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You either love Russ Meyer's garishly sexist movies about bodacious babes and priapic men or you find them utterly disgusting. The response to his work is that clear-cut. This film, which features a screenplay by critic Roger Ebert, barely qualifies as a sequel to the film based on Jacqueline Susann's trashy bestseller. Rather, it's a broad, trashy remake on its own terms about what happens to a trio of female rock musicians when they leave the Midwest and head for Hollywood. Sex, drugs, murder--the only thing it doesn't have is cannibalism, the gold standard when it comes to trashy entertainment. --Marshall Fine ... Read more

Reviews (55)

IT'S EXTREME! OUTRAGEOUS!! Of Course, It's Russ Meyer!!!
"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.)

Cult classic on decadent LA lifestyle and human nature
No, this isn't a sequel to the horrid movie adapatation of Jacqueline Susann's Valley Of The Dolls. While an in-name-only sequel, it's actually different and better as a result. No Sharon Tate giving a wooden performance, no Patty Duke overracting at the very end,... this is an interesting cult classic. Originally given an X, the revised NC-17 rating is due to the many sex scenes, including a few lesbian scenes. It's tame by today's standards, but still has some bite.

So enter the story of the Kelly Affair, Kelly on lead vocals and guitar, Casey on bass, Pet on drums, and Harris their manager and Kelly's boyfriend, playing 60's hippy rock. They go to LA hoping for a break, hopefully with help from Kelly's aunt, Susan Lake, a big name in fashion advertising, who turns out to be a truly nice person, perhaps too nice. Their break comes from Ronnie Barzell, aka "Z-Man," music promoter and host of lavish parties where all the swingers and wild people come together- This is my happening and I 'm freaking out!E Barzell speaks in a dramatic Shakespearean patter: "Observe yon quiet corner. In an island of tranquility in this sea of revelry, languid Roxanne finds that pinch of feminine spice with which she often plays in her interlude." or "Beware, fair maiden, of Emerson Thorne, under that friendly mask, inside that innocent shell, lies fermenting the unholy seed of desire." Roxanne is a fashion designer and Thorne is Z-man's busboy by night, but an aspiring law student by day. And Kelly is stunned to see so many couples making out liberally in bed or in the pool.

One thing for sure--changing the group's name from The Kelly Affair to The Carrie Nations was a good move on Z-Man's part and thanks to him, they become stars, but Harris gradually feels left out, driving him into the arms of Ashley St. Ives, a seductive, sexually insatiable blonde with a predatory smile, a "priestess of carnality" (porn star) who has a penchant for having sex other than in bed. As for the others, Pat and Emerson become a couple, as do Kelly and Lance Rock, a smug-looking pretty boy with "golden hair, bedroom eyes, the firm young body, these are the tools which he plies his trade." Casey too finds someone. Guess who, though?

However, not all is sunny in this paradise. Porter Hall, Susan's slimy stuff-shirted lawyer, does not like Kelly or any part of the scene and enjoys putting people down. Indeed, a montage of scenes and a variety of voices describes the many faces of LA: noisy, classy, smog, lousy traffic, cold and cruel, cultured, phony city, ... it's all these things. When things start to go wrong, Kelly finally realizes something: "You're racing through life full steam ahead, not giving a damn, and something happens to make you stop short, and you realize it's people that count."

As for the music done by the trio, it's 60's rock early on, such as "Find It" and "Come With The Gentle People," sung during their trip via Interstate 40, but the vocals seem to have been done by black artists. Kelly's speaking voice simply doesn't match. And The Strawberry Alarm Clock perform "Incense And Peppermints," "A Girl From The City", and "I'm Going Home" at Z-Man's party.

Dolly Read (Kelly) resembles Rene Bond, the cute cheeks and smile. Erika Gavin (Roxanne) has also appeared in Erika's Hot Summer and also in Jonathan Demme's Caged Heat. Cynthia Myers (Casey) is simply stunning, resembling a warmer hippy version of Sophia Loren with long brown hair. John LaZar really scores as Z-Man, flashy with clothes, words, and lifestyle, but so does Phyllis Davis as the blindly kind Susan.

The decadent, groovy 60's lifestyle and clothes ("Q-U-A-N-T in London"), lingo ("groovy, man!, "you dig?", don' t bogart the jointE are still evident in this era long gone. Everyone is a freak, as Casey says, depending on the crowd they hang out with, be it pot, downers, juice, pick one. But there are some pearls of wisdom to be learned, to quit living in yesterday lest one loses sight of tomorrow, that those who only take pay the highest price, and "excessive kindness blinds us to the failings of those less perfect." A sexy but heartbreaking/warming drama, love, mystery, and music movie that's one of a kind, written by Roger Ebert, yes, that one!

This movie is so 1970
Worst thing that can happen to an already-bad movie is that it becomes dated, and alas, that's what became of "BVD". So we get wooden acting and a howlingly bad script right alongside "square", "groovy", and bad color reproduction. They tried to work a rock band somewhere into this movie, but it all seems to have gotten lost in the mess of flamboyant scenery-chewing and several women with bubble hair missing their cues.

The "racy" stuff this film is famous for has not endured the march of time, and even the creepy part at the end (...)is of little shock value in our modern world brimming with "transgenders".

Lastly, the tacked-on moralizing sequence at the end of the flick effectively nullifies everything that occurs in the movie up to that point, sort of a "don't try this at home" band-aid for a Hollywood too cowardly to take a "chance" on this release.

A Movie That Takes Risks and Attempts To Make A Statement
"Beyond The Valley of the Dolls" is a movie that was made over 30 years ago but is still enjoyable to watch today. I truly admire this film, Roger Eberts writing and the direction of Russ Meyer just make this film unique and amazing. At some points the film can be so dramatic and at other times so light hearted. The film also set some trends, like the African American woman at Z Mans party with the gold rhinestone eye shadow decoration, everyone thought Alicia Keys was doing something new when she wore rhinestones on her eyelids to the Grammy's and then all these rappers talking about Bentley's the one woman in the movie was talking about how a Rolls is better than a Bently.

This movie is awesome for so many reasons. For one its 2004 and we will never see a movie on the big screen that takes so many risks. How many movies are there where the White and African American characters have true friendships and both characters have developed story lines? It was the 60's and Ebert and Meyers weren't afraid to bring taboos like sexual orientation, well let me not be a spoiler.

The women were so beautiful, Casey, Pet and Kelly. They had bodacious bodies and big hair and perfect make-up. They lived life so carefree. The underlying storyline about the money was never really resolved but so much was going on in that flick.

It's a really great movie and it's funny because at the end, the very end they try to be moral and tie it all together and make a social statement. This is a wild and crazy trip of a movie and I catch something new everytime I watch it. As a writer and a one time aspiring film maker movies like this one make me want to go out and take risks.

ONE OF THE GREATEST CULT CLASSIC MOVIES YOU CAN WATCH
THREE FEMALE MUSICIANS GET FAMOUS AND BEGIN TO GET INTO THE BAD HABITS OF THE HOLLYWOOD LIFESTYLE. FOR A SOFT-CORE MOVIE, THIS ACTUALLY HAS A LITTLE PLOT AND THE ACTING AIN'T REALLY BAD. HAS GOOD SEX SCENES AND IT HAS A CRAZY FINALE, WHICH ADDS A WHOLE LOT TO THIS MOVIE. THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO ''THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS'', IN CASE YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

A strange Russ Meyer exploitation film about exploitation
I could tell you that "Blacksnake!" is set on the Caribbean Isle of San Cristobal, where Lady Susan (Anouska Hempel, "On Her Majesty's Secret Service") runs her plantation and her slaves as she sees fit, with the aid of her brutal overseers and big bull whip. Or I could just point out that this 1973 film was directed by Russ Meyer and leave you to draw the obvious conclusions from that particular fact. But if you have ever seen a Russ Meyer film, such as "Faster Pussycat! Kill! Kil1!" or "Beneath the Valley of the Ultravixens," this fact might surprise you, because the women in this film are not as overly endowed, as is the norm in a Meyer exploitation film. That makes "Blacksnake!" a most atypical film from the legendary director.

The plot has to do with the disappearance of Lady Susan's latest husband (David Prowse, yes Darth Vader himself from the first "Star Wars" trilogy). When his brother Walker (David Warbeck, "Trog") shows up to investigate he discovers the slaves are horribly abused and that everybody is really obsessed with sex (I told you this was a Russ Meyer film). So what we have is an exploitation film about a period of exploitation, if that makes any sense. The result is a curious combination of camp and sleaze, topped off by a slave revolt and a stirring speech on the evils of slavery, colonization, yadda yadda yadda. If "Blacksnake!" (gee, I wonder what the title is suppose to mean) is the first and only Russ Meyer film you see, then you are never going to understand what the fuss is all about, which would also be true if you screened "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" (scripted by Roger Ebert). You might also never be able to watch another slave plantation movie for the rest of your life.

Hits the spot
I can confirm, as you might expect, that the storyline is predictably weak and corny.

If like myself, however, you are only interested in scenes of a beautiful woman wielding a bullwhip you won't be disappointed! ... Read more

Reviews (24)

Faster Pussycat Kill Kill-Undisputed Classic!
I absolutely love this film.
It's starts with some classic nonsensical voiceover about the violence lurking in women and the unmistakable "smell of female" before cutting to our three stars dancing at the go-go club for some disturbingly enthusiastic male patrons. "go baby go go go!"
We're quickly brought to the dessert where our story unfolds. Apparently these three unbelievably buxom ladies are a "team" of sorts who don't mind a little violence and mayhem which is quickly proved when their leader kills a man with her bare hands and then kidnaps his whiny girlfriend. They hatch a plan to rob an old local miser of his life savings. The miser is shockingly misogynistic and has two sons, one of whom is a muscle bound vegetable. The details and background of these two is slowly revealed through some incredible patches of dialogue which border on campy but maintain a sort of dark edge. And while there is no nudity or sex depicted anywhere in the film, it is somehow a constant presence: Billie's hillarious attempts at seducing the "vegetable", Varla's gravity defying neckline, the leering old man-it's all sex without being overly graphic unlike later Russ Meyer films. The dialogue is insanely quotable as it just gets weirder and weirder:the dinner scene is just amazing. "I never try anything I just do it. Wanna try me?" You Tarzan Me Jane, now grab a vine and let's swing" "when I've had enough of this (whiskey) it's been known to be passin'-out-time!" "we don't like anything soft. Everything we touch is hard" All the "guilty" characters (which is almost everyone) get their comeuppance in the end in a variety of gruesome deaths. There really aren't words to do this film justice. It is a full-on over the top, sexually charged, near camp, film noir masterpiece. Watch it again and again and again.

Amazingly Good
This film is a true cinamatic truimph!!! I have never seen a film so satisfying, so riviting, so incredibly great.

Tura Satana most excellent and would put Jane Fonda to shame in providing a rigerous workout.

Great family film five stars.

Russ Meyer's homage to the violence in women.
Produced, Edited, Written and Directed by the great Russ Meyer, FASTER PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL! is less overtly sexual than his later work; (To my knowledge this is the only Meyer movie in NZ to have an unrestricted rating) but is still a highly enjoyable & wonderfully politically incorrect cult fave.
The story revolves around three sexy female car club members Varla (Tura Satana), Rosie (Haji) & Billie (Lori Williams) who accept the task of safely delivering home the daughter of a high profile public figure in order to avoid all the media hoopla, for a sizable amount of cash.
Their simple road trip soon takes an unexpected turn when they run out of gas & they are forced to shack up with a paraplegic old man (Stuart Lancaster)& his dimwitted weightlifting son Kirk (Paul Trinka). Naturally in true Meyer fashion the girls use their sex appeal to get what they want- & their feet & fists- this IS Meyer's "homage to the violence in women" after all!
FASTER PUSSYCAT KILL KILL is also noteworthy because this movie is actually very feminist minded at its core- so basically Meyer seems to be good-naturedly slapping his critics in the face with this movie. Good on him.
If you've never seen a Russ Meyer film before, here is probably a good starting point; after that I'd recommend you track down copies of BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS; CHERRY, HARRY & RAQUEL and VIXEN. So check this one out & celebrate an era before Political Correctness started to contaminate everything- especially Kiwis; before Labour & the Greens pass a law stating that all DVD players must run on methane gas in order to conserve energy!

Tura Santana rules!
Easily Russ Meyer's best film to date. This movie has it all: fast cars, voluptuous, beautiful women (they don't make 'em like that anymore!) and the dumb guys they have to beat into submission in order to get their way!

The opening voiceover narration grabs your attention from the get-go with it's hard-boiled style right out of a Sam Fuller movie. A lot of critics have slammed the film for its amateurish dialogue but it has just the right B-movie vibe.

Surprisingly tame by today's standards, FASTER, PUSSYCAT nevertheless is refreshingly un-PC in its attitude. The women in this film don't take any crap -- especially Varla (played to perfection by Tura Santana) who talks tough and backs it up with action (including the climatic scene where she breaks a guy's back with her bare hands!). Forget the CGI'ed CHARLIE'S ANGELS, this movie is the real deal.

SEE THIS ONE!...
Atypical Russ Meyer movie that features none of his exploitive trademarks but actually concentrates on characterizations of his three stars---the incomparable Tura Satana, sultry Haji, and way-out California girl Lori Williams. Great b&w photography as the girls(go-go dancers in a sleazy club) head out in wild sports cars into the desert in search of thrills. Well, they get 'em when Satana kills a guy and they abduct his screaming idiot girlfriend. They hide out at a desert ranch headed by a VERY weird father/son clan. Satana believes there's a lot of moola on the property somewhere and she aims to find it one way or another. Acting is above-average for a Meyer piece and the film is consistently watchable throughout. No nudity(except for some tasteful bare-back shots as they bathe after the desert incident) and the women are not stupid but tired of being used. This is a first-rate bona-fide cult classic right here and deserves a pristine transfer to DVD. A MUST SEE. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

eve and the handyman
very moving and exciting theme ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Mr. Teas is not a tease!
To start with, be advised that this movie is definitely not worth it's ...price tag! ....

I first learned about this now classic nudie-cutie movie from the pictorial feature in the November 1960 issue of Playboy magazine. I didn't go see the movie back then but I remembered it occasionally over the years, and finally decided to add it to my video collection.

I was not disappointed, although the movie was very obviously made on a shoestring budget, with most of it going to the color photography instead of a script or sound recording, since there's no story to speak of and no spoken dialogue. It's like a silent movie -- you see the characters move their lips but say nothing and there's not even any subtitles! Very strange. There is a sporadic, inane narration to tell us what's going on, and a bouncy, somewhat tiresome music score.

But it's the naked babes that make the movie worth watching, of course! The only purpose of the movie is to show off the natural endowments of the women, most of whom never went on to appear in anything else. Except for June Wilkinson, of Playboy fame (The Boson -- 1958), who is not even credited here for her walk-on part, but later had a semblance of a movie career, appearing in some 20 films in small parts showcasing her big parts.

The story, such as it is, follows Mr. Teas (his name really is Teas -- Bill Teas, a friend of Meyer) on his daily rounds as a delivery man for dental appliances. He makes his rounds on a bicycle, and everywhere he goes he encounters voluptuous women, and he sees them all naked in his imagination. He undresses them mentally as they do their jobs. (So how does this make him any different from any of us guys? And what's immoral about it? Beats me!)

This was the first of its kind and started the era of the so-called "nudie movie." So it has historical significance along with its bare-breasted beauties. I recommend it to all fans of the female form, if you can find it a a decent price.

Greatest film of its class.
This film is a great example of Russ Meyer's life work. If you are a fan and do not have this title GET IT. If you have never seen any of his movies, this is a great example of his work and a great way to see what Russ Meyer is all about.

This movie revolves around Mr. Teas' obsession with women's breasts. This obsession gives him the ability to see women naked. This entire film is a masterpiece. I highly recommend paying the sixty bucks. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Waste of time
This movie stinks. Don't waste your time with this very uncool and unhip movie. Total posers. If you have seen Faster Pussycat Kill Kill, and are expecting more of the same, then your are in for a major disappointment. ....

FORGOTTEN CINEMATIC MASTERPIECE
One of Russ Meyer's sublime masterpieces, a tale of revenge and murder in a small desert community.Alex Rocco is perfect in the lead, and Haji is an excellent sidekick.Fits with Mudhoney and Faster Pussycat as Meyer's trilogy on the evils of violence. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

What an ending!
One of Russ Meyer's earlier works, "Mudhoney" is an uneven but ultimately satisfying greek tragedy disguised as hayseed soap opera. The direction is uneven, as is the tone, although the latter seems to be by design. You will be laughing one minute, then shuddering the next as over the top backwoods hijinx suddenly gives way to unexpected acts of humiliation and violence. Those who stick with it will be rewarded by an intense, dramatic ending that drips with irony. Not as cohesive or polished as "Lorna", but a worthy companion peice.

The picture quality of the DVD edition is very good (b/w, full screen). Also features animated menu and a few trailers for other RM films.

MASTERPIECE
Never before has a film been so alive,so emotional,so perfect. One of Meyer's best,filled with great acting,creative characters and personal style. To me,his film is Faulkner in the cinematic form.

A sleazy, breezy Russ Meyer classic!
The second installment in Russ Meyer's series in Rural Dramas is one of his best: a well-shot, entertaining explitation piece which seems to get better with each viewing. An ex-prisoner find work (and sex) at a farm owned by Stewart Lancaster (who we all remember from FASTER, PUSSYCAT! KILL! KILL!) and his niece played by Antoinette Cristiani who is married to alchaholic sleazebag, Hal Hopper (LORNA). Even Russ Meyer himself has a very small part as someone in the crowd during Hal Hopper's execution at the end. Keep a lookout for this underated Russ Meyer flick because it's quite rare. Anyone reading this review from Australia can find this video at FASTER, PUSSYCAT! in NSW or at POLYESTER in VIC. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

QUINTESSENTIAL MEYER
Russ Meyer was one of the most daring,exciting and original filmmakers of his time, and unfortunately one of the most overlooked.Common Law Cabin is one of his best color films,a ripe thriller-melodrama filled with turns even more twisted than the characters.Features a lonely river resort dump owner,his busty young wife,hisbeautiful innocent daughter from another marriage,another couple and a handsome stranger.Classic 60s drive in fare. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

One of Meyer's best that I've seen to date.
Lorna is about a married couple, in which Lorna, the wife, is left at home when her husband goes off to work each day. Lorna runs into bad company one day and things go wrong for her. Meanwhile, her husband is catching heat from his coworkers because they have convinced themselves that Lorna's husband does not satisfy her and that she longs for more loving than he has been giving her. What happens? Sorry not going to ruin it for you. Definite MUST SEE if you have any interest in Russ Meyer's films. ... Read more

Reviews (55)

IT'S EXTREME! OUTRAGEOUS!! Of Course, It's Russ Meyer!!!
"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.)

Cult classic on decadent LA lifestyle and human nature
No, this isn't a sequel to the horrid movie adapatation of Jacqueline Susann's Valley Of The Dolls. While an in-name-only sequel, it's actually different and better as a result. No Sharon Tate giving a wooden performance, no Patty Duke overracting at the very end,... this is an interesting cult classic. Originally given an X, the revised NC-17 rating is due to the many sex scenes, including a few lesbian scenes. It's tame by today's standards, but still has some bite.

So enter the story of the Kelly Affair, Kelly on lead vocals and guitar, Casey on bass, Pet on drums, and Harris their manager and Kelly's boyfriend, playing 60's hippy rock. They go to LA hoping for a break, hopefully with help from Kelly's aunt, Susan Lake, a big name in fashion advertising, who turns out to be a truly nice person, perhaps too nice. Their break comes from Ronnie Barzell, aka "Z-Man," music promoter and host of lavish parties where all the swingers and wild people come together- This is my happening and I 'm freaking out!E Barzell speaks in a dramatic Shakespearean patter: "Observe yon quiet corner. In an island of tranquility in this sea of revelry, languid Roxanne finds that pinch of feminine spice with which she often plays in her interlude." or "Beware, fair maiden, of Emerson Thorne, under that friendly mask, inside that innocent shell, lies fermenting the unholy seed of desire." Roxanne is a fashion designer and Thorne is Z-man's busboy by night, but an aspiring law student by day. And Kelly is stunned to see so many couples making out liberally in bed or in the pool.

One thing for sure--changing the group's name from The Kelly Affair to The Carrie Nations was a good move on Z-Man's part and thanks to him, they become stars, but Harris gradually feels left out, driving him into the arms of Ashley St. Ives, a seductive, sexually insatiable blonde with a predatory smile, a "priestess of carnality" (porn star) who has a penchant for having sex other than in bed. As for the others, Pat and Emerson become a couple, as do Kelly and Lance Rock, a smug-looking pretty boy with "golden hair, bedroom eyes, the firm young body, these are the tools which he plies his trade." Casey too finds someone. Guess who, though?

However, not all is sunny in this paradise. Porter Hall, Susan's slimy stuff-shirted lawyer, does not like Kelly or any part of the scene and enjoys putting people down. Indeed, a montage of scenes and a variety of voices describes the many faces of LA: noisy, classy, smog, lousy traffic, cold and cruel, cultured, phony city, ... it's all these things. When things start to go wrong, Kelly finally realizes something: "You're racing through life full steam ahead, not giving a damn, and something happens to make you stop short, and you realize it's people that count."

As for the music done by the trio, it's 60's rock early on, such as "Find It" and "Come With The Gentle People," sung during their trip via Interstate 40, but the vocals seem to have been done by black artists. Kelly's speaking voice simply doesn't match. And The Strawberry Alarm Clock perform "Incense And Peppermints," "A Girl From The City", and "I'm Going Home" at Z-Man's party.

Dolly Read (Kelly) resembles Rene Bond, the cute cheeks and smile. Erika Gavin (Roxanne) has also appeared in Erika's Hot Summer and also in Jonathan Demme's Caged Heat. Cynthia Myers (Casey) is simply stunning, resembling a warmer hippy version of Sophia Loren with long brown hair. John LaZar really scores as Z-Man, flashy with clothes, words, and lifestyle, but so does Phyllis Davis as the blindly kind Susan.

The decadent, groovy 60's lifestyle and clothes ("Q-U-A-N-T in London"), lingo ("groovy, man!, "you dig?", don' t bogart the jointE are still evident in this era long gone. Everyone is a freak, as Casey says, depending on the crowd they hang out with, be it pot, downers, juice, pick one. But there are some pearls of wisdom to be learned, to quit living in yesterday lest one loses sight of tomorrow, that those who only take pay the highest price, and "excessive kindness blinds us to the failings of those less perfect." A sexy but heartbreaking/warming drama, love, mystery, and music movie that's one of a kind, written by Roger Ebert, yes, that one!

This movie is so 1970
Worst thing that can happen to an already-bad movie is that it becomes dated, and alas, that's what became of "BVD". So we get wooden acting and a howlingly bad script right alongside "square", "groovy", and bad color reproduction. They tried to work a rock band somewhere into this movie, but it all seems to have gotten lost in the mess of flamboyant scenery-chewing and several women with bubble hair missing their cues.

The "racy" stuff this film is famous for has not endured the march of time, and even the creepy part at the end (...)is of little shock value in our modern world brimming with "transgenders".

Lastly, the tacked-on moralizing sequence at the end of the flick effectively nullifies everything that occurs in the movie up to that point, sort of a "don't try this at home" band-aid for a Hollywood too cowardly to take a "chance" on this release.

A Movie That Takes Risks and Attempts To Make A Statement
"Beyond The Valley of the Dolls" is a movie that was made over 30 years ago but is still enjoyable to watch today. I truly admire this film, Roger Eberts writing and the direction of Russ Meyer just make this film unique and amazing. At some points the film can be so dramatic and at other times so light hearted. The film also set some trends, like the African American woman at Z Mans party with the gold rhinestone eye shadow decoration, everyone thought Alicia Keys was doing something new when she wore rhinestones on her eyelids to the Grammy's and then all these rappers talking about Bentley's the one woman in the movie was talking about how a Rolls is better than a Bently.

This movie is awesome for so many reasons. For one its 2004 and we will never see a movie on the big screen that takes so many risks. How many movies are there where the White and African American characters have true friendships and both characters have developed story lines? It was the 60's and Ebert and Meyers weren't afraid to bring taboos like sexual orientation, well let me not be a spoiler.

The women were so beautiful, Casey, Pet and Kelly. They had bodacious bodies and big hair and perfect make-up. They lived life so carefree. The underlying storyline about the money was never really resolved but so much was going on in that flick.

It's a really great movie and it's funny because at the end, the very end they try to be moral and tie it all together and make a social statement. This is a wild and crazy trip of a movie and I catch something new everytime I watch it. As a writer and a one time aspiring film maker movies like this one make me want to go out and take risks.

ONE OF THE GREATEST CULT CLASSIC MOVIES YOU CAN WATCH
THREE FEMALE MUSICIANS GET FAMOUS AND BEGIN TO GET INTO THE BAD HABITS OF THE HOLLYWOOD LIFESTYLE. FOR A SOFT-CORE MOVIE, THIS ACTUALLY HAS A LITTLE PLOT AND THE ACTING AIN'T REALLY BAD. HAS GOOD SEX SCENES AND IT HAS A CRAZY FINALE, WHICH ADDS A WHOLE LOT TO THIS MOVIE. THIS IS NOT A SEQUEL TO ''THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS'', IN CASE YOU DON'T ALREADY KNOW. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Another Classic Nudie drama from Russ Meyer
Ribald, fast-paced, hilarious eye candy. A worthy Meyer meditation on american marriage, sexual amorality and salvation.

Stuart Lancaster plays a successful family man who seems to have everything he could want - wealth, health, a daughter and a beautiful young wife (played by the voluptuous Alaina Capri). Yet, all is not well in the marriage bed. He has a problem warming up to wifey, due to her shrewish, nymphomaniac nature. It seems she has a totally discretionless tendency to play the field. The flaunting of her husband's inadequacies wreaks havoc on his and daughter's self-respect. Her affair with a local brutish stud only deepens her loneliness and the wedge between her and her family.

Not to worry because a shapely forest witch (you read right),the exotic Haji, uses her tantric magic to heal Lancaster's sexual wounds and rekindle his fires. He returns home a changed man, ready to conquer his stupid, callous rival and his wife's libido. Buxom Go-Go dancers and two-fisted brawls keep the thrills high.

Meyer is in typical form in this soft-porn art flick (are there any truly bad Meyer movies?). This really rates 5 by sexploitation cinema standards. The 3 stars are only warranted in comparison to other Meyer classics like Faster Pussycat.., Beyond the Valley.. or Ultravixens. ... Read more

Reviews (3)

Never before has such carnal desire been evoked!
All hail the hedonistic dance of the leather belt.

Whole lotta shakin' goin' on!
Topless go-go girls abound in this wonderfully skewed, ultra-hip documentary from the one-and-only Russ Meyer. Great girls and great music.

shagadelica
A lively, bouncy, kaleidoscopic view on the topless dance girls of the late 60's.

The most memorable short scene, is that of a ridiculously proportioned girl, Darlene Grey, doing a topless boogie in the desert. Otherwise petite, she almost falls over on several occasions, because of the weight of her swinging breasts!
Unlikely to be forgotten in a hurry. ... Read more

Reviews (2)

Brief, sharp, soft-core romp
A filandering club-owner and his lusty, but distant, wife learn a hard lesson about the value of their marriage. A minor, but solid offering from the Meyer canon. Features superb photograpy, editing and a small cast of stunning ladies as usual. In this reviewer's humble opinion, Anne Chapman may be the sexiest starlet Meyer ever worked with, and that's saying alot.

GET A GOOD GRIP ON YOUR POPCORN
Finders Keepers is Russ Meyer's deliberation on the strength of a marriage as both spouses are tempted by others.Not as brilliantly enthralling as other Meyer classics,but excellent just the same. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Russ Meyers tells a tale of the Wild (and Naked) West
The tagline for this 1962 Russ Meyer's film was "A SINtillating, titillating, rollicking, raucous, romp through the wild & swinging West," and, of course, Meyers delivers within his myopic vision of the world (I think everyone agrees there is no middle ground on Russ Meyer). Basically "Wild Gals fo the Naked West" is a parody of the Hollywood Western. A grizzled old prospector recalls that infamous day when a five-foot cowboy rode his burro into a town that was so bad they were embarrassed to name it. The cowboy wearing a power-blue ten-gallon hat, a red cowboy suit, rhinestone studded purple cowboy boots, and a really BIG pistol. But that is okay, because Meyer arms the Indians with bazookas. In due time he cleans up the town, taking care of both the dastardly Snake Wolf and the vivacious Goldie Nuggets (Terri Taylor) from the Rot Gut Saloon. This film, which seems more like Vaudeville than a nudie flick, was also released as "Immoral Girls of the Naked West," "The Immoral West-and How It Was Lost," "Naked Gals of the Golden West," and "The Naked West--And How It Was Lost." Russ always had an eye for marketing his films through the titles. Bottom Line: I, uh, stumbled across some contemporary examples of films in this particular genre, and I have to admit that Russ Meyer has more flair than anybody I have seen to date (not that I am especially looking, mind you). Meyer's best film, although certainly atypical given his overall body of work, remains "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," which was scripted by Roger Ebert. ... Read more