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35 of 37 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
"Come into my den," said the spider, et cetera, December 12, 1999
"Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is perhaps the best movie ever made. Unlike other campy movies, there are virtually no lulls -- each scene is packed with brilliant one-liners, ludicrious characters (portrayed by equally crazy actors), fun music, and tons of hairspray. While Roger Ebert has claimed that the movie was intended to be satirical and hillarious, its dated-ness adds to the effect, inadvertently creating the funniest and most watchable movie of the entire Russ Meyer catalouge (though other gems of Meyer's include "Supervixens," "Vixen," "Up," and the delightful, "Fater Pussycat! Kill! Kill!"). Dolly Reed's often failed attempt at an American accent only adds to the fun. The reason "BVD" isn't more widley loved: it takes a person with certain sense of humor to enjoy the high level of camp this film offers. If you enjoy being tricked into thinking that a legitimately excellent film is really so bad that it's good, indulge yourself in the debauchery.
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39 of 44 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
IT'S EXTREME! OUTRAGEOUS!! Of Course, It's Russ Meyer!!!, December 6, 2001
"Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" is released in Japan as "Wild Party," and the latter title might have told you everthing you see in it; and the director is Russ Meyer, famous for his movies like "Faster Pussycat, Kill!, Kill!" and "Vixen"..... Oh, if you haven't seen them, you can guess the contents, I'm sure. Actually, "Beyond," which major studio 20th Century Fox asked Meyer to direct, is less outrageous, considering the track record this cult director had made, and was going to make. But still, for ordinary people, it is a shocking experience to see almost every genre is mixed in it: love story (too corny one), a sucess story (of Josie and the Pussycats-like rock band, I mean it), and even a gory horror movie (with the sound of 20th Century Fox's trademark fanfare, and Richard Wagner's classic you have heard in Coppola's very famous film!). And within less than 2 hours!! However, remember, those were the days. Don't take anything too seriously. Besides, the soundtrack is great and if you like those songs of 1960s, you will love it. My favorite is "Candy Man," an Animals-type song, and believe it or not, in Japan they released a single cut from the soundtrack with the credit of Carrie Nations, the fictional band Dolly Read and others play in "Beyond." Oh, I almost forgot to say, you have a glimpse of "Strawberry Alarm Clock," psychedelic rock band that got the No.1 of the Billboard Chart with their "Incense and Peppermint," which you heard in "Austin Powers." They play it here, but sorry, it's lip-sync. And look for Pam Grier (credited as Pamela Grier), of "Jackie Brown." Enjoy the extremism of filmmaking, I dare you. (Technical thing: as the original film was shot in cinemascope, and Russ Meyer uses the screen wide, some scenes lose the impact on TV's small screen. Still, there is unmistakeably Russ Meyer's touch here and there in the movie. Don't miss it.)
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16 of 16 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Look on up at the bottom, June 28, 2006
A recent review in a paper compared "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (BVD) to "Josie and the Pussycats", and I was happy to see that somebody else thought so too. BVD plays like Hanna Barbera on acid, a naughty, R-rated version of that "Josie"; despite the sex and nudity, the story of the all-girl rock band (driving around in their psychedelic Scooby van) thwarts the cartoonish villain is pure Saturday morning storytelling. The main tale, however, is just one of the many joys to be found on this DVD, which along with the simultaneous release of "Valley of the Dolls" on DVD makes for the grooviest release of the year.
This sequel-in-name-only to "Valley" remains one of the strangest and most colorful products from the psychedelic era. It's fun to laugh at the bad acting, the eyes that never blink, the hip catchphrases but I also admired the cinematography (looking as great as ever on DVD), and the wild, catchy songs that distinguishes BVD as having one of the best rock soundtracks ever. (Sorry Barbra, 1976's "A Star is Born" soundtrack will never have that honor.)
This DVD has so many extras it freaks me out. One of the best features is the cast interviews; this has to be one of the best aging casts ever. Marcia McBroom (Pet) and Cynthia Myers (Casey) look great, and Dolly Read (Kelly) looks fantastic. I'm so glad they were also willing to do one of the commentaries; the other commentary is done by the writer of the screenplay, the great Roger Ebert. Sadly, David Gurian (Harris), he of the blue eyes, did not participate in any of the features but John LaZar, Z-Man himself!, is on hand, making this a sweet deal.
Great fun, and remember, as the tagline says, "This is not a sequel, this is unlike anything you've ever seen." A+
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