Beyond the Valley of the Dolls; Valley of the Dolls

“You've got to climb Mt. Everest to reach the valley of the dolls.” Jacqueline Susann's soapy mega-bestseller hit the big screen in 1967 and has been a perennial cult favorite ever since (not least among gays, who delight in such politically-incorrect gems as Sharon Tate's character's deadpan observation, “you know how bitchy fags can be”). A semi roman à clef, Valley of the Dolls promises to be an insider's glimpse into the evils of showbiz, tracing the interconnected careers of three women—Susann alter ego/model Anne Welles (Barbara Parkins), ambitious singer Neely O'Hara (a deliciously over-the-top Patty Duke), and aspiring actress Jennifer North (Tate)—but aside from the still-haunting Dionne Warwick theme song, Mark Robson's film is pure camp, as the gals struggle with drug and alcohol addiction, checkered love lives, and personal tragedies. Presented in a gorgeous widescreen anamorphic transfer, the new “special edition” of Valley of the Dolls boasts an excellent set of extras, beginning with an audio commentary by Parkins and E!'s Ted Casablanca (which is the character name of Neely's second husband in the film). Also on tap are the superb 48-minute retrospective documentary “Gotta Get Off This Merry-Go-Round: Sex, Dolls and Showtunes” (featuring Casablanca, the Village Voice's Michael Musto, and film critic/author Alonso Duralde, who all serve up hilariously catty remarks), a profile of “The Divine Miss Susann” (who was one of the smartest book marketers ever), a Backstory episode on the film (Judy Garland was originally cast as the character of Neely, but was fired—and she took the gowns with her), a follow the bouncing doll karaoke version of three songs (including the deliciously awful Susan Hayward number “I'll Plant My Own Tree”), and more. A one-of-a-kind showcase for bad dialogue, bad songs (theme song excluded), and decidedly bad hair, this is highly recommended. At one point in Valley of the Dolls, a strung-out Neely walks past a string of San Francisco strip clubs and exclaims “Boobies, boobies, boobies, nothin' but boobies.” Boobies, Boobies, Boobies would have been a perfect (and more accurate) title for the sequel-in-name-only Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, helmed by double-D booby fetishist/sexploitation filmmaker Russ Meyers, shooting from a script penned by none other than Pulitzer Prize-winning film critic Roger Ebert. A “musical-horror-sex-comedy,” Beyond the Valley of the Dolls ostensibly follows the Carrie Nations, a three-girl rock band (with big bosoms, natch) who travel to Hollywood and hook up with a wacked-out music promoter named Ronnie “Z-Man” Barzell (a character inspired by Phil Spector) who seems to be throwing one long wild party full of sex, drugs, and rock ‘n' roll, and is given to spouting lines such as “this is my happening and it freaks me out!” and the equally famous “drink the black sperm of my vengeance!” The NC-17 rating is actually more for the violence (a rather tasteless killing spree—given the then-recent Manson murders—at the end of the film) than for the acres of flesh (mostly female) on display and frenetic simulated couplings (preceded by such wonderful lines of foreplay as “you're a groovy boy; I'd like to strap you on sometime.”). Like the first film, this parody is presented in a sparkling anamorphic widescreen transfer and loaded with solid extras, including two audio commentaries (one by Ebert, the other by cast members), a fine half-hour retrospective “making-of” documentary (featuring film critics Ebert, Newsweek's David Ansen, and The Onion's Nathan Rabin), and “The Best of Beyond” (highlighting the best lines, breasts, as well as best kiss and best death). Watched together, Valley of the Dolls and Beyond the Valley of the Dolls make for an entertaining double bill. Recommended. (R. Pitman)[Blu-ray/DVD Review—Sept. 20, 2016—Criterion, 109 min., NC-17, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1970's Beyond the Valley of the Dolls features a great transfer and an uncompressed monaural soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include two audio commentaries (one by screenwriter Roger Ebert; the other by costars Erica Gavin, John LaZar, Cynthia Myers, Harrison Page, and Dolly Read), a 1992 cast and crew Q&A (50 min.), a 1988 episode of The Incredibly Strange Film Show with Jonathan Ross on director Russ Meyer (38 min.), the behind-the-scenes featurettes “Above, Beneath, & Beyond the Valley” (30 min.), “Beyond the Beyond” with filmmaker John Waters (30 min.), “The Best of Beyond” (13 min.), “Look On Up at the Bottom” (11 min.), and “Sex Drugs Music & Murder” (8 min.), screen tests (8 min.), a “Memories of Russ” director tribute (8 min.), “Casey & Roxanne: The Love Scene” (4 min.), trailers, and a booklet featuring an essay by film critic Glenn Kenny. Bottom line: this fun cult film sparkles on Blu-ray.][Blu-ray/DVD Review—Oct. 4, 2016—Criterion, 123 min., PG-13, DVD: $29.95, Blu-ray: $39.95—Making its latest appearance on DVD and debut on Blu-ray, 1967's Valley of the Dolls features a great transfer and an 3.0 LCR DTS-HD soundtrack on the Blu-ray release. Extras include audio commentary from 2006 by costar Barbara Parkins and journalist Ted Casablanca, an archival program on author Jacqueline Susann (51 min.), “A World Premiere Voyage” archival promo (49 min.), screen tests (29 min.), a “Hollywood Backstories” behind-the-scenes featurette (26 min.), an interview with writer Amy Fine Collins on Susann (22 min.), radio spots (20 min.), a “Doll Parts” visual essay by critic Kim Morgan (18 min.), a “Sparkle Patty Sparkle!” 2009 gala tribute to costar Patty Duke (17 min.), and a costume segment featuring Collins (8 min.), as well as trailers, TV spots, and a booklet with an essay by film critic Glenn Kenny. Bottom line: a fine edition of this singular soap opera classic.]