Beyond the Valley of the DollsThe life of a rock star can be a swingin' good time, with parties, sex, drugs, and oodles of money. But as the naive, amateur rockers in Beyond the Valley of the Dolls discover, dreams can become nightmares in the wrong hands. A trio of young, beautiful, and talented musicians--Kelly MacNamara (Dolly Read), Casey Anderson (Cynthia Myers), and Petronella "Pet" Danforth (Marcia McBroom)--with their manager (and Kelly's boyfriend), Harris Allsworth (David Gurian), decide to ply their trade in Los Angeles, only to find themselves quickly pulled under in the vortex of vice, as they lose sight of what brought them together.
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In theory, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was conceived as a sequel to the commercially successful--but critically disliked--Valley of the Dolls, a melodrama about three other women who come to Los Angeles, and lose themselves to the excess of the new environment. In essence, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is at least as much that as its predecessor; however, while the events of this film's plot are largely portrayed as a melodrama, it is in reality a satire. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls even goes so far as to announce up front that this film is not a "sequel" with defiant pride; it is an explosive exaggeration, positively drenched in camp by design. The inception of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is itself a kind of twisted miracle, a strange, mad vision of a version of Los Angeles which is a condensed kernel of the hippie era, filled with an embarrassment of buxom babes, kitsch, bell bottoms, and flower power. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls could be best described as "Josie and the Pussycats" meets Playboy magazine; coincidentally, both Dolly Read and Cynthia Myers were both Playboy playmates themselves. Originally planned as a straight sequel, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls would end up being helmed by notorious skin-flick auteur, Russ Meyer--the reason being that 20th Century Fox knew that Meyer was frequently able to produce films cheaply and make a massive profit in return, and the studio was looking to get as much from their commercially successful property as they could. The screenplay for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls would also end up being penned by renowned film critic, Roger Ebert, and the two would compose the story, which became the absurdist caricature of a land of show biz gone insane with sin. Ebert has described the scenario thus: "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls seems more and more like a movie that got made by accident when the lunatics took over the asylum." And in this way--and perhaps this way only--Beyond the Valley of the Dolls also shares something in common with Citizen Kane; both films afforded their makers a budget far greater than they were accustomed to before, and the extra power and resources gave them the ability to realize their own unique visions in an unprecedented way. Essentially, both Orson Welles and Russ Meyer had been handed the proverbial "keys to the kingdom", albeit Meyer's key was to lead to a realm of a much bustier variety.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a satire, but also greedily lays claim to other genres, like the aforementioned melodrama, rock musical, horror exploitation, etc. The film moves with breakneck speed, with constant, rapid-fire editing and cutaways. Frequent Russ Meyer collaborator, Erica Gavin (who plays the icy lesbian fashion designer, Roxanne), remarked that Russ Meyer didn't seem to like to see anyone blink, given that the average shot length is roughly shy of two seconds. The musical numbers of the trio--first called "The Kelly Affair", then later renamed "The Carrie Nations" by loquacious super producer, Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell (John LaZar)--are performed by Lynn Carey, but lip-synched passionately by Dolly Read. The rockers perform their hits at first at a high school prom, but eventually on national television, following (the ironically named) Z-Man's command. Other performances even include Strawberry Alarm Clock as themselves at Z-Man's crucial happening (which clearly freaks him out), where the ingenues first wet their appetites on the lascivious side of L.A. From here, "The Carrie Nations" begin a rise to stardom, replete with montages of their performances, with Harris and Z-Man on opposite sides, watching from the wings. This is interesting, because it highlights that when the four (comparatively) innocent youths come to L.A., they meet their dark reflections at Z-Man's parties--seducers, parasites, and misfits who corrupt them and exploit them to turn them into sinful beasts like themselves in the shadow of the imposing Hollywood sign. Harris is seduced by the carnal queen, Ashley St. Ives (Edy Williams), who craves making love anywhere but a bed, and most enthusiastically in a Rolls Royce. Casey, revealed to be a senator's daughter, falls in with the aforementioned Roxanne, and Pet juggles her affairs between an up-and-coming law student named Emerson Thorne (Harrison Page) and a pseudo-Mohammed Ali-type, Randy Black (James Iglehart). Kelly is ensnared by the gold-digging, unscrupulous Lance Rock (Michael Blodgett), who propels her to pursue her half of a million dollar inheritance from her kindly aunt, Susan Lake (Phyllis Davis). Her lifestyle remains an affront to her aunt's lawyer, Porter Hall (Duncan McLeod), who detests her loose morals, but is hypnotically drawn to her gorgeous body. And little by little, the tinge of corruption in the guise of liberation bewitches them (as the eloquent Z-Man might put it), and it takes some hard knocks and traumatic events to wake them up from their hedonistic trance.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls feels like a massive shot of speed pumped into your arteries, moving fast and coming with a libido-driven rush of energy. But every high comes with an equally potent drop; and just as the rush of the seemingly innocent concept of free love of the Sixties gave way to the hard-edged cynicism of the Seventies, so too does Beyond the Valley of the Dolls move into darker territory. As a matter of fact, the bloody climax, laden with drug-fueled murder and violence, is showcased while the film's opening credits roll, meaning that the majority of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is, in fact, a flashback--as acid-tinged as one ever was. The explosive finale is a shocker, even considering our prior knowledge of the inevitable events, because so much of the film seems superficial and mostly harmless. It is the attitude of the hippie era which imploded following events like the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca by the "Manson Family", a black inverse to the concept of free love, the dark edge of an unfettered psychedelic drug culture. The horrifying culmination of violence is a parallel for the times, a transition between the Sixties and the Seventies, a brutal wake-up call from the psychedelic dream, and twisted satire at the same time, complete with a butler turned Nazi martinet. One thing's for sure: you'll never be able to hear the 20th Century Fox fanfare the same way again. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a lot of things, but it also manages to maintain a sense of humor about itself. When the film concludes, there is a preachy, long-winded narrative, putting each character's motivations into context...y'know, in case you weren't really paying attention to the plot of the movie, distracted by other...features. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a "rags to riches" story, a superficial melodrama, a satire of the Hollywood machine, a showcase for rock music, and a lot more. It is a film which liberally throws about words like "groovy" and "far out" with abandon and sincerity. It is a cult classic with camp oozing out of its pores. It is a commentary about the end of an era of free love, where the violent darkness of the Seventies was inevitably to follow. It is a movie sure to drive uptight folks mad with its excess and ample nudity (although the language is fairly mild by comparison). But most of all, it's a rollicking, raucous good time.
Recommended for: Fans of a pure camp classic of, as the box describes, "ample proportions". It is uber-groovy and silly, but a kind of goofy fun which makes camp classics endure.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a satire, but also greedily lays claim to other genres, like the aforementioned melodrama, rock musical, horror exploitation, etc. The film moves with breakneck speed, with constant, rapid-fire editing and cutaways. Frequent Russ Meyer collaborator, Erica Gavin (who plays the icy lesbian fashion designer, Roxanne), remarked that Russ Meyer didn't seem to like to see anyone blink, given that the average shot length is roughly shy of two seconds. The musical numbers of the trio--first called "The Kelly Affair", then later renamed "The Carrie Nations" by loquacious super producer, Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell (John LaZar)--are performed by Lynn Carey, but lip-synched passionately by Dolly Read. The rockers perform their hits at first at a high school prom, but eventually on national television, following (the ironically named) Z-Man's command. Other performances even include Strawberry Alarm Clock as themselves at Z-Man's crucial happening (which clearly freaks him out), where the ingenues first wet their appetites on the lascivious side of L.A. From here, "The Carrie Nations" begin a rise to stardom, replete with montages of their performances, with Harris and Z-Man on opposite sides, watching from the wings. This is interesting, because it highlights that when the four (comparatively) innocent youths come to L.A., they meet their dark reflections at Z-Man's parties--seducers, parasites, and misfits who corrupt them and exploit them to turn them into sinful beasts like themselves in the shadow of the imposing Hollywood sign. Harris is seduced by the carnal queen, Ashley St. Ives (Edy Williams), who craves making love anywhere but a bed, and most enthusiastically in a Rolls Royce. Casey, revealed to be a senator's daughter, falls in with the aforementioned Roxanne, and Pet juggles her affairs between an up-and-coming law student named Emerson Thorne (Harrison Page) and a pseudo-Mohammed Ali-type, Randy Black (James Iglehart). Kelly is ensnared by the gold-digging, unscrupulous Lance Rock (Michael Blodgett), who propels her to pursue her half of a million dollar inheritance from her kindly aunt, Susan Lake (Phyllis Davis). Her lifestyle remains an affront to her aunt's lawyer, Porter Hall (Duncan McLeod), who detests her loose morals, but is hypnotically drawn to her gorgeous body. And little by little, the tinge of corruption in the guise of liberation bewitches them (as the eloquent Z-Man might put it), and it takes some hard knocks and traumatic events to wake them up from their hedonistic trance.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls feels like a massive shot of speed pumped into your arteries, moving fast and coming with a libido-driven rush of energy. But every high comes with an equally potent drop; and just as the rush of the seemingly innocent concept of free love of the Sixties gave way to the hard-edged cynicism of the Seventies, so too does Beyond the Valley of the Dolls move into darker territory. As a matter of fact, the bloody climax, laden with drug-fueled murder and violence, is showcased while the film's opening credits roll, meaning that the majority of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is, in fact, a flashback--as acid-tinged as one ever was. The explosive finale is a shocker, even considering our prior knowledge of the inevitable events, because so much of the film seems superficial and mostly harmless. It is the attitude of the hippie era which imploded following events like the 1969 murders of Sharon Tate and Leno and Rosemary LaBianca by the "Manson Family", a black inverse to the concept of free love, the dark edge of an unfettered psychedelic drug culture. The horrifying culmination of violence is a parallel for the times, a transition between the Sixties and the Seventies, a brutal wake-up call from the psychedelic dream, and twisted satire at the same time, complete with a butler turned Nazi martinet. One thing's for sure: you'll never be able to hear the 20th Century Fox fanfare the same way again. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a lot of things, but it also manages to maintain a sense of humor about itself. When the film concludes, there is a preachy, long-winded narrative, putting each character's motivations into context...y'know, in case you weren't really paying attention to the plot of the movie, distracted by other...features. Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a "rags to riches" story, a superficial melodrama, a satire of the Hollywood machine, a showcase for rock music, and a lot more. It is a film which liberally throws about words like "groovy" and "far out" with abandon and sincerity. It is a cult classic with camp oozing out of its pores. It is a commentary about the end of an era of free love, where the violent darkness of the Seventies was inevitably to follow. It is a movie sure to drive uptight folks mad with its excess and ample nudity (although the language is fairly mild by comparison). But most of all, it's a rollicking, raucous good time.
Recommended for: Fans of a pure camp classic of, as the box describes, "ample proportions". It is uber-groovy and silly, but a kind of goofy fun which makes camp classics endure.