User Reviews

This 30-minute documentary covers a lots of interesting and illuminating ground on Russ Meyer and the making of his cult cinema masterpiece "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls." Among the people interviewed are film critic David Ansen, editor Dann Cahn, cinematographer Fred J. Koenekamp, screenwriter Roger Ebert, and cast members John LaZar, Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, and Harrison Page. This doc starts out with Meyer beginning to make films as a teenager before serving as a combat photographer during World War II and subsequently returning to America to shoot the layouts in the first few issues of Playboy prior to making his first movie in 1959. Although known for his snappy editing and splashy comic book visual style, Meyer was nonetheless primarily hired by 20th Century Fox to direct "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" because of his ability to make films quick and cheap. Ebert reveals that the script was written before the story was completed and came up with the idea to have Z-Man turn out to be a woman at the end in the eleventh hour. Moreover, Meyer was always ahead of schedule and wisely told everyone to play the campy material straight. Despite receiving mostly harsh reviews from critics when it was first released, "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" still did well at the box office and now stands tall as a quintessential cult favorite. Essential viewing for fans of the film.