Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Russ Meyer, U.S., 1970, 109 min.
Find streaming options on JustWatch
In 1970, 20th Century-Fox, impressed by the visual zing that “King of the Nudies” Russ Meyer had been bringing to bargain-basement exploitation fare, handed the director a studio budget and the title to one of its biggest hits, “Valley of the Dolls.” With a satirical screenplay by Roger Ebert, “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” follows three young female rockers going Hollywood, in hell-bent ’60s style, under the spell of a flamboyant producer — whose decadent bashes showcase Meyer’s trademark libidinal exuberance. Transgressive and outrageous, this big-studio version of a debaucherous midnight movie is an addictively entertaining romp from one of cinema’s great outsider artists.
Intro and discussion by Charles Taylor, author of “Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the American ’70s” and former film critic for Salon.
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Russ Meyer, U.S., 1970, 109 min.
Find streaming options on JustWatch
In 1970, 20th Century-Fox, impressed by the visual zing that “King of the Nudies” Russ Meyer had been bringing to bargain-basement exploitation fare, handed the director a studio budget and the title to one of its biggest hits, “Valley of the Dolls.” With a satirical screenplay by Roger Ebert, “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls” follows three young female rockers going Hollywood, in hell-bent ’60s style, under the spell of a flamboyant producer — whose decadent bashes showcase Meyer’s trademark libidinal exuberance. Transgressive and outrageous, this big-studio version of a debaucherous midnight movie is an addictively entertaining romp from one of cinema’s great outsider artists.
Intro and discussion by Charles Taylor, author of “Opening Wednesday at a Theater or Drive-In Near You: The Shadow Cinema of the American ’70s” and former film critic for Salon.