I liked this movie but I was prepared, having read about it extensively before seeing it. From the soundtrack to the camera and editing tricks to the performances, I liked it all. My only problem was the middle part of the movie which concentrated on the personal troubles of the band, sort of dragged. Only when John Lazar came back did the movie pick up and I guess I'm in the minority because I liked the ending. Mainly, because it took the outrageous flavor from the beginning and went even farther. The casting was especially noteworthy. Normally, people who can't act really bother me but watching all of the Playboy playmates trying to act serious while spouting out hilariously clichéd dialogue (I can only hope that Roger Ebert and Russ Meyer weren't trying to write authentic dialogue) was very funny. Special note must be given to the drummer trying to pretend that she could really play. Only Lazar came off as a real actor and he tackled his role with gusto. It is a shame to see that he has never really done anything worthy of his talents after this. Having seen this film only once I don't know how it would hold up after repeated viewings but I can say it is worth seeing at least once.
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susansweb27 August 2002
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EUyeshima1 August 2006It's difficult to make out what exactly this 1970 movie is trying to achieve. While not quite the brilliant showbiz parody that co-screenwriter Roger Ebert (yes, the film critic) will have you believe it is (perhaps to save his reputation), this wild blend of sex, booze, psychedelic mind-benders and rock n' roll is really more an exploitative re-do of the first "Valley of the Dolls" reset in the music business. Granted it's an amusing take of the first film with journeyman actors delivering the often ludicrous lines with straight faces. On the brink of bankruptcy, the executives at 20th Century Fox hired renowned sexploitation director Russ Meyer to helm the film, and his campy, porno-level imprint is most predominant here. What's also present is an amusing black comedy that makes every plot turn seems excessive yet oddly relevant at the same time.
Written by Ebert and Meyer, the loose structure of a plot focuses on a girl rock band, the Carrie Nations, comprised of sexually voracious redhead Kelly, frigid guitarist Casey and soul sister drummer Pet. They're managed by Kelly's innocuous boyfriend Harris, who takes them to LA where Kelly suddenly receives a share of her Aunt Susan's recent million-dollar inheritance. In Susan's circle of friends is a faux-Shakespeare-spouting, Phil Spector-like record producer named Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell, who turns the Carrie Nations into big stars. Each girl becomes a victim of their success, leading to drugs, bisexuality, embezzlement, lesbianism, amoral men and a Manson-style murder spree. That it manages to tweak the reigning counterculture is just an added bonus of the story.
The performances are hardly worth discussing as the actors are often called upon to say or do the most humiliating things. With his penchant for large breasts, Meyer cast two former Playboy playmates, Dolly Read (comedian Dick Martin's longtime wife and Match Game semi-regular) as Kelly and Cynthia Myers as Casey. Black model Marcia McBroom plays Pet. None makes that much of an impression except when they take their clothes off. David Gurian makes even less of an impression as Harris. There are, however, a few scenery chewers of note John LaZar as the out-of-control Z-Man, especially during a decapitation scene that has to be seen to be believed; perennial in-joke starlet Edy Williams as sex film queen Ashley St. Ives; and preening Michael Blodgett as greedy gigolo Lance Rocke, who gets to play his final scene in just a loincloth.
The Carrie Nations' rock song performances are actually pretty good for the period, and veteran TV composer Stu Phillips. Even though there are a few sex scenes and plenty of gratuitous nudity, it actually doesn't come across as all that titillating. I honestly believe it's the satirical edge is what keeps up interest in the film. Unbelievably, the film has been re-released as a two-disc set in 2006, and surprisingly, it is actually quite a solid package. First of all, the print transfer is amazingly pristine for a film of this age, something that strikes you immediately when you see it.
There are two commentary tracks one with Ebert which is actually quite academic and insightful in an almost Criterion-like manner, the other is a free-for-all trip down memory lane for stars Read, Myers, LaZar and two other actors in the cast, Harrison Page (who played Pet's earnest law student boyfriend Emerson) and Erica Gavin (who played Casey's Sapphic fashion designer lover Roxanne). The second disc has five featurettes on various aspects of the film, the best being "Above, Beneath and Beyond the Valley", which focuses on the cast's remembrances of Meyer, and "Best of the Beyond", which spotlight the actors, who for the most part, look great 36 years later (Read, Myers and McBroom, in particular). There is some screen test footage, theatrical trailers and a photo gallery as well. -
sonya9002817 April 2009Venerable film critic and writer Roger Ebert, penned Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls. It's basically a spoof, of the 1967 film, Valley Of The Dolls. The plot of this movie revolves around a female rock group, that pursues their dreams of stardom in the Hollywood jungle of ambitious hopefuls.
All the characters are beautiful looking, particularly the drop-dead gorgeous women in the band. They do have an old toothless women in the film, who hangs-out at a party with the beautiful people. She's the comic relief, in an already hilariously campy film.
There's lots of sleazy, over-the-top sex, ravenous opportunists, drug addicts, and overall flash-n-trash scenes. Ebert was obviously milking the satirical element of the film, to the hilt. The humor in all of this, works throughout most of the movie. But when the film veers towards bloody violence in the latter part of it, it's very jarring to the viewer. The brutal violence winds-up spoiling the fun, comic tone of this movie.
For the most part, this film is an amusing send-up of The Valley Of The Dolls. But the violence in this film, winds-up deflating the wacky, tongue-in-cheek premise of the movie. This film would've worked much better, if the brutal, gory violence was left out of it. -
One of the all-time great cult films, BVD is an energetic, imaginative parody of Valley of the Dolls and other such dippy Hollywood melodramas. Our three lusty, busty heroines are the members of an all-girl pop group. From one trailer: "Dolly Read is Kelly, the singer. Cynthia Myers is Casey, the swinger. Marcia McBroom is Pet, the soul sister." Whoa! Anyway, our trio of sexy supervixens move out to Hollywood, get discovered immediately, and are thrown into a whirlpool of pill addiction, alcoholism, lesbianism, abortions, depression, double crosses, crippling injuries, lots of violence, and lots of sex. All of this is played with a deceptively straight face, with the wild comedy arising from the ludicrousness of the soap-opera situations. One particularly sudsy moment is even accompanied by swelling daytime-TV organ music! There are obvious jokes, which are spirited and very funny, and even some sly references to Valley of the Dolls (a character named Miriam, the Warwick Court Apartments). The ending has to be seen to be believed, and even then....
The acting is very good (though Dolly Read's natural British and fake American accents are openly battling throughout), with top prizes taken by John LaZar as freaked-out record mogul Z-Man and Edy Williams as voracious porno queen Ashley St. Ives. The women, sporting big hair and thick false eyelashes, are all incredibly beautiful, and Russ Meyer lovingly captures them in neon-bright color. The editing and camerawork are fast-paced and super-stylish, as usual with Meyer. The soundtrack is excellent.
A groovy, sexy, X-rated look at L.A. back when it was cool!
Trivia: The reason this X seems so mild is because it was intended for an R! Meyer did prepare a more explicit version, but when this tamer cut was X'd, Fox elected to distribute it instead of the racier print. The video box says NC-17 because Fox has a policy against never releasing an X-rated tape. Of course, an X in 1970 did mean 17 and over, whereas it now means 18 and over. HUGE chasm there! -
rivertam2618 July 2020Critic Roger Ebert wrote this campy, melodramatic, horror thriller musical. If that sounds like a lot you have no idea what this movie is like. This in name only sequel centers around a girl rock group who goes to Hollywood and is thrust into the seedy underbelly of sex, drugs, rock n roll, porn stars, tranny killers, lesbians, etc. It's like a thousand lifetime movies blended together but with a rockin soundtrack. Mostly the movie works as an ultimate guilty pleasure but it does seem to just transcend film altogether. With beautiful cinematography and quick cut editing it's a wild ride that holds up pretty well. Originally Rated X and now NC-17 if this sounds like your jam go for it otherwise keep on steppin.
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jboothmillard30 October 2006All the Russ Meyer films I have seen do seem to have more nudity, sex and Carry On type comedy, but this hardly has any. It is the story of an all-girl band called the Carrie Nations scaling the dizzy heights of rock-star fame and then crash-landing into decadent sleaze. It has mostly drugs, relationships, cults, singing and sleaze, not much nudity or sex. Starring Dolly Read as Kelly McNamara, Cynthia Myers as Casey Anderson, Marcia McBroom as Petronella Danforth, John Lazar as Ronnie 'Z-Man' Barzell (who you find out is a hermaphrodite), Michael Blodgett as Lance Rocke, David Gurian as Harris Allsworth, Edy Williams as Ashley St. Ives, Vixen's Vixen herself Erica Gavin as Roxanne, Phyllis Davis as Susan Lake, Harrison Page as Emerson Thorne, Duncan McLeod as Porter Hall, James Inglehart as Randy Black and Charles Napier as Baxter Wolfe. The only nudity I can remember is flashes of breasts and arses, and the lesbian scene towards the end (one of the girls was pregnant!). Very good!
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ericstevenson6 February 2018This film is very notable in that it was written in part by Roger Ebert. Yes, THAT Roger Ebert. It should be noted that this film was something he worked on rather early in his career and I think looking back, he doesn't think too highly of it. It does make me wish Ebert had worked on more movies himself, because it would simply be great to watch a movie made by the most famous movie critic. Anyway, this movie itself is just okay. I admit that the plot just seems to wander around for awhile.
There's lots of seemingly random scenes of people dancing and singing. This movie is still very '70s and it's starting to make me realize cult films become reflective of the times. There are even some interesting points raised about sexuality. I do kind of find myself rooting for the characters. It's just that it's too wacky to follow that well and not good enough to recommend, but Ebert tried. Now let's see a movie Leonard Maltin worked on! **1/2 -
This is one brassy, sassy, little sexploitation flick that is so bad that it's almost good. (I said "almost" good)
"Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls" ("BVD", for short) is a pseudo-camp rock-musical/sex-comedy from 1970 that boastfully earned itself an X-rating upon its initial USA release. "BVD" was produced on a budget of $900,000. Within the first few months of its initial release it had grossed 10 times that amount in the USA, alone. Since then "BVD" has grossed well over $40 million world-wide.
"BVD's" story concerns the rise to mega-fame and fortune for an all-girl rock trio called The Carrie Nations who travel from the American Mid-West to make it into the big time in LA-LA Land (L.A.).
Perhaps you might enjoy "BVD" more than I did. For the most part, I found it unbelievably dumb, with everyone saying really-really-really (!!!) stupid things to one another, ad nauseum. Some of the "psychedelic" music wasn't bad, though. -
brefane30 July 2007Russ Meyer's most lavish production is still jaw dropping, and still beyond comparison. BTVOTD is the ultimate camp film that, unlike Valley of the Dolls, is knowingly campy, deliberately absurd, never comes down to earth, and achieves a non stop contact high. Beyond description, it must be seen to be believed. A rapid fire, mind-rending parody of virtually every genre and cliché squeezed into a 2 hour film which hasn't aged a bit and has seen its reputation grow since its initial release in 1970. The songs, dialog, direction, editing, music, and acting all provide endless amazement every time I see it. In the 30 plus years since its release nothing else comes close to the experience of this film. Even more than The Rocky Horror Picture Show, BEYOND is a true audience film with so many lines and scenes that viewers have memorized. BEYOND is and was ahead of its time, and remains essential viewing.
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rooee29 January 2016Valley of the Dolls was a famously rubbish 1967 relationship drama, dead earnest in its execution. So naturally this 1970 follow-up is a raunchy sex comedy directed by Russ Meyer and penned by the late film critic Roger Ebert. Valley starred Sharon Tate, who along with four others would be murdered by the Manson family in 1969. The fact that this homicide forms the basis of Beyond's insane bloodbath ending tells you all you need to know about the approach Meyer and Ebert are taking with this remake/sequel.
Dolly Read plays Kelly, the lead singer of an up-and-coming all-girl pop-rock band, which heads to LA to meet Kelly's aunt, Susan (Phyllis Davis), and hopefully meet with her $50k inheritance. But Susan's adviser, Porter (Duncan McLeod), has his eyes on the money and dismisses Kelly and co as kinky hippies. While this battle is waged, the girls live up to Porter's title, boozing and bonking their way through a series of parties, while their new svengali, Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell (a lascivious John Lazar), sidelines their existing manager Harris (David Gurian), changes the band's name, and shamelessly promotes them for himself.
"All uptight about tomorrow and hanging onto yesterday," moans Randy Black (Jim Iglehart, channelling a low-rent Mohammed Ali); "all that matters is now." Combining counterculture energy with cheapo raunchiness, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls boldly and ruthlessly satirises the Love Generation.
The story begins with a road trip promising boundless opportunity and free-spiritedness, but ultimately the girls' desires are parochial and shallow: sex and wealth. It takes a genuine tragedy to wake Kelly up to what's really important – as the needless narration only too clearly spells out in the end: "Those who only fake must be prepared to pay the highest price of all." Throughout, the aesthetic is pure gaudy music vid, edited like some kind of hangover flashback, especially in the party scenes, hopping back and forth between scraps of crazy cat dialogue from hedonists self-medicating on booze and weed and downers. ("Dolls" is a slang term for the latter.) When Z-Man is showing Kelly around her first party, he introduces her to a whole cast of characters, defining their uniqueness as if they all have a special part to play in maintaining the Free Love myth.
But individualism taken to its endgame is dangerous, and Kelly's indulgence of her desires is precisely what ends up hurting those around her. Harris's old-fashioned monogamous romanticism is incompatible with the wild world into which he follows Kelly. His old world values leave him not only isolated but assumed to be gay. In the end he is metaphorically de-sexed, embodying a deeper, less possessive love, one equally free.
I'm making the movie sound like a Freudian bore but it's quite the opposite. It totally indulges and hyperbolises the excesses of the period, and it's packed with frank-yet-harmless sex and nudity, as well as a host of awesome driving pop songs you've heard somewhere before. The whole cast plays it straight, because that's how satire should work – and also because Meyer never let the cast in on the joke. It works perfectly: Casey's (Cynthia Meyers) pregnancy revelation is pure soap brilliance.
Long before the final reel you'll be well entrenched in the joke, revelling in the film's breathless pace, blinding colours, and ridiculously intricate wordplay. Z-Man's climactic actualisation of his medieval king persona is the zenith of excess. As he beheads his subject we hear the 20th Century Fox theme. It's the icing on one of the most subversive cakes in mainstream cinema history. -
seamovieman20 June 2019People are going crazy on here talking about how cool and awesome this ten-star, great piece of kitsch is. It's a piece alright, but something that rhymes not with kitsch, but rather with kit.
Roger Ebert is a brilliant writer and film reviewer, and I like large breasted women near as much as Russ Meyer, but if this is meant to be an example of their best, then I sure missed the point.
It's not bad enough to be a film so bad that the Mystery Science Theater 3000 guys could rip into it, and it's definitely not self-aware the way "Black Dynamite" is; it's just bad, period.
I've heard about this film for 40 years. Boobs and drama! Hardly. I didn't see any naked women any longer than 3 seconds at a time. Hell, you can see more than that on any cable tv show. And that's not because it was a different time. There were plenty of movies with nudity in the late 60's/early 70's!
The only thing this movie has going for it is Cynthia Meyers, who is a Playboy Playmate, and turns out to be just as comfortable on screen as she was posing naked for a still frame picture.
Even technically, the film is bad. Strange shots that would be creative if they connected to the rest of the scene, unbelievably hacky editing, and sound mixing that will make you jump out of your seat.
I guess it's a good capture of the Los Angeles swinging singles drug scene of the early 70's (?), but there's a half-dozen films made st the same time that do a way better job of capturing it.
If you dig, dig it. But if you don't, it's not you, trust me. You're just like me, because I sure as hell didn't get it. -
bminor920 March 2006I freakin love this film! It has everything you could want, hot amazons, camp, melodrama, dancing, cool music, orgies, and some classic lines. Either you get it or you don't, even though the script makes no sense. Z man is awesome and creepy, ashley st ives is on fire, and the carrie nations rock in that dopey pill popping late 60's acid pop style. The question is why has russ meyer never released it on DVD? Come on dude this and faster pussycat kill kill are films that the people need to see. A cut above 90% of the Hollywood recycled crap and remade TV junk they throw at you. To be honest if someone remade this flick I would see it. I also love the fact that they completely went in the opposite direction of the original, which I cant even remember if i have seen.
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junior monkey5 February 2001At what point does a parody of a bad soap become good?
Russ Meyer's collaboration with Roger Ebert is a scathing attack on showbusiness. It mocks the acting, the style, the mise-en-scene and the plot of big box office soaps that 20th century fox were producing in the late 60's. Loosely based on "Valley of the dolls", "Beyond.." takes the form of its predecessor. An all girl band go on the road to stardom on a rags to riches type story. On their travels they come across many cliched characters including Ronnie 'Z-man' Barzell, the pyschotic hermaphrodite promoter who will kill if his advances towards another man are unaccepted.
Meyers incredible skill in filmmaking is perfectly amalgamated with Ebert's witty script. Lines such as "This is my happening and it freaks me out!" or "i'd like to strap you on sometime!" enable the film to rattle along at a lovely pace.
Today, it is difficult to see why the film sparked so much controversy when it was released. The violence is quite graphic but nothing like what we see and accept today. As for the sex well, it is mild in comparison to some of Meyer's other films.
The film is delivered in a straight way, it appears the actors are unaware that the lines they produce are in fact ironic. "BVD" is a enjoyable satire of both the music business and the movie business. -
SnoopyStyle3 September 2015This is not a sequel to the Valley of the Dolls. Kelly MacNamara, Senator's daughter Casey Anderson, and Pet Danforth are in a girl rock band. Along with Kelly's boyfriend Harris Allsworth, they decide to drive to L.A. Kelly finds her estranged aunt Susan Lake who inherited the family fortune. To her sleazy money man Porter Hall's dismay, Susan promises one third of the fortune to her niece. Rock producer Z-Man Barzell takes over the band and Kelly falls for money grubbing gigolo Lance Rocke. Harris feels Kelly drifting away and is seduced by porn star Ashley St. Ives. Kelly wants more of the inheritance. The young group gets pull further and further into the wild risqué world.
This is definitely a Russ Meyer movie with his love of the female body. Roger Ebert has written a hippie soap opera. By the time of Harris' attempted suicide, this ridiculous movie turns into a comedy. An abortion has never been filmed in a more silly way. The scramble eggs are not lost on the audience. The problem is always the limited acting talents of the cast. They fail to make their characters compelling. The cheese factor is very high. It's almost a spoof. The ending does spin out of control as if Ebert knew that he had to top all the ridiculous stuff from before. I don't want to be mean-spirited but I laughed at Harris and his wheelchair. -
Poseidon-39 May 2006Almost indescribably unique, yet clichéd, this rags to riches to raunchiness flick is a brilliant example of late 60's grooviness and tongue-in-cheek sexploitation. Read, Myers and McBroom are three band-mates who are managed by Read's boyfriend Gurian. Bored with playing proms, they truck out to Hollywood to visit Read's long-lost aunt Davis. That very evening, at a party, they are discovered by impresario Lazar and are soon swept up in the world of sex, drugs and rock 'n roll! Read dumps Gurian for golden boy gigolo-sponge Blodgett, Myers catches the eye of predatory lesbian Gavin and McBroom juggles straight-arrow Page and boxing stud Inglehart. Meanwhile Gurian is pursued by sexpot Williams. Their stories play out in episodic, melodramatic fashion leading up to a fateful night at Lazar's mansion when things come unhinged and a barrage of violence is unleashed. A hysterically stuffy voice-over then relates what everyone learned during the preceding squalor and a happy ending is shown for the survivors of the mêlée. Virtually unrelated to the earlier film "Valley of the Dolls", this is more of a wilder, accelerated, musical-remake. Most of the female cast consists of buxom, big-haired babes, most of whom were Playboy models and many of whom either never worked again or rarely did. (The men had even spottier track records. Gurian has no other credit visible on his resume!) Read is fresh and pretty, though she is unable to mask her British accent. She went on to marry Dick Martin and appear frequently on "Match Game". Myers gives a decent enough performance as does McBroom. None of the ladies has a particularly realistic or sensible role to play, however. The film is more about sensational situations and bodily curves than acting. Lazar is strange, to say the least, but he is memorable. Blodgett was good at playing selfish, degenerate punks like this. Williams is memorably slutty, refusing to take no for an answer from gullible Gurian and requiring sex anywhere but in a bed. Davis later went blonde and had a supporting role on "Vegas" in addition to other things. Napier, as Davis' estranged ex-fiancé, went on to a notable career in various films, often playing a square-jawed military man. The film employs quick-cut editing as well as flash-forwards. The music is fun and funky (despite the fact that the vocals bear little relation to the voice of lead singer Read!) Few on screen parties from the era can match the debaucherous goings-on at Lazar's, though the gay pairing is only suggested and fully-clothed while the heterosexual pairings are more graphic. Even with all the endless shots of massive breasts and heaving cleavage (the film is a breast man's dream come true!), there's still a remarkable innocence to it all in light of so many later, nastier and more explicit films. Unlike "Valley of the Dolls", a lot of the laughs here are intentional. Some of the dialogue is really out there, not the least of which is Lazar's line, "This is my happening and it freaks me out!", later immortalized a second time in "Austin Powers: International Man of Mystery" by Mike Myers. Fans of false eyelashes, bouffant coiffures, décolletage and kicky 60's fashion must not miss this once in a lifetime example of cinematic excess!
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BVD is one weird movie especially the ending. If I am right the movie is about a girl rock group make it big in the rock business and face trouble with sex, drugs, betrayal, friendship, etc. I do not know what to honestly say. I saw this on AMC American Pop (of course a little bit edited for content), and I didn't know what to honestly make of it. At times it is funny, other times it sometimes is too melodramatic. In my opinion, Valley of the Dolls is better. Yes, it is more melodramatic than this, but it really had an easier plot, more funnier moments, and a better ending. I recommend this movie to people who are into weird movies.
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tvsterling1 April 2007This is a lot like the 60's were. The strange mix of hedonism & high ideals really is what the 60's were all about. Many of us weren't quite that wild but a surprising percentage were (minus the murders of course). Most recovered but some are still living under a bridge near you. The streets are far more cynical & deadly now. I imagine the younger readers understand this all too well. If you don't, not to worry you soon will. This film would have been made just after the Tate-LaBianca murders & I see the beginning-end framing scene as a ripoff & an acknowledgment of this; the true end point of the peace love thing. Since this movie is perhaps the ideal statement,epitaph & testament to those long gone times you will indulge me a few observations. First, we had good reasons. The Cold War was at it's peak; nobody knew if the world had a future. Thus there was a kind of party frenzy that accompanies many wars. The WW-II crowd will know all about this; eat, drink & be merry for tomorrow you die. Second, there were just so MANY of us. They don't call us the Baby Boomers for nothing. There was no place for us. Our parents (the WW-IIers) were living in happily ever after land (like the movies from their times said to). After all they had paid their dues in the War & the Depression. They were getting older & had no stomach for another fight to protect their nearly grown kids. We were on our own. Third, we were so media soaked (as all of us are now & ever increasingly) that we felt an enormous need to live a real (not vicarious or virtual) life. The Beats had pointed this out to us & Warhol was frantically trying to warn society of it's dangers. It is a lesson that needs to be taken to heart. This stealing away of the individual's life is one of Islam's main beefs with our Megamedia culture. Look at the Iraqis in the news. You see a more genuine face; not partly copied from some movie or TV show. More real. Their speech is not spiced with advertising slogans or catch phrases from some sitcom. Is our way really that much better?
The end narration with it's moral comments on the work itself goes way beyond what the soaps would try to get away with. In a way it talks down to the audience. The sad fact is at that time we probably needed it all spelled out for us like that. Some kinds of wisdom only come with age. The message seems to be leave the media dictated life truly behind; move 'Beyond The Valley of The Dolls'. Our favorite game was "Cooler Than Thou" but the Beat idea of cool went completely over our posing & posturing heads. This movie probably did too.
I think that soon with all the cameras & U-Tube etc the Megamedia Culture will die out or at least change into something more evolved. I hope that something is more real rather than more conceited. (Sad to say now several years later the reality shows have fully arrived & they are more conceited. The horrible mutant offspring of Warhol's experiments like 'Chelsea Girls' escaped from the lab.)
One last observation. A strange case of life following art unfolded with the Phil Spector trial. The character of 'Z-Man' is supposed to be based on him. -
trvolk23 August 2004I love "Candy" and "Myra Breckinridge", and I was looking forward to finally seeing "Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls". Hiding (somewhere) under the surface of these three movies are some great stories, and the scripts all show glimpses of some astounding writing and insight into what was happening between 1966 and 1969 among those late teens and young adults who had more than a bit of disposable income and a warped perspective toward destroying the social order.
However, somewhere during the production of these three movies, things fell apart. My guess is heavy drug use by the casts and crews. Acting is non-existent; the casts may have read the scripts a few times and prepared their characters a bit, but once the cameras started rolling, all that was cast aside, except for the occasional afterthought. In each movie, a freeform miasma of expression was the result.
These movies are not for everyone, and even those of us who had a clue about the 60s scene outside the hippy communes will watch these with a jaded eye. -
It's weird in a way that the biggest film critic in the world, Robert Ebert written one of the stupidest movies ever. I know it's probably cliché for me to say this, but it is a movie made by Roger Ebert, so I'd just like to say that I give, 'Beyond The Valley Of The Dolls' two thumbs down. It just doesn't look like something Ebert of today would do, even if it's supposed to be a 'parody'. Then again, it was the early 70s, so the young Robert Ebert must be a pervert on drugs. Thank God, he became a critic, instead. This schlock melodrama was supposed to be a sequel to 1967's Valley of the Dolls, but author Jacqueline Susann didn't want no part of it. As a result, the studio placed a disclaimer at the beginning of the film informing the audience that the two films were not intended to be connected. If they really wanted to make sure, it wasn't relate to the other film. Why didn't they just change the title of the film?! Wouldn't that be better than putting a disclaimer? So Ebert and director Russ Meyer retold the movie in a parody of the first movie. The movie became a satire of Hollywood conventions, genres, situations, dialogue, characters and success formulas, heavily overlaid with such shocking violence. The story is about all-girl rock band Kelly MacNamara (Dolly Read), Casey Anderson (Cynthia Myers), and Petronella "Pet" Danforth (Marcia McBroom) who travel to Los Angeles to find success, but instead find themselves in a world of sex, drugs, violence, and rock & roll. None of the actress could play or sing, and you can pretty much tell. At less, have one that has talent, rather than them stripping their clothes off. The movie is a pure acid trip as the characters over-act, and there is nudity everywhere and violent everywhere. It didn't help that the Sharon Tate murders happens just a year ago when this movie came out. Not only was it disrespect to Sharon Tate who star in the original Valley of the Dolls, but makes fun of her murders as well. It supposed to be nightmarish world of Show Business, but it's seem like hippies just doing downers or 'dolls' and being stupid. The film was badly put together as the film makes no sense. There is little to no plot that the movie meanders from meaningless scene to meaningless scene. There is a big twist in the end of the film, which is pretty shocking, but the movie ruins it by having the first scene show most of the events. You pretty much knew what was going to happen. When the film got a X-rating, rather than putting more of a story in the film, director Meyer's response was attempt to re-edit the film to insert more nudity and sex, but Fox wanted to get the movie released quickly and wouldn't give him the time. Who does that? It's weird in a way that the film characters were based upon real people at the time such as Muhammad Ali (Randy Black) and Phil Spector (Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell) despite Russ and Ebert never meeting them at the time. The only good thing that came from this movie is it probably inspired some girls to form rock bands at the time when there were almost none at all. Supposedly this movie inspired a young woman name Joan Jett to form a band at the time. Altogether, the film is full of unbelievable dialogue, pointless gratuitous nudity, over the top cheesy violence, and campy drug scenes. Not worth the time and money buying this. The movie ask me one question, how on earth did Robert Ebert even became a critic by producing some trash? Still, Robert Ebert RIP. You will be miss.
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Coventry3 February 2004Ever since I showed interest and sympathy for the more bizarre efforts in cult cinema, people have been recommending me to check out the oeuvre by director Russ Meyer. This peculiar director and scriptwriter is often named the maestro of American Cult cinema.Unfortunately, his movies are pretty hard to find (at least where I'm from) and they rarely ever receive a decent release on DVD. After finally having purchased Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, I can fully second the statement that Russ Meyer truly is one of a kind and certainly a director to check out entirely. Perhaps the weirdest thing about this film is that it was co-written by the respected and Pulitzer price-winning critic Roger Ebert! This - usually - very harsh critic joins the Meyer-madness here gladly.
I doubt Meyer's typical style will appeal to many people but for the more developed cult-fans, his colorful tale of 'Hollywood Vixens' is a true joy to observe! You might as well call it the definition of cult! It has everything: from bizarre and extremely eccentric characters over subtle (and less subtle) humor to explicit violence, sexual images and drug abuse. Wild parties are thrown in this film and offensive orgies are held.you can't imagine it yourself wild enough and Meyer adds it to his movie. Some of the biggest taboos are taken care of here shamelessly, like Nazis, drag queens, lesbians, unfaithful behavior and even abortion!! Keeping in mind this film was shot in 1970, this is a pretty remarkable achievement to say the least. BTVOTD also has a terrific soundtrack and pretty likeable acting performances. The leading girls do a pretty good job in making themselves believable, even though they're rather inexperienced. Needless to say they're stunning beauties in the first place.Especially Cynthia Meyers in the role of Casey! She's a true cult-Goddess and a wet dream for many men.yours truly included. BTVOTD ends with a truly absurd and explosive finale that easily can be considered as one of the weirdest twists in cinema history ever! Yet, I'm very careful in recommending this film to a large public. chances are that you'll be very disgusted by this movie or even loath it terrible. Therefore, I only recommend it if you're used to seeing quite an amount of weirdness already and you're not too quickly offended. -
Wuchakk4 May 2017Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers and Marcia McBroom star as an all-girl rock band, who move to Los Angeles to make it in the music biz. The group is so well-received that they turn the head of eccentric rock producer Z-Man (John Lazar) who becomes their Svengali-style manager and changes their name to The Carrie Nations, all to the consternation of their small-time manager, who's a Greg Brady lookalike (David Gurian). Can the girls survive the pitfalls that come with the debauched rock lifestyle?
Directed by Russ Meyer and scripted by none other than Roger Ebert, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (1970) satirizes the previous melodrama from three years prior. The movie telegraphs right out of the gate that it's a joke and not to be taken seriously like the first film (at least, like they TRIED to do with the first film). The cast is killer, highlighted by the three protagonists, especially the underrated Read.
Also worthy of note besides the key players cited above are Michael Blodgett, who's character takes an interest in the singer (Read); Phyllis Davis as her hip aunt; Edy Williams as an oversexed porn star; Erica Gavin who takes a dubious interest in Myers' character; Duncan McLeod as the aunt's sleazy & greedy financial adviser; Charles Napier as her former-beau; Henry Rowland as Z-Man's employee who (I guess) likes to dress-up as a Nazi; and Harrison Page & James Iglehart who vie for the attentions of the foxy drummer (McBroom).
The best thing about "Beyond" is that it's the absolute apogee of the late 60s (being shot in '69) and everything that went with it - the overindulgence in drugs, "free" sex, libertine parties, go-go dancing, rock and general debauchedness. There are several noteworthy women, with cutie Read the arguable frontrunner. Also, some of the tunes the band plays are actually catchy. All these factors make for a fun, entertaining flick, which explains how it quickly became a cult film.
Yet its quality is brought down by needless nudity and tame sex scenes that strapped it with a NC-17 rating, thus limiting its general appeal and access to the masses, which could've been easily avoided by wisely trimming down a few scenes. There's also too much fruity twaddle for my tastes and the "story" seems to be just one "wild party" after another, which gets redundant.
Still, "Beyond" is the undeniable pinnacle of late 60's flicks, even though it can't be taken seriously for a moment, which is actually fitting.
The film runs 1 hour, 49 minutes, and was shot in Los Angeles.
GRADE: B- -
This piece of awful tripe is not only the most cheap, tawdry, seedy and sordid mess I've ever had the misfortune to waste my time viewing, but it serves the added disgrace of discrediting, for me, every critique ever written by Roger Ebert. After seeing this mind numbing pile of trash, penned by him, how can anyone with any common sense, or even a modicum of good taste, consider his reviews remotely credible? I mean anyone responsible for writing such an unappealing and worthless script cannot possibly be qualified to pass judgment on other screenplays or on the filmed presentations of such. Furthermore, The actors, uniformly, suffer from the worst make-up and hairstyles of any movie I've seen and the costumes, as well as the production values weren't much better. The trite and overblown "message" at the end of the show literally made me shake my head in wonder. The bottom line is that this is the raspberry of all time, or the turkey of all turkeys...
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johnm_00117 October 2000Easily the best (and funniest) film about sex, drugs and rock and roll, ever made! Gorgeous women (Cynthia Myers is almost too incredible to believe), great tunes, time capsule worthy costumes, and break-neck editing, put this film in a class all its own. There has truly never been anything like it. Must be seen (in WIDESCREEN ONLY) to be believed. Wonderfully appropriate score by Stu Phillips. For what it is, the film's a masterwork. Recommended!
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Sho Nuff15 February 1999Roger Ebert and Russ Meyer are as compatible as orange juice and tooth paste, but they come out with one of the classics of camp in this movie. If you rent this movie expecting a celluloid masterpiece, you picked the wrong movie. The dialogue is funny when good, but painfully annoying when bad, especially the final narration. The plot is intricately woven, juicy and is as unbelievable as a soap opera. The acting is pure camp, with the exception of standouts.
The plot is so freaking long I'll simplify it by saying it's about three girls and a manager who venture off into L.A. in hopes of making it big. They fall into the cesspool that is showbusiness. All plots connect together at the end, which the cheesy narrator mentions anyways before the credits. I'd have to say the movie was good for what it was and the quotability was good (Watch for scenes sampled by various groups [Roni Size, Sublime, etc], and movies[Austin Powers]). Very funny, very shocking, something Roger Ebert sober would give a thumbs down. -
JasparLamarCrabb7 September 2012Yeah...it's atrocious, but immensely watchable. One sits there dumbfounded trying to determine what exactly Russ Meyer's intentions were. Was he really trying to butcher the memory of Jacqueline Susann's sleazy VALLEY OF THE DOLLS (which in itself was nerve-numbingly bad) or was the soft core king simply making another of his lame-brained un-erotic erotic epics, albeit one with a rather large budget. In any event, what's here is so goofy and so hyperactive that you can't help but enjoy it. The acting is lousy all around and the editing is done with a dull razor. When Meyer isn't using endless dissolves over endless montages, his camera appears to be on a broken dolly. The script is credited to Roger Ebert, which is even more perplexing as he's become so well known (rightly so) as such a wonderful writer. His script here is a square's version of a dirty movie. Marcia McBroom, Dolly Read, and Cynthia Myers play the leads...rock stars of the Josie & the Pussycats ilk. They're awful. The colorful supporting cast includes Michael Blodgett, Edy Williams, Erica Gavin, and Phyllis Davis.