Are you sad that Roger Ebert is sick? I am, especially since I've been enjoying Fox's spectacular new DVD release of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, co-written by Ebert and quite possibly the greatest sex comedy ever made, and that includes anything by Fellini.
Don't make the mistake of thinking that BVD (as its fans call it) is a guilty pleasure or "so bad it's good." Quite the opposite: BVD is so good it's great. Every shot is composed like architecture, every color pops, every performance is spot-on and every line is intentionally hilarious. The montage sequences alone will leave you breathless, and there isn't a supporting hairdo, costume or bustline which doesn't add to the fun. Ebert and director Russ Meyer pulled out all the stops to make the most cutting yet most enjoyable Hollywood satire ever.
Kudos, also, to the folks at Fox who, after being embarrassed by BVD for 35 years, finally wised up, realized they had a neglected masterpiece in their vaults, and went the extra mile to give the film the "special edition" treatment it so richly deserves. The print, in glorious widescreen technicolor, is absolutely flawless, as is the sound. The extras are all a lot of fun, and it's great to see Ebert and the rest crow proudly about this awesome work of art.
So forget barbeques, flag-themed sportswear and lame parades; get down to the video store this 4th of July, stay inside in the dark and enjoy what really makes this a great country.
And get well soon, Roger!
EDIT: Re-reading this post, I can't believe that I didn't even mention how great the music in it is, or that the line "This is my happening and it freaks me out" was stolen from it for Austin Powers. Honestly, I could write thousands more words about why this is one of the greatest masterpieces of 20th Century art. And I'm not being cutesy or ironic. Just trust me, OK? That's really gettin' it together!
11 comments:
You quoted my 2nd favorite line. My 1st is (in a walking-streak-of-sex-kitten voice) "'Come into my den' said the spider, etcetera."
I managed to find a double billing of VoDS and BVoD shrinkwrapped together at Cost-Co for $20! Score :)
I adored BVD. Truly, the only way to properly watch it is with two or more gay boys.
The running commentary is tons better than Mystery Science Theater used to be.
p.s. My mother looked exactly like Barbara Parkins as a young woman.
Ooops, I was thinking Valley of the Dolls, not "Beyond VD."
Seriously, Karen, BVD is as different from VoD as night and day. BVD makes all the catty comments for you so that you're simply left with your jaw in your lap.
And Erik, yes, the "etc., etc" line is sublime.
What I love best is Russ Meyer's "moral lessons" at the end...he really saw, at least in part, this movie as a morality tale about excesses, vanity and sex. He was effing brilliant, man, and...whoa, did you say it was on dvd now? HFS! I'm on my way to Amazon right NOW!
OMG the morals at the end are so over-the-top, it's like Peyton Place on acstacy or something, or like an after-school special.
Sweet. Now if they would just DVD the Vixen trilogy. Vixen, Supervixen, and Beneath The Valley Of The Ultra Vixens!
Sweet. Now if they would just DVD the Vixen trilogy. Vixen, Supervixen, and Beneath The Valley Of The Ultra Vixens!
My favorite line is also an Edy Williams "spider to the fly, etcetera" masterpiece, after she's been asked if she stars in those dirty porno films, and she replies, "Are you referring to my controversial, box-office blockbusters?"
I try to say "interntionally famous photoblog" with the same intonation every chance I get.
Does that include Salo, 120 Days of Sodom?
So, I saw this in a real movie theater, this Friday, at Peaches Christ's Midnight Mass. Leave it to a drag queen to get three of the former actors onstange (Z-Man, Petronella, and Roxanne).
I'm not a complete true believer, I'm afraid, but it most certainly is a study not merely in going over-the-top, but so far over the top, the earth relinquishes its gravitational hold on it.
And, by far, my favorite line concerned itself with "the black sperm of my vengeance!"
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