Valley of the Dolls (Blu-ray)
Cutthroat careerism, wild sex, and fierce female protagonists are all on offer in this adaptation of Jacqueline Susann’s sensational and wildly popular novel. Patty Duke, Barbara Parkins, and Sharon Tate star as three friends attempting to navigate the glamorous, pressurized world of big-time show business—the “valley” is not a place but a narcotized state of mind, and the “dolls” are the pills that rouse them in the morning and knock them out at night. Blending old-fashioned gloss with Madison Avenue grooviness, director Mark Robson’s slick look at the early days of sexual liberation and an entertainment industry coming apart was a giant box-office hit, and has become an unforgettably campy time capsule of the 1960s.
- New 2K digital restoration, with 3.0 LCR DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
- Audio commentary from 2006 featuring actor Barbara Parkins and journalist Ted Casablanca
- New interviews with writer Amy Fine Collins about author Jacqueline Susann and the costumes in the film
- New video essay by critic Kim Morgan
- Footage from Sparkle Patty Sparkle!, a 2009 gala tribute to actor Patty Duke at the Castro Theatre in San Francisco
- A World Premiere Voyage and Jacqueline Susann and “Valley of the Dolls,”two promotional films from 1967
- Episode of the television program Hollywood Backstories from 2001 on the film
- Screen tests
- Trailers
- English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
- PLUS: A booklet featuring an essay by film critic Glenn Kenny