CORPORATE LINE: After focusing on the decadent club scene of the 1980s with their film PARTY MONSTER, filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato travel further back in time for this documentary on the cultural impact of the ’72 movie DEEP THROAT. When director Gerard Damiano unleashed the film–a witty, yet explicit X-Rated movie starring Linda Lovelace as a fellatio-crazed woman with a clitoris located in her throat–audiences flocked to it in droves. The film was a cut above standard adult fare, and attracted an unusually high percentage of female viewers who reveled in seeing a female character attain sexual satisfaction in the male-dominated world of adult films. With the public’s interest piqued, controversy followed, and a court case against the movie prompted the government to try to ban the film outright. This only drew more people to it, and its combined box office is estimated at $600 million–an incredible return on the original $25,000 investment. Or was it? Damiano never made a cent from the film, while Lovelace and co-star Harry Reems made $1450 between them. Lovelace complained bitterly about her treatment on the set in her memoir–the appropriately titled ORDEAL–and Reems had to go through his own obscenity trial, during which he succumbed to the temptations of alcohol and narcotics. Damiano and Reems return to talk about their experiences here (Lovelace passed away in 2002), while the indelible impression the film left on a shocked early-’70s society is fleshed out by comments from Hugh Hefner, Germaine Greer, Camille Paglia, and many others. A truly arresting film, INSIDE DEEP THROAT offers a fascinating lesson about how little the world has changed in regard to pornography and censorship in the 33 years that have passed between Damiano’s movie and this documentary.
THE MOVIE: Watching Inside Deep Throat you’d think it was a film about the ‘50’s and not the ‘70s. With a history over this X-rated film, a trial, and fall out that ruined the lives of many. It seems almost impossible that this happened after the ‘60s.
The documentary never makes judgments—rather it tries to tell the story and let us decide. It would seem impossible not to feel a bit outraged by the way the film’s star Harry Reems was treated and ultimately tried. It was great to see that he didn’t allow this to ruin his life—today he is a Real Estate agent in Park City, Utah. Reems is likable and is a wonderful interview—without him this movie would have been unwatchable.
THE EXTRAS:
“The Binghamton Trial: Cliterally Speaking,” “Beverly Hills: Holly Gets Wood,” “Quincy House: Poison Ivy League,” “Princeton: Throat Deep in Suburbs,” and finally “The Tucson Trail: When Gerry Met Annie” are all nice featurettes that look at the trials. It’s interesting after you see a little of them but wears thing quickly. Just one of these featuretttes would have been plenty.
“Cut Throat: Where in the World is Bobby De Salvo”
“Harry Reems’ Athletic Club” is a tired featurette about guys who think well of Harry Reems.
“Linda’s Exit: What’s the Big Deal?” deals with the final years of Linda’s life.
“Linda Does Hollywood” is a featurette about her fifteen minutes of fame.
“The Legends of Erotica: Remembering Linda” is exactly the way the title reads—remembering Linda Lovelace.
“The Last Word for Now” is bits of interviews with the likes of Wes Craven, Bill Maher, and Hugh Hefner discussing sex in America.
FRANKLY: Inside Deep Throat is an extremely interesting documentary. It shows just how powerful a frothing media and overzealous lawmakers can be. It became such an ingrained part of our history that Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein used the title for their Watergate source to bring down a president. In the end the thought of a time without porn is hard enough—Deep Throat was the beginning of it all.
+ Charlie Craine
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