Beyond the Valley of the Dolls - the greatest pop music film EVER?

Other good Russ Meyer films: Motorpsychos, Faster Pussycat Kill! Kill!, Mudhoney.

I think BTVOTD is his last good film, and his best. It breaks the rule about all colour Russ Meyer films being rubbish.

The act of death has caused another life to be reborn. Together we share the wonder of human existence, and let there be no doubt that all of us are brothers. There can be no beginning or ending that does not in some way touch another, for our actions affect the lives and destinies of the many.

Z-man: He forgot that life has many levels, and by choosing to live on only one, lost sight of reality.
Ashley St. Ives: Men were toys for her amusement. Her total disregard for their feelings made love a stranger to her.
Lance Rocke: He never gave of himself. Those who only take must be prepared to pay the highest price of all.
Porter Hall used his profession to mask selfish interests, to betray the trust that should have been sacred.
Susan Lake: Perhaps too pure. Excessive goodness can often blind us to the human failings of those less perfect.
Emerson Thorne found that something as precious as love brings with it a demand for greater understanding.
Casey and Roxanne: Light and shadow. Theirs was not an evil relationship, but evil did come because of it.
Otto: An end to Martin Bormann?
Harris Allsworth: He forgot that yesterday is only for remembering. Those who choose to live there lose sight of tomorrow.
Pet's mistake? A fleeting thing born of emotion, yet it almost ruined the lives of two others.
Randy's body. A cage for an animal. It lifted him to the top of his field, but, in the end, the beast almost killed him.
Kelly MacNamara: Her selfish involvement, so ready to turn her back on friendship. The road back is painful; by her pain, she will never again forget.

You must each decide what your life will be. You must always know that a hand extended to your fellow man is a gesture of love, love that asks nothing, expects nothing; it is simply there. And if love is in you, then gentle will be all your steps as you walk beyond this valley.

Also, last time I checked, _A Hard Day's Night_ has no gun fellatio scenes, nor decapitated jungle lads, nor transsexual record promoters. I rest my case.

The songs are absolutely killer and can stand on their own. I taped the songs from the videotape so I can happily listen to them in my car, along with choice dialogue. But it is necessary to watch Z- man's floating disembodied torso, clapping effeminately, during the video of "Look on up at the Bottom" for the full effect. Or Kelly MacNamara at the beginning of "Find It," mouth agape, eyes squinting, screaming "AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!". I'd put _This is Spinal Tap_ up there, too, and also the marvelous and underrated _Waiting for Guffman_, in its parallel community theatre-movie genre.

I saw one of Meyer's jazz films - Beneath The Valley Of The Ultravixens, I think - and it was flashly made as jazz films go, and did have a lot of flash Meyer touches. But it was basically a jazz film, so my rule still stands firm.

of course this was meyer going overground, his one big chance, and he blew it... showed up his limitations as a director & ends up on the slippery slope back to obscurity. it only played on the "controvery" of sharing (partially) its name with the valley of the dolls: so much like welles playing on hearst controversy w/ citizen kane (but backfiring)

do i remember harmless peaceful loving lesbians getting inexplicibly killed? but so much of the film was inexplicible: the tension of the impotent/heroic wheelchair guy... dialogue that makes so little sense...

ok maybe not the greatest pop music film ever (phantom of the paradise!) but one of the finest exploitation films.

It says:
...a DVD is planned for later this year, and I have been approached about a Broadway version.

Hooray!!

(hey you Chicago people: it's playing at the Music Box for one week, starting tonight)

Z-Man reminds me of Lou1s J4gger

:D