Beyond the Valley of the Dolls [Special Edition]

MOVIE DESCRIPTION:

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. ~ Mark Deming, Rovi

DVD FEATURES:

• Region: 1
• Number of Discs: 2
• Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1 (Cinemascope)
• Audio: Dolby Digital Stereo
• Screen: Letterbox for TV
• Features:
  • cc
  • Audio commentary by Roger Ebert, film critic and screenwriter of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
  • Audio commentary by cast members Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Harrison Page, John La Zar, and Erica Gavin
  • "Above, Beneath and Beyond the Valley: The Making of a Musical-Horror-Sex-Comedy"
  • "Look on up at the Bottom: The Music of Dolls"
  • "The Best of Beyond" featurette
  • "Sex, Drugs, Music & Murder: Signs of the Time, Baby!" featurette
  • "Casey & Roxanne: The Love Scene" featurette
  • Screen tests of the stars
  • Six photo galleries with more than 300 photos
  • And more

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:

• Cast:

  
       Dolly Read - Kelly MacNamara
       Cynthia Myers - Casey Anderson
       Marcia McBroom - Petronella Danforth
       John La Zar - Ronnie "Z-Man" Barzell
       Michael Blodgett - Lance Rocke
       David Gurian - Harris Allsworth
       Edy Williams - Ashley St. Ives
       Erica Gavin - Roxanne
       Phyllis Davis - Susan Lake
       Harrison Page - Emerson Thorne
       Duncan McLeod - Porter Hall
       Charles Napier - Baxter Wolfe
       Henry Rowland - Otto
       Ashley Phillips - Fashion Model

• Director:

  Russ Meyer

• Producer:

  Russ Meyer

• Screenwriter:

  Russ Meyer, Roger Ebert

• Cinematographer:

  Fred Koenekamp

• Composer (Music Score):

  Stu Phillips

• Featured Music:

  Paul Dukas

• Editor:

  Dann Cahn, Dick Wormell

• Production Designer:

  Jack Martin Smith

• Art Director:

  Arthur Lonergan, Jack Martin Smith

• Set Designer:

  Stuart A. Reiss

• Sound/Sound Designer:

  Richard Overton

• First Assistant Director:

  David Hall

REVIEW:

• 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. ~ Robert Firsching, Rovi