United States 1967 / United States 1970
Reviewed By-Kit Gavin Directed by Mark Robson (VOTD) / Russ Meyer (BTVOTD) VOTD: Starring Barbara Parkins, Patty Duke, Susan Haywood and Sharon Tate BTVOTD: Starring Donna Reed, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom and John LaZar Region 2 PAL Released through: 20th Century Fox [United Kingdom] 2 disc set
Valley of the Dolls.
The film, Valley of the Dolls is based on the cult trash novel by Jacqueline Susan, one of the biggest and best selling works of fiction ever. The film, which follows the novel quite closely is the tale of three women and the sleazy cutthroat world of Hollywood in the mid 1960’s which they find themselves catapulted into, in their attempt to find fame and fortune. The story starts with Anne Wells [Parkins], a healthy attractive all American girl leaving her mother and her beau on the platform of "small town", New England, for the big bad city of New York, to find fame and fortune. When she arrives in the city however she discover that life is tougher, and that the reality of finding fame is harsh, she finds work in the employ as a secretary of an entertainment lawyer, Lyon Burke. She starts to mix with famous people and encounters up and coming starlets, including a spunky young understudy [Duke] called Neely O Hara, working on Broadway, and who is understudying for an older and celebrated actress. She is asked if she will take the place of a model who fails to turn up for a shoot one day, and realising how attractive Anne is, she is launched as a model and into the limelight. Likewise, Neely has considerable looks and moreso talent and this is not appreciated by the actress whom she is understudying for, and she is removed from the show. Neely however has a great singing voice, despite her occasional throwing of tantrums like a spoilt brat and this soon enough brings her a reputation for her ability.
The final part of the trio comes in the shapely form of Jennifer North [Tate], a beautiful actress with a splendid figure and an attractive face. Despite her genuine ability to act and wish to learn her craft, she is only seen for her physical assets rather than her talent as an actress. However Jennifer has low self opinion and self worth, and this is bolstered by her bitchy mother who continually puts her attractive daughter down when she telephones home, despite her endeavours to do the right thing for herself and her mother back home. The three women, each with hopes dreams and aspirations for a career form a strong three way friendship. However enter into their lives the double meaning of the "Dolls" of the title, the "Dolls" not just being the attractive three female leads but also being strong narcotics, downers, which each of the three women start to take in order to cope with the harsh blows that their lives take.
Neely’s singing career really starts to take off before, becoming ever dependant on drugs and alcohol, and throwing ever more temper tantrums, ends up in a sanatorium for her compulsive behaviour. Poor beautiful Jennifer, finds her still young marriage shattered by her husband developing a mental illness, is forced into making softcore pornographic movies in France in order to pay his medical bills. Then, one day, she discovers a lump on her breast and has to have a mastectomy. Realising her career is over as an actress. This is followed by her mother chastising her daughter for the softcore fluff she has had to act in when Jennifer calls her as a cry for help, and this leads to Jennifer taking her own life. Anne having been launched as the face and model for a popular range of make-up and cosmetics, finds that this path leads to it’s own complications and drug problems for her. She finds her likeness everywhere from television to being the cover girl for magazines. Further problems arise in that both Neely and Anne are making a play for Lyon Burke.
Each of the lives told herein for each of the three friends attempts at finding fame, then their eventual decent into the darkness and destructive process caused through drug addiction combined with the fame machine, is multi-layered, with sub plots scattered throughout showing the harsh reality and the peeling away of the glossy veneer of stardom exposing the gradual destruction and trampling of the attractive young women’s spirits through exploitation, drug and alcohol abuse, and excessive living, all in the vain attempt by each one to somehow find their own pot of gold at the end of the rainbow in the form of appreciation and fame.
Although the plot sounds pulpy and soap operatic, there is a disturbing underlying trashy sleazy element to the film backed up by superb and sympathetic performances by Parkins, Duke, and the tragic ill-fated Tate, which spares it from being forgettable garbage; as much as good production values and polished direction by Canadian Mark Robson, who had previously directed Von Ryan’s Express and would go on to direct the all star cast disaster movie Earthquake a few years afterward. Valley of the Dolls was one of the first films which the young Sharon Tate had to carry as one of the leads, and here she shows true promise, playing the beautiful doe eyed blonde starlet with enough sympathy, innocence and vulnerability which showed true promise. Sadly Tate’s career was brutally cut short by her brutal, and unnecessary slaying, two years after the film was released, by the notorious Manson Family; before Tate had the ability to show the promise and the talent which was apparent in this picture. From the outset we realise that her character is doomed to be exploited by the fame makers who only look at her for her shapely body, not her looks nor ability.
Patty Duke also is splendid as Neely and through the film we see how her character changes from under-appreciated but genuinely talented understudy to her collapse into drug abuse and alcohol bearing able to keep her emotions under control. Duke sings her own songs and delivers them with strength and passion, given her young age when the film was made. Parkins too, as the wholesome fresh faced country girl filled with hopes and dreams before unexpectedly thrust into the limelight proves herself to be more than competent at performing. Each of the three lead performances could have been overplayed or hammy, yet fortunately this never happens. Equally the trio are well supported by good supporting players, such as Paul Burke as slime ball Lyon Burke. Even the author of the novel, Susann, turns up in a brief cameo, as a reporter.
Admittedly some of the situations are completely contrived, the dialogue erring between trite, ludicrous or unintentionally fanny, the whole thing works really well as an exercise in kitsch and high camp, as opposed to the serious drama it was probably intended to be viewed as. At times the viewer will find themselves shaking their head in staggered disbelief at the amount in which they are required to suspend their disbelief. This concept may well work in the case of horror and fantasy pictures, but not in a tale of the rise and fall through the star machine of three young wannabes. Duke’s lightning fast catapult into the world of fame, having warbled her way through a couple of numbers finds herself living the highlife in Hollywood before plunging into drugs. Parkins, attractive yes, but a face to launch a thousand magazine covers and set light to television screens. Hmmmm. Only Tate seems to have any air of reality in her rise and fall. The fated Jennifer North character is the most developed of the three, yet, to be honest, that isn’t saying much for the three tawdry lives of the three young women. Though you can sympathise, laugh and if you like cry at the plight of the trio, the characters are much like the world they want to be a part of . Scratch beneath the gloss and ultimately there is nothing hugely of any substance in this period piece from the sixties, made just prior to Flower Power and Free Love. Yet, surprisingly, none of this matters, the film holds together as solid, albeit somewhat numbskull entertainment with only the most serious po-faced of viewers unable to savour and lap up the enjoyment of this glossy silly tale. No doubt however, with it’s kitsch appeal, is a wonderful little time capsule for the 1960’s locked into just shy of two hours worth of film. The delivery of the dialogue is played so seriously, and not for laughs, that it cannot be seen without squirming at the unintentional humour, as much as at the somewhat naively written script, character and plot development.
Sadly lacking on both this disc and the accompanying BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS disc, there are no extras whatsoever to be found, not even a trailer which is the major disappointment in this not too dbadly priced double disc set. The film, now over 35 years old looks really supurb in this release from 20th Century Fox, and I suspect that the print has been taken from the original elements. There are at times moments of mild artifacting here and there, but nothing too trastic, as colours are deep and rich throughout with flesh tomes looking natural, the picture is clean throughout and blacks are deep and dark. The transfer is, to my eyes perfectly done by Fox, and is presented in the correct aspect ratio of 2:35:1. The film was originally released in Mono and Fox have presented the film in Dolby Digital Stereo, which is preferable to be honest – and as the film is mostly a talky affair (despite some songs by Patty duke and the catchy, trashy theme song), so there would be no need to employ 5:1 surround sound when watching the film. Audio options come in English, as well as in French, Spanish and Italian options, together with subtitles in the same respective languages – although the subtitles given are translations of the English language track, not the given dialogue in the respective language.
Despite it’s theatrical release (and re-release in the wake of the death of Sharon Tate), VALLEY OF THE DOLLS has always proved staggeringly difficult to get hold of, on home video or otherwise, and has generally been relegated to late night screenings on television. Prior to the acquisition of this double bill on DVD, the only time which I had seen (and enjoyed) the film had been when it was broadcast after midnight some 14 years ago on British television. The film is without doubt a true guilty pleasure, and some may find it too long winded or dated, however if you feel like a throwback to the sixties and some fairly mindless entertainment to wash over you for a couple of hours, which actually improves, but is no more memorable with repeated viewings, well, Valley of the Dolls comes well and truly recommended.
Audio: 3.5 BITCH SLAPS Video: 4 BITCH SLAPS Extras: 0 BITCH SLAPS Story: 3.5 BITCH SLAPS Overall: 3.5 BITCH SLAPS
BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS
Before even the film starts, the titles open with the disclaimer that the film is nothing like the aforementioned VALLEY OF THE DOLLS and it is no way intended to be seen as a true sequel to the above. The opening credits even brazenly declare the fact: "It des, like Valley of the Dolls" deal with the oft-times nightmare world of Show Business but in a different time and context." True enough, the film treads the same boards, being the tale of three attractive young women who hope to make their way to fame and fortune, which ultimately leads to excess.
However this time under the direction of the late great Russ Meyer we follow the escapades of three very attractive hip sixties chicks – singer and guitarist Kelly [Reed], guitarist Casey [ex Playboy Playmate of the Year Myers] and drummer Pet, short for Petronella [McBroom], the three members of a rock band, called The Kelly Affair (later re-named The Carrie-Nations), and they, together with their manager (and Kelly’s boyfriend) Harris Allsworth, head out west to Los Angeles on a whim, having been playing their own brand of rock at a high school prom. On the road to seek fame and hoping to hit the big time. Upon arrival in town, Kelly happens upon her hip aunt Susan, and given a third of an inheritance from her dead mother which she was totally unaware of, and is introduced by her mini-skirted free-loving relation to the swinging set. The girls soon start to discover that L.A. is a wild town, full of sex, drugs, rock and roll, with wild parties populated by bizarre characters, and there is booze to be drunk and pills to be popped (previously having been satisfying with the occasional drag on a joint.) Shortly after they arrive in Los Angeles they take the town by storm and hit the big time super fast. At a party they are approached by one of B-movies most famous and eccentric personalities, that of the effeminate Ronnie Barzell [LaZar], nicknamed Z-man, who dressed in funky 60’s threads and full on side burns, who quotes Shakespeare as well as some of the wildest wackiest dialogue ever confined to celluloid. Such lyrical lines such as "The golden hair, the bedroom eyes, the firm young body. All are available for a price... " and "You will drink the black sperm of my vengeance!". However, for the girls, in their personal lives, things start to take a turn and a change.
Manager Harris, and Kelly split up, and Harris hooks up with a porno actress, Ashley St Ives [one time Mrs. Russ Meyer Edy Williams]. Ashley criticises Harris as being "a lousy lay" and whilst heavily drunk he gets one of the other band members, Casey, pregnant with his child. All three girls hook up in new relationships, including the straight laced Casey getting involved and falling in love with another woman, a dress designer called Roxanne. Along the way however things do start to go wrong, and Harris makes a failed attempt to take his own life, whilst on national television, only to wake up paralysed and ending up in a wheelchair. Kelly, the lead singer, gets involved with the sleazy Lance, who to all appearances is nothing more than a pimp and gold digger. Pet puts herself around, sleeping around getting involved with unsavoury character of a violent, vindictive and jealous famous boxer and a lawyer, leading to a violent conclusion. The film ends with Roxanne, Casey and Lance being invited to a wild party, hosted by Z-Man, culminating in a violent spate of carnage and killings.
As much as VALLEY OF THE DOLLS is a time capsule to the mid to late 60’s, pre- flower power and psychedelia, BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS is a wild, out of control heady trip back to the late 60’s, coupled with a luscious top heavy female cast, which for those unaware (is there anyone?) was Russ Meyer’s fetish for casting enormous breasted women in his films. No doubt this great sleazy, cheesy, wacky, wild, madcap flick is full of everything and more, and not a second is wasted in this non stop carousel of entertainment. Where the former film attempted to be serious and sentimentalist, Meyers film and script is satire and mean spirited at the same time. The script and situations which the characters find themselves is so entrenched in the subculture of the time, with dated jargon and sayings from the beatnik era (adding to it’s charm), that a modern viewer might be tempted to feel the movie is a more pastiche. Much of the same sort of dialogue and mood turns up in the wildly successful Austin Powers movies, and it is clear as daylight to see that this films ambience was an important influence on those films.
Without doubt BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS is bright, brash, in your face and garish. The costumes, the sets and lighting and the high gloss production values as much as the erratic editing and the camerawork are all masterful here, and once again Fox have created a very nice transfer unto the shiny format. This is without mentioning the great songs which the band belt out from time to time to time and are hugely entertaining and catchy and add yet more to the gloss of the film with numbers such as "Find It!" and "Sweet Talking Candyman". The happening mood and feel of the film are perfectly conveyed in the superb transfer. Again there is an occasional touch of artifacting but nothing obvious and apparent and will certainly not detract from the enjoyment of this, not unsurprisingly hugely cult movie.
Once again, Fox have put together an attractive release of the film, however on the down side, once again, Fox have chosen to release the title without any extras, other than a choice of languages and subtitles in which to watch the film, which is the only major downside of a great double disc set to own. However, given the price package for two camp classics (in very different ways) from the 1960’s, in a great double bill and for an affordable price on two separate DVD’s in nice packaging, some of Fox’s misgivings about not giving the films any sort of extras can be slightly forgiven. Even a trailer would have been nice though, especially given as Fox have presented the films so brightly and crisply wwith Dolby soundtracks. Perhaps it is best put down as a missed opportunity, but without a release of the first film on Stateside DVD, and with a still forthcoming release of BEYOND THE VALLEY from Criterion, hopefully with a commentary by cast members, all still alive and expressing an interest in participation in, at the very least, an audio commentary.
With Russ Meyer’s passing in September 2004, he left behind a large fan base who loved and relished his hugely personal extravanzas into pulchritude, large bosoms, erratic editing and wild wild cinema. For those uninitiated into Russ Meyer’s universe, BEYONG THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS is a perfect place to start, having been written, directed and produced by Meyer, having been commissioned by Fox and turning in this film which was a tearaway success at the US box office in 1970. This film is NOT for everyone, and many mainstream viewers are more than likely are bound to be offended by all the excessive wallowing in drug abuse, lesbianism, Nazis, violence, and more. The film will most likely (myself included) be appreciated by those who enjoy bad cinema. The three leads are suitably winning in their performances as the hip 60’s chicks, and are supported by players who would turn up in other Meyer films (such as Edy Williams, Erica Gavin, Charles Napier, and Haji). Even soon to be blaxploitation star Pam Grier turns up in a small role as one of the partygoers, in this her first cinematic feature. The film is intended to be mean and exploitative, and from time to time it has fallen into the lap of a reviewer who simply does not understand nor realise the satirical elements behind the film and takes it far too seriously, and has dismissed the film as either pornographic (which it certainly isn’t) or crap. Meyer is at times clearly setting out to shock the audience, combining a wild party atmosphere with some scenes which are bound to offend. A scene such as Casey going for an abortion after her impregnation by Harris, is intermixed with scenes of an egg being scrambled (!) If the film is taken too seriously it really is quite dark and bleak as a tale, but taken as tongue in cheek exercise in satire and camp farce which without doubt it was intended to be played and seen and enjoyed as, having been penned by Meyer and film critic Roger Ebert (of the famous Siskel and Ebert).
As a footnote, in times previous the film had been available both to cinemas and on domestic release in a cut version (just shy of a minute) which removed a woman’s breasts being briefly caressed by a revolver, and some suggestive sucking of the pistol and some of the bloodbath at the end of the film. The film however was shown on UK terrestrial and satellite television in it’s complete and uncut version. These days, and with this new release, fortunately, in this more liberated age with the UK’s BBFC under a less puritanical president of the board of censors, and a more lenient and slightly more respectful of adults freedom to watch what they wish (although heavy censorship still is known to occur from time to time), the title has finally been passed in it’s fully uncut excessive glory with all previous cuts waived.
Audio: 3.5 BITCH SLAPS Video: 4 BITCH SLAPS Extras: 0 BITCH SLAPS Story: 4 BITCH SLAPS Overall: 3.5 BITCH SLAPS Discuss this DVD and films in our forum.
