Beyond The Valley of the Cool Movie

When I became a movie snob it was quite early in my young adult life. I had a father who loved the classics. I started like them too. I went to my community college falling in love of the films that we mention that changed the way Western Cinema was done. Films like Bullitt with Steve McQueen. Another film that was my favorite was Manchurian Candidate. It's classic and dark black and white just would send shivers down my spine. Even better was the 60's Westerns. The movie Once Upon A Time In The West was what got me in to film music. There are so many movies to name that have a huge influence on what I watch or go see. I think film is one of my other favorite things to study.

"This is my happening and it freaks me out!" one of the many colorful quotes from the film called Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. I saw that one day a pay cable station was playing it and I taped it. I knew about it briefly from a film professor, but I did not know much. When my friend taped it he told me that he wanted to watch with me. He too had the same brief encounter. I am not sure what we got ourselves into, but we did one night. After the movie we were speechless and I really thought I stepped into a hole where I was not going to get out of. I loved the film, with the flashing music and the two B's. (Boobs and Babes). I decided to try this film on a few friends who never saw it, but were film majors. This time we spiced it up with some booze and some drugs. I stuck to the booze, and my friends stuck to the drugs or was it I stuck to the drugs and my friends stuck to the booze. I cannot remember Even this time was a little trippy for taste, but once again I had the same positive reaction.



Around the same time I saw that another Russ Meyer film was playing at the local Art-House cinema. I went with one of those friends and a film professor I knew. We loved it again, but this time I wanted the same cool music that I got when I saw Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. I sadly did not, but I did get Russ Meyer and his signature B's. As I continued my film studies I realized that these films are just wonderful, campy, and nudity. As I tried finding more of the Russ Meyer films it became more and more harder to go back to the wonderful feel of the Valley of the Dolls. What was even more of interest was the fact that film reviewer Roger Ebert was the screenwriter.

Over a few years I went back to school. This time I was more then a film buff, but a film love. I had the love of classics, new and old. I had a list of ten films that would be part of any person who took film seriously would understand. I often spoke about these classics to people who were in the film major at school. One day to break the ice at the radio station I invited a few people over for film night at my dorm. It was going to be a midnight showing of a few films. I decided to show a few of my favorite classics. This included Beyond The Valley of the Dolls. By the time 4am rolled around we were just about finished with the film. We all looked at the TV with anticipation of the ending. I won't give it away, but at 4am it sure came to a surprise to all of us. The film had a campy feel, but it also had a a great indelible stamp at 4am.



The soundtrack is really nothing new, but it does have a wonderful effect of remembrance if you saw the film. The music, like all soundtracks put you in a place where you see the film and and listen for the music and it fits quite well. The tattoo in the brain of the film does help. It's a movie that will stick with you like glue. Even if you are not a film guy watch it and just remember how this film really changed the course of American Cinema. Just listen to the soundtrack and laugh at the classic feel. It is a soundtrack of the time period. It's no Easy Rider, but hey it's great moment of 1970. Enjoy this wonderful trip to the past. Below are two wonderful quotes and a link to a page that has a great discussion on the film. Enjoy!



"In a scene like this you get a contact-high!"
"You're a groovy boy. I'd like to strap you on sometime."

http://www.gotterdammerung.org/film/russ-meyer/beyond-the-valley-of-the-dolls.html