Beyond the Valley of the Dolls
Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a 1970 American satirical musical melodrama film starring Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, Phyllis Davis, John LaZar, Michael Blodgett, and David Gurian. The film was directed by Russ Meyer and screenwritten by Roger Ebert from a story by Ebert and Meyer.
| Beyond the Valley of the Dolls | |
|---|---|
Theatrical release poster | |
| Directed by | Russ Meyer |
| Screenplay by | Roger Ebert |
| Story by | Roger Ebert Russ Meyer |
| Produced by | Russ Meyer |
| Starring | Dolly Read Cynthia Myers Marcia McBroom Phyllis Davis Erica Gavin John LaZar Michael Blodgett David Gurian |
| Cinematography | Fred J. Koenekamp |
| Edited by | Dann Cahn Dick Wormel |
| Music by | Stu Phillips William Loose (additional music) |
Production company | |
| Distributed by | 20th Century Fox |
Release date |
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Running time | 109 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $900,000 or $2.09 million |
| Box office | $9 million |
Originally intended as a sequel to the 1967 film Valley of the Dolls—"dolls" being a slang term for depressant pills or "downers"—Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was instead revised as a parody of the commercially successful but critically reviled original. Beyond met a similar fate; it was initially panned by critics but became a box office success. The film developed a cult following in subsequent decades, and earned some critical reappraisal for its satirical and metafictional elements.