Program Note
Tracing the origins of South Korea's soap operas, one might encounter Valley of the Dolls , a 20th Century Fox’s smash hit in 1967. The studio struggled with the sequel until they hired Russ Meyer, who had risen to fame with nudie-cuties films and the success of Vixen! (1968). Seeing the commercial potential of sexploitation films, Fox instructed Meyer to create the most sensational film possible on a minimal budget. Meyer, along with his friend, Chicago Sun Times critic Roger Ebert, completed the script in just three weeks. The result was a bombshell that defied all the norms of mainstream cinema, blending sex, rock 'n' roll, and drugs within an outrageous plot featuring elements of hippie/psychedelic culture. Critics were harsh, with Gene Siskel, who would later become Ebert's co-host, giving it zero stars out of four. Despite the critical panning, Beyond the Valley of Dolls brought a much-needed box office success to Fox, signaling the entrance of the previously underground sexploitation genre into mainstream cinema. (Jin PARK)