"Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" Freaks Out the Criterion Collection on September 27

Russ Meyer's 1970 cult classic "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" has been described in ways voluminous but always true: "Above all a satirical comedy"; "everything in the screenplay except the kitchen sink"; "a movie that got made by accident when the lunatics took over the asylum." That these describing phrases were penned by the film's screenwriter himself, Roger Ebert, show the special effect it has, not just as the craziest studio project or sequel ever made, but as a brilliant moment in film history. It is immaculate trash, and not just a reprieve to the tired argument that critics don't have good taste.

If you've seen "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls," perhaps the most widely beloved film from "King of the Nudies" Russ Meyer, then you get it. It's a cinematic orgy of different genres, enlivened by a groovy canvas: a bonanza of sex and death set to an essential soundtrack; a romp orchestrated to simultaneously indulge and terrify. Seeing it once is an unforgettable experience, only to be matched by any opportunity to look back at it (as Roger did when he shared his observations on the film in 1980). 

A film critic's involvement with the screenplay (Ebert wrote to the Wall Street Journal praising Meyer's films, the two became friends, as he said in his obituary for Meyer) is only one bizarre chapter to its legacy. "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" was a full-on studio project from Fox, and also marked the first time a studio had forayed into sexploitation. With a $900,000 budget and six-week production schedule the movie made $40 million. It's a movie that endures as a cult movie 101 title, appearing spiritually in films as recent as Nicolas Winding Refn's "The Neon Demon," who says that Meyer's film was "the only movie I could think of that combines everything into this experience."

It was only a matter of time until the Criterion Collection would give their distribution of approval, with new Blu-ray and two-disc DVD editions available September 27 [click here for more information]. The film had previously been on DVD through 20th Century Fox (which is how this writer first glimpsed upon its glory, an experience no budding film buff could forget). "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" will build upon the special features from the original two-disc DVD, starting with a high-definition digital restoration, with the Blu-ray boasting an uncompressed monaural soundtrack (which will be excellent in particular for the film's musical sequences). Carried over from the previous release will be an audio commentary from 2003 by Roger Ebert, along with one from 2006 featuring the actors: Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Harrison Page, John La Zar and Erica Gavin. They'll be joined by Q&A footage from 1992 with the filmmakers and stars, along with five documentaries about the making of the film. Criterion will be adding new features to the "Beyond the Valley of the Dolls" legacy, including a new interview with director John Waters, and a new essay by RogerEbert.com's very own Glenn Kenny.