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Beyond the Valley of the Dolls / The Seven Minutes: Limited Edition – Arrow Video (Blu-ray/DVD Combo)

Theatrical Release Dates: USA, 1970 (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), USA, 1971 (The Seven Minutes)
Director: Russ Meyer (Both Films)
Writers: Roger Ebert, Russ Meyer (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), Richard Warren Lewis (The Seven Minutes)
Cast: Dolly Read, Cynthia Myers, Marcia McBroom, John Lazar, Michael Blodgett, David Gurian, Edy Williams, Erica Gavin, Phyllis Elizabeth Davis, Harrison Page, Charles Napier, Lavelle Roby, Pam Grier (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), Wayne Maunder, Marianne McAndrew, Philip Carey, Jay C. Flippen, Edy Williams, Lyle Bettger, John Carradine, Harold J. Stone, Tom Selleck, James Iglehart, John Sarno, Stanley Adams, Charles Napier, Wolfman Jack, Yvonne De Carlo, Uschi Digard (The Seven Minutes)

Release Date: January 18th, 2016
Approximate Running Times: 109 Minutes 5 Seconds (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), 115 Minutes 25 Seconds (The Seven Minutes)
Aspect Ratio: 1.781 Widescreen / 1080 Progressive / MPEG-4 AVC
Rating: 18 (UK)
Sound: LPCM Mono English (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), Dolby Digital Mono English (The Seven Minutes)
Subtitles: English SDH (Both Films)
Region Coding: Region B (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), Region 2 NTSC (The Seven Minutes)
Retail Price: OOP

"When Easy Rider rewrote the box-office rulebook in 1969, Hollywood scrambled to catch up - and 20th Century Fox noticed that one particular independent filmmaker was seeing impressive returns from tiny investments. So what would happen if he was given a decent budget and the run of a Hollywood studio and told to make the ultimate Russ Meyer film?

Well, this is the result: an initially X-rated cult camp classic about an all-female rock band trying to parlay Midwestern success into a Hollywood contract with the aid of a hefty inheritance. But will they be able to maintain their trademark apple-pie wholesomeness under their new manager, the notorious Ronnie 'Z-Man' Barzell? Take a wild guess.

Co-scripted by film critic Roger Ebert, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a merciless satire of Hollywood and the music business, a no-holds-barred psychedelic thrill-ride that gleefully stirs sex, drugs, rock'n'roll, fashion, lesbianism, transvestism and Nazis into one of the most riotously unhinged mainstream films ever made. This special edition also includes the rarely-seen The Seven Minutes (1971), Russ Meyer's Hollywood swansong, an adaptation of Irving Wallace's polemical novel about the absurdities of American obscenity laws." - synopsis provided by the distributor

Video: 4.5/5 (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), 3.5/5 (The Seven Minutes)

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “Beyond the Valley of the Dolls was restored in 2K from a 35mm scope interpositive and a 35mm scope internegative for the textless optical sections. The restoration work was carried out at IVC on behalf of Fox Entertainment.”

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls comes on a 50 GB dual layer Blu-ray.

Disc Size: 40.2 GB

Feature: 32 GB

The source used for this transfer looks great; it is a noticeable improvement over Fox’s DVD 2006 release. Flesh tones look healthy, colors are nicely saturated, image clarity and compression are solid, and black levels are strong.

Here’s the information provided about this release's transfer, “The Seven Minutes was transferred in standard definition from a 35mm print.”

The Seven Minutes comes of a dual layer DVD.

Disc Size: 6.4 GB

For a standard definition source, this transfer looks very good; any imperfections are minor. The colors look great, the image clarity and black levels are strong, and the compression is very good.

Audio: 4.5/5 (LPCM Mono English - Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), 3.5/5 (Dolby Digital Mono English - The Seven Minutes)

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls comes with one audio option, a LPCM mono mix in English with removable English SDH. The audio sounds excellent. It is clear, balanced, and robust when it should be.

The Seven Minutes comes with one audio option, a Dolby Digital mono mix in English with removable English SDH. This audio track is in great shape; dialog comes through clearly, everything sounds balanced, and things sound very good range-wise.

Extras:

Extras for Beyond the Valley of the Dolls include stills galleries: behind the scenes, cast portraits, film stills and marketing materials, two theatrical trailers (4 minutes 46 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles), an introduction to the film with actor John Lazar (1 minute 27 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an interview with actresses Cynthia Meyers and Erica Gavin titled Casey & Roxanne: The Love Scene (4 minutes 21 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a documentary titled Above, Beneath and Beyond the Valley (30 minutes 3 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Look On UP at the Bottom (10 minutes 59 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Best of the Beyond (12 minutes 23 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), a featurette titled Sex, Drugs. Music & Murder (7 minutes 35 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles), an isolated music and effects track, an audio commentary with screenwriter and film critic Roger Ebert, and an audio commentary with Dolly Reed, Cynthia Meyers, Harrison Page, John Lazar and Erica Gavin.

Extras for The Seven Minutes include a theatrical trailer (2 minutes 55 seconds, Dolby Digital mono English, no subtitles) and an episode of David Del Valle's television series The Sinister Image with Russ Meyer (28 minutes 4 seconds, Dolby Digital stereo English, no subtitles).

Other extras include reversible cover art, a slipcase, and a 44-page booklet with cast & crew information for both films, an essay titled Vixens at Fox written by Kat Ellinger, contemporary reviews for each film under the title Good Bad Reviews, an interview with Russ Meyer titled No More Spilling of the Vital Juices by Anne Billson, an explanation from David Del Valle about why a second episode of Sinister Image with Russ Meyer was not filmed titled I Was Glad To Do It!, and information about the transfers.

Summary:

Both films were directed by Russ Meyer, whose other notable films include Lorna, Mudhoney, Motor Psycho, and Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill!

Beyond the Valley of the Dolls: Three friends form a rock band and head to Hollywood to find fortune and fame. Somewhere along the way, they lose sight of the dream, and their decadent behavior nearly destroys them.

Throughout cinema’s history, very few filmmakers have been given complete control of the films that they directed. That is, unless the powers that be in Hollywood want you, and at any cost. When 20th Century Fox was looking to make a sequel for Valley of the Dolls, this is what happened to Russ Meyer. That said, what he delivered was something that was unlike anything that Hollywood had ever seen.

From its opening moments, which play out over the credits, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls quickly draws you into extraordinary satire that explores things like the entertainment industry, drugs, sex, and decadent behavior. When discussing Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, one of its greatest strengths is the characters that populate it. They are well-defined characters who remain likable despite the destruction they cause. Another strength of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls, and more importantly, its narrative, is how it concludes with a voiceover, which explains the fate of each character.

The visuals take full advantage of the cinemascope frame. Russ Meyer’s visual eye ensures that every frame is exploited for maximum effect. Also, the female cast members' ample assets ensure there is never a shortage of eye candy. There are two moments that stand out: Casey and Roxanne’s love scene and an outlandish finale. In the case of the latter, it is a costume party that is hosted by a character named Z-Man, who is dressed like Wonder Woman. For a film that is filled with over-the-top moments, none will haunt you more than Z-Man’s big reveal in the finale.

Performance-wise, the entire cast is exceptional in their respective roles. This film's standout role comes from John Lazar in the role of Ronnie ‘Z-Man’ Barzell. Cynthia Myers portrayal of Casey is another standout performance. Out of the three girls who make up the band The Carrie Nations, it is her character that goes through the most turmoil. Other recognizable cast members include Phillis Elizabeth Davis (Terminal Island), Michael Blodgett (The Trip), Edy Williams (Chained Heat), Erica Gavin (Caged Heat), and Charles Napier (The Silence of the Lambs).

From a production standpoint, there is no area where this film does not excel, and then some. Pacing is never an issue, as the narrative moves along briskly from one shocking moment to the next. And a WTF finale provides a perfect climax. Ultimately, Beyond the Valley of the Dolls is a sensational piece of film that defies the system in which it was made and still manages to succeed.

The Seven Minutes: A district attorney with political aspirations and an ambitious nature brings a bookstore clerk to trial for selling an obscene book, as per the local community standards.

20th Century Fox once again teamed with Russ Meyers for The Seven Minutes, after the success of Beyond the Valley of the Dolls. Where their previous collaboration gave Russ Meyers creative freedom, this time around, the powers decided to rein things in, and the end result was the most sanitized film that Russ Meyers ever directed.

Judging a filmmaker by their previous output does them a great disservice, especially when they release a film that is outside of their comfort zone. Case in point: Russ Meyers' The Seven Minutes, a film that is long overdue for a reevaluation.

Content-wise, The Seven Minutes actually has many of the elements that one would want from a Russ Meyers film. Like buxom women, rapid-fire editing, and heaping helpings of satire. The Seven Minutes' use of inventive cinematography is another one of its strengths. Which, of course, always ensures that the women in The Seven Minutes look amazing.

There are several amusing set pieces; these two stand out: a scene where an adult film with a man in a gorilla is raided by the police, and a scene where a lawyer tracks down the only person alive who has ever met the author of The Seven Minutes.

Performance-wise, one would be hard-pressed to fault the enthusiastic performances from the entire cast. Also, the cast features several recognizable faces, like Jay C. Flippen (The Killing), Yvonne De Carlo (The Munsters), Edy Williams (Beyond the Valley of the Dolls), Tom Selleck (Magnum, P.I.), and John Carradine (Shock Waves) in the role of Sean O. Flanagan.

It is safe to say that in the hands of just about anyone but Russ Meyers, The Seven Minutes would have been a complete disaster. Fortunately, the good outweighs the bad. And the end result is a highly entertaining satire about censorship.

Arrow Video gives Russ Meyer’s two Hollywood films their best releases to date, highly recommended.