Beyond the Valley of the Dolls [Criterion Collection] [Blu-ray]

Director: Russ Meyer Russ Meyer

Overview

"After nearly a decade as one of America's most successful independent filmmakers, legendary sexploitation auteur Russ Meyer first reached out for the brass ring of major studio success with this frantic cult favorite, once described by Meyer and screenwriter Roger Ebert as ""the first exploitation-horror-camp-musical."" Kelly McNamara (Dolly Read), Casey Anderson (Cynthia Myers), and Petronella Danforth (Marcia McBroom) are the three members of an all-girl rock band called ""the Kelly Affair"" who pull up stakes for Hollywood in search of stardom; they're accompanied by their manager, Harris Allsworth (David Gurian), who also happens to be Kelly's boyfriend. Kelly has an aunt in Hollywood, fashion mogul Susan Lake (Phyllis Davis), who takes Kelly under her wing and informs her she's entitled to a share of a recent family inheritance, much to the chagrin of Susan's lawyer, the shifty Porter Hall (Duncan McLeod). Susan arranges for Kelly and her bandmates to attend a wild party thrown by Ronnie ""Z-Man"" Barzell (John La Zar), a flamboyant and very successful record producer; Z-Man renames the band ""the Carrie Nations,"" signs them to a record deal, and they're one of the biggest acts in America practically overnight. However, Harris is pushed out of the picture as the band's manager by Z-Man, and as Kelly's boyfriend by actor and gigolo Lance Rocke (Michael Blodgett), sending Harris into a deep depression even after he becomes the new boy-toy of adult film star Ashley St. Ives (Edy Williams). Meanwhile, Petronella finds love with law student Emerson Thorne (Harrison Page) until her head is turned by heavyweight boxing champion Randy Black (Jim Iglehart), and Casey explores her sexual boundaries with Roxanne (Erica Gavin), a beautiful lesbian designer. This nonstop train of decadence, drugs, and betrayal finally comes off the rails during a drug-fueled orgy at Z-Man's mansion, which erupts into violence when the rock mogul's darkest secret is revealed. Featuring one-hit wonders the Strawberry Alarm Clock, supporting performances by Meyer regulars Charles Napier and Haji, and a bit part from future blaxploitation icon Pam Grier, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls proved to be Meyer's biggest box-office success, though after his next film (The Seven Minutes) bombed at the box office, he returned to independent production in 1973."

Product Details

Release Date:	09/27/2016
UPC:	0715515186612
Original Release:	1970
Rating:	NC-17
Source:	Criterion Collection
Region Code:	A
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital Mono]
Language:	English
Time:	1:49:00
Sales rank:	8,501

Special Features

Audio commentary from 2003 featuring screenwriter Roger Ebert; Audio commentary from 2006 featuring actors Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Harrison Page, John LaZar, and Erica Gavin; New Interview with filmmaker John Waters; Episode from 1988 of The Incredibly Strange Film Show on director Russ Meyer; Q&A about the film from 1992 featuring Meyer, Ebert, LaZar, and Read; and actor David Gurian, Charles Napier, Michael Blodgett, and Edy Williams, with host Michael Dare; Interview with cast members from 2005; Above, Beneath, & Beyond the Valley; Look On Up at the Bottom; The Best of "Beyond"; Sex Drugs Music & Murder; and Casey & Roxanne, five documentaries from 2006 about the making of the film, featuring the cast and crew; Screen tests; Trailers

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Dolly Read	Kelly
Cynthia Myers	Casey
Marcia McBroom	Petronella,Photographer,Photographer
John LaZar	Ronnie
Michael Blodgett	Lance
David Gurian	Harris
Edy Williams	Ashley
Erica Gavin	Roxanne
Phyllis Davis	Susan Lake
Harrison Page	Emerson Thorne
Duncan McLeod	Porter Hall
James Inglehart	Randy Black
Charles Napier	Baxter Wolfe
Henry Rowland	Otto
Princess Livingston	Matron
Stan Ross	Disciple
Lavelle Roby	Vanessa
Angel Ray	Girl in Tub
Veronica Erickson	Blonde Date
Haji	Cat Woman
Karen Smith	Redhead
Sebastian Brook	Art Director
Ian Sander	Boy in Tub
Koko Tani	Assistant
Samantha Scott	Cynthia
Tea Crawford	Kathy Page
Heath Jobes	Makeup Man
John Logan	Escort
Susan Reed	First Fashion Model
Robin Bach	Gay Boy
Ceil Cabot	Mother
Mary Carroll	Middle-Aged Woman
Joseph Cellini	Man in Flowered Pants
Jackie Cole	First Woman
Cissy Colpitts	Second Woman
Frank Corsentino	Hippie Boy
Mibb Curry	White-Haired Gentleman
Coleman Francis	Rotund Drunk
Charles Fox	Earnest Man
Pam Grier	Fourth Woman
T.J. Halligan	Science Teacher
Rick Holmes	Man with Glasses
Marshall Kent	Dr. Downs
Michael Kriss	Young Actor
Tim Laurie	Second Gay Man
Bebe Louie	Hippie Girl
Lillian Martin	Nurse
Ashley Phillips	Second Fashion Model,Composer
'Big Jack' Provan	Father
Joyce Rees	Marion Harrisburg
Chris Riordan	Second Gay Boy
Bert Santos	Taxi Driver
George Stratton	Third Gay Man
Jim Iglehart	Randy Black

Technical Credits

Russ Meyer

Roger Ebert

Russ Meyer	Director,Producer,Screenwriter
Roger Ebert	Screenwriter
Jack Harmon	Special Effects
Richard Overton	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

Legendary cult filmmaker Russ Meyer's outrageous major-studio debut was this delightfully tasteless spoof of all those movies about aspiring ingenues hoping to break into showbiz and discovering the sad price of fame. In this case, the all-girl "Carrie Nations" rock band (Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom) gets more than they bargained for as they inadvertently cause a suicide and end up in a Manson-like massacre at the home of a transvestite record producer (John La Zar). The usual amply proportioned Meyer starlets are on hand, including Edy Williams, Erica Gavin, and Haji, along with a young Pam Grier and a performance by the Strawberry Alarm Clock. The story moves fast, the songs are memorable, and the screenplay by Meyer and film critic Roger Ebert is funny and knowing. Some may question Ebert's later crusade opposing violence toward women when they see one of the female cast members salaciously sucking a gun barrel before being shot, but it should be remembered that in this sort of movie, shock value is everything. Don't take it too seriously and you may just end up loving it.