''Valley of the Dolls' sets up a compelling subplot in which men, feeling surly and belittled by the success of the women in their lives, gaslight them into thinking they’re doing something wrong.'
Most striking, however, is the contempt with the mostly male reviewers treated one of the film’s more devastating plotlines, in which Jennifer dies by suicide after finding out she has to have a mastectomy, because she’s been so brainwashed into thinking her looks are her only valuable asset.Still, far from fading into obscurity, the film went on to develop a dedicated following as a cult camp classic, one particularly beloved by gay audiences.
Susann’s book — a delicious read, by the way — focused primarily on Anne, who abandons the well-bred gentility of her New England hometown of Lawrenceville to build a life as an assistant to Henry Bellamy, a New York-based entertainment lawyer. He introduces her to the dark underbelly of showbiz, full of talented ingenues desperate to make it , beautiful women underestimated and used for their looks , powerhouse performers struggling to retain status as they age , and suave, charming agents .
Luckily, the film divides its time more equally between Anne, Neely and Jennifer. We see Neely rise as a stage performer, eventually making it in Hollywood, only to be pumped full of barbiturates and amphetamines — which she nicknames “dolls,” hence the title — so that she can keep up with the frenetic pace of production. The film does a good job of warning against the dangers of drug use without shaming addiction.
Her character, rumored to be based on Judy Garland, is a tragic reminder of how many female performers were put through that grinder. Duke plays her as a nasty piece of work — she does steal Lyon Burke away from her best friend Anne, after all — but there’s truth, even in her drug-fueled rants. In one particularly poignant moment, she describes the: “They say I’m difficult. They say I’m drunk even when I’m not. Sure, I take dolls, I gotta get some sleep.
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