Beyond the Valley of the Dolls (1970)

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Directed by Russ Meyer
Written by Roger Ebert; story by Ebert and Russ Meyer
1970/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Ronnie (Z-Man) Barzell: You will drink the black sperm of my vengeance.

I couldn’t resist seeing this Roger Ebert-Russ Meyer collaboration.  It met my low expectations.

The plot such as it is involves an all-female rock band that seeks fame and fortune in Los Angeles. The girls rapidly are drawn into the free-love fest pot parties hosted by the ambiguously gendered “Z-man.” This slight framework is hung on copious amounts of female nudity and a fair amount of mild soft-core porn. Edy Williams, then-wife of Russ Meyer, plays a nymphomaniac porn star. The house band is played by The Strawberry Alarm Clock.

Despite its title, this film has nothing whatsoever to do with the Jaqueline Susann novel or its film adaptation.  Its screenplay is arch but not particularly witty.  The movie left me feeling slightly icky.  Apparently Russ Meyer would have included even more sex and nudity had he known in advance that this film would receive an X-rating!  There’s plenty as it is.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_9qo8XWz4co