BEYOND THE VALLEY OF THE DOLLS / Russ Meyer (1970)

August 30th, 2007 by Scott Marks

Rog & Russ

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Directed by: Russ Meyer

Genres: Satire

Cast: Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John Lazar, Michael Blodgett, David Gurian, Edy Williams, Erica Gavin, Phyllis Davis, Harrison Page, Duncan McLeod, James Inglehart, Charles Napier, Henry Rowland, Princess Livingston

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Running Time: 109 min.

This big budget, X-rated, major studio production sent many a bluenosed (and red-faced) executive at 2oth Century Fox off the deep end. Perhaps it’s because the director was the inimitable Russ Meyer, better known as King Leer or the Sergei Eisenstein of soft core porn. Long before he became the corporate spokesman for American film criticism, Roger Ebert wrote, and continues to take a lot of heat for, this audacious, absolutely hilarious social satire. (Any man who coined the phrase, “May you suck the black sperm of death” is a genius in my book!) One of the most critically maligned and misunderstood masterpieces of the 1970’s. Strap this one on! Makes a great double-feature with with the equally undervalued Showgirls (Fully Exposed Edition).

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