Classic Quad Set 9 (All About Eve / Beyond the Valley of the Dolls / The Inn of the Sixth Happiness / Valley of the Dolls)

I read with some bemusement the reviewer here who thought ONE of these 4 films was "one of the worst movies I ever saw" and was "EXTREMELY disappointed" and used all caps to prove it! Can you guess the one she was referring too? I can, because that's the ONLY reason I bought this collection! That, my friends, is what happens when the average white-bread stay-at-home viewer is confronted with Russ Meyer for the first time in the camouflage of a seemingly conventional 4 film collection! (Word to the wise, stay away from anything with the name Todd Solondz in the credits, he of fame also garnered through a film with Doll in the title as well)All About Eve is an old-school classic, true. Inn of Sixth Happiness--well, never heard of that one. Valley of the Dolls is a true soap-operatic potboiler that was outdated when it came out! In its own unintentional campy way it IS a classic of its kind--it is after all based on a Jacqueline Susann novel--not exactly JD Salinger material here.But Beyond The Valley of the Dolls was built from the ground up as a satire of the then-current hippie/hipster So. California lifestyle with the Valley of the Dolls-women seeking fame and fortune-formula as a foundation, and it accomplishes this brilliantly. Even today this movie is still relevant--as witnessed in the recent popular Austin Powers films, for which this provided much of the blueprint and is even quoted verbatim: "This is my happening and it freaks me out!". Usually there is a span of years before a satirical eye can be effectively turned on a specific era like this--i.e. Dazed and Confused was not made in 1976, but some 20 years later. But BVD was covering it as is was happening--a rarity to say the least.Add to this, the fact that you have some pretty decent music on the soundtrack that could stand by itself, as well as other interesting themes for a film released in 1970, such as a Manson-like rampage, a porn actress, homosexuality, transgender issues, drug use, a Mohammed Ali type figure, a Phil Spector type character who spouts Shakespearean dialog, an actor who was Tim Curry before there was a Tim Curry etc., etc.. Here is one film that definitely bears repeated viewing. While its no masterpiece of the times ala Midnight Cowboy or Five Easy Pieces, it is nonetheless a standout cult film of the late 60s/early 70s. And it's damn entertaining as well.BTW, the "official" solo release of this film is a whopping $50 here on Amazon. The version presented here is top quality visual-wise, and while it may not be loaded with extra goodies galore, you can't beat the $13 price tag. A definite best buy purchase for pervs on a budget!Note: Meyer even manages to sneak in some of his long running stock characters into this mainstream release, i.e. Martin Borman, Erica Gavin and Charles Napier (the only RM company actor to have a "real" mainstream acting career post-Meyer).Additional note and spoiler alert:In this film, the Phil Spector character actually kills a girl by putting a gun into her mouth and firing it.The real-life Phil Spector was accused of this exact same crime in 2003 in the shooting death of actress Lana Clarkson and was found guilty and sentenced to 19 to life in prison--some 13 years AFTER the events portrayed in this film! (There is an excellent HBO movie starring Al Pacino as Spector which covers this case that is definitely worth watching)How's THAT for weird?

The Valley of the Dolls along with Beyond the Valley of the Dolls? And its historical bitchfest predecessor, All About Eve? I had to get this and boy am I glad I did. I hadn't seen either of those two films in decades and I laughed my ass off at both. Both are also visually fantastic- especially the Mod Fashion sequences of "The Valley of The Dolls". Perfect timepiece. And there are so many quotable lines in both -- "They say I'm self-destructive --- SO WHAT?" and the classic "It's my scene and it freaks me out!" (from "Beyond".)Roger Ebert's commentary on "Beyond" explains a lot about this bizarre movie- hard to believe that he wrote such a weird film as he seems rather staid. He talks about how he and Russ Meyer wrote it on the fly, satirizing the first film's over-the-top melodrama. It makes sense too, since this non-sequel's twists and turns are almost random and pointless. It also explains the peculiar script style; how all the characters openly declare their motivations and act in a somewhat old-fashioned acting style for the 60s.And the all-female band is actually, in its hokey Hollywood way, pretty great. There are a few really catchy songs and you can tell they had some kind of Grace Slick-type of vocalist as a model for their sound. And of course, the musical numbers are played against the most awesome montages ever. When Ebert explains Meyer's montage style, you really notice how perfect the overly-stylized tactic works. Probably not workable in any other kind of genre, also, so this film's a rare treat.I have no idea what the Ingrid Bergman movie is doing in this set; other than maybe this was intended to be marketed as a collection of 'women's films' or proto-chick-flicks. Or perhaps they felt the need to balance out all the decadent bitchery with some wholesomeness.And of course the original "Valley" is a top-notch Mod Showbiz Melodrama. Patty Duke really gets all the best lines in it and gets to really let it hit the fan. And the Rehab musical sequence is truly unbelievable. You will die laughing; they don't make movies like this anymore- in fact, this might be the only one of its kind they ever made! Ridiculous, yet so tightly directed and edited- the opening 'leaving home' sequence sets the tone for the stylized production of the rest of the film. You are watching True ShowBiz, honey. Now it's common for Hollywood to cover its own darkside, but this was supposedly ground-breaking and it really pulls out all the stops. Sure, stars go to rehab all the time now, but do they sing in their wheelchairs --waking from dementia? I think not.Anyway, this set was a real find!