Valley Of The Dolls

I watched this film as part of my research into the work of Dory and Andre Previn in Hollywood, so I was not expecting to really enjoy this film, but I was pleasantly suprised at how engaging it was.

What you need to bear in mind is that while this film appears to be over the top and cliche ridden, the reality of Hollywood at the times was far worse than this. For instance, Judy Garland stayed in her dressing room for two days before beingh fired from this very film, the character manages only two minutes.

The use of the theme tune is very good, as it appears one verse at a time as the story proceeds.

The scene where a pianist plays to the inmates in a mental hospital may just be an in-joke as Andre Previn actually went to play the piano at the hospital where his wife was an inmate with schizophrenia.

If it had been made with a little more responsibility and care, this could have been a hugely influential account of Hollywood life. As it is, it is an entertaining period piece.