Of all the strange, incoherent, messes of a movie that Hollywood ever put out, Russ Meyer's first mainstream flick, Beyond
the
Valley of the Dolls, has to be one of the infamous.
Not that it isn't a fun mess at times.
The story features the musical group, the Carrie Nations, and their rise to stardom. It was penned by Roger Ebert. Yes, the Roger Ebert of the famous raised or lowered thumb.
The casting is good. I
really liked Dolly Read as the lead singer of the group and her manager played by David Gurian. He's a sweetie and why it takes Read's character so long to love him is a real question to me. Oh I figured out the answer! What Meyer and Ebert have concocted is a soap opera for men, and quite a few girls will probably end up liking it too, where the different characters all have to find their paths to true love. The moral ending is really offensive when examined and don't look for logic with that final twist. Could Ebert have created the first iconic serial killer? Possibly.
The music is catchy and really fine.