Meyers and Marcia McBroom and they do exactly what they’re supposed to do: look good, take off their clothes and do an impressive job lip-synching, and fake guitar- and drum-playing a surprisingly good rock score. Credit for the vocals go to singer Lynn Carey, who has an amazing voice and really should have had a bigger career. (Sidenote: on one of the blu-ray extras, Carey recalls dating Jay Sebring and declining an invitation to accompany him to Sharon Tate’s home on the night he, Tate and three others were murdered). The rest of the cast includes Meyer’s girlfriend (later wife) Edy Williams, hamming it up as a fun-loving, sex-crazed starlet; “Vixen” star Erica Gavin, as a lesbian fashion designer in love with one of our girls; prettified muscle-boy Michael Blodgett playing a bed-hopping gigolo; with Harrison Page and David Gurion on hand to woo the band. Meyers regular (and noted character actor) Charles Napier also shows up, as does TV star, Phyllis Davis (in her pre-“Vega$” days).The Criterion Collection Blu-Ray gives BVOD the usual, lavish update and makeover we’ve come to expect: the film looks flawless and the extras are fascinating to watch, particularly the commentary from the film’s stars, interviews with John Waters and the film’s cast and a Q&A from 1992 featuring Meyers and Ebert. There’s also a nifty booklet enclosed.46 years after I first saw BVOD, I still like it (although the ending still grosses me out). It is one of the most WTF movies I’ve ever seen released by a major studio (20th Century Fox) and yet it is entertaining on an almost surreal level that ignores common notions of what constitutes a “good” movie

No relation to the book from Jacqueline Susann - this movie is merely cashing in on the name of the film made several years earlier. If you’ve ever heard of Russ Meyer films-and his healthy wife Eddy - then you’ll know exactly what to expect in this film. If not-google him-then multiply the freaky-ness of the 70’s by 100. It has all the usual stereotypes- the pretty young girl from the Midwest, her sexy girl-band and her boyfriend, along with her Super sexy band mates all get in their funky car and drive to Hollywood to be discovered. The boyfriend of the lead singer is their manager, and a real nice guy dufus. He loves her, and isn’t ready for the wild and crazy lifestyle in LA. She visits her rich, pretty and welcoming cousin, who informs her she will be sharing part of a family inherited fortune! And of course, after playing at a wild and crazy sexy party in the Hollywood Hills-well-now the hi-jinks REALLY begin. I can not over emphasize the level of crazy I’m talking about. I promise you, this will be one of the strangest movies you will ever see. Not for the religiously inclined, or the faint of heart. And defined don’t watch it with people you don’t know really well-might be embarrassing.I was born in LA, & grew up in the 60’s and 70’s-and I’ve seen some Really wild stuff. But this movie was like nothing I ever saw!Best seen late night, with a little wine (or if you’re lucky enough to live in California...) ENJOY!

Loved it

This is my favorite movie ever made. Because it's like 80 completely different movies slammed together into 109 minutes.

This film is the gold standard for late 60’s/early 70’s B-movies. The storyline and the acting are ridiculously bad, but the music is actually awesome! There are tons of colorful characters, the girls are glamorous, and the whole thing is just super psychedelic and fun to look at. They quoted this film a ton in the first Austin Powers, because it’s so totally over the top, and funny. So bad it’s good!Fun Fact: Gene Siskel (of old movie critic duo, Siskel and Ebert) wrote the story for this movie. It’s a cult classic.

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls freaks out most people who watch it. There was a period of time when it was on late night television with a surprising degree of regularity. I would stumble across it and, no matter how far in, would wind up transfixed and glued to the screen until the very end. I had probably seen most of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls several dozen times but only once in its entirety, years ago in one of the now tragically extinct repertory houses.Fortunately there is a lovingly remastered DVD.Unfortunately the film wasn't quite as excessively eccentric as I remembered - perhaps viewing in fragments enhances the experience or complements the frenetic frantic editing style that Meyers employs - though I did watch, riveted, from beginning to end. The tone veers so wildly and erratically from camp to melodrama to music video to action to everything but the proverbial kitchen sink, that one can't help but be drawn in. Even having seen it repeatedly, my mind kept wondering, "What could possibly happen next?"The bonus is the second disc which is packed with "featurettes" about the making of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. No tonal shifts here, it is total hagiography. A lot of the praise is tongue-in-cheek but much of it is sincere, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a very lovable film and has earned its cult audience honestly. Gossip guru Michael Musto tries to puzzle out why it was never an audience participation event on the scale of Rocky Horror Picture Show, and it does make one wonder. Perhaps the bizarre grammatical versions of then-contemporary slang mixed with off-kilter line readings render the catchphrases less catchy? Regardless Tim Curry's creation of Frank-N-Furter was undoubtedly influenced by Lazar's campy Shakespeare meets Shatner meets swish Z-Man.(full review at [...])

Utterly , utterly beyond parody - the greatest talents of Steve Coogan , Armand Innucci or Andrew Davies could never send this film up.It is a 1960s teenage fantasy of what Hollywood should be - wild , drug induced parties with women with very large breasts and just a dash of Charles Manson thrown in. In reality , of course , Hollywood is less exciting than Basingstoke on a Sunday afternoon.The script contains every hippy cliché known to man with a few more thrown in for bad measure. The acting is more wooden than the Amazon Forest. All the actors are probably now dead or still extremely embarrassed , apart from the royalties . Don't get me wrong , this film is a masterpiece of bad taste and awfulness. It is in the ' Plan 9 from Outer Space league ' but is more enjoyable. I love it to bits.

Has to be one of the trashiest, campest OTT films ever to be made. A riot of bright colours, big bosoms and even bigger hair. Sex, violence and drugs never looked so gorgeous. After you see this movie you will either love it or hate it, there is no in between.

I saw this film at the cinema in the very early 70s; strangely enough it was my girlfriend’s choice. I found the film very entertaining and thought the women were lovely, mainly Dolly and Marcia, which I later confessed to my lady. My 5 stars are mainly based on the soundtrack to the film which impressed me so much that I still listen to it to this day. Great entertainment.

ALREADY SENT REVIEW !AGAIN , BRILLIANT DVD, CLASSIC FOR IT'S TIME. GREAT CONDITION.& PROMPT DELIVERY. THANK YOU.DENNIS GRINDAL

Don't believe the other reviews. Those people do not know what kind of film they bought! If you don't know anything about exploitation cult cinema, do not write reviews for such films. This is one of Meyer's best films. Dvd edition.