BUY IT AT AMAZON: CLICK HERE!
STUDIO: Universal
MSRP: $27.98
RATED: NC-17
RUNNING TIME: 90 Minutes
SPECIAL FEATURES:
• Deleted Scenes and Interview Segments
• The Legends of Erotica: Remembering Linda
• Harry Reems’ Athletic Club
• Commentary Track with Directors Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey
• Special Commentary Track with Interview Audio Clips
• Theatrical Trailer
There is an amazing statistic that appears at the beginning of the documentary Inside Deep Throat. It states that the film cost $25,000 to make and has to date grossed over $600 million dollars. That is an astounding sum for a porn film. Sure, it’s the most famous porn movie in history, but $600 million? According to Box Office Mojo (which, as one might expect, does not have Deep Throat on any of its lists) that figure would put Deep Throat in the company of The Passion of the Christ and Men In Black in terms of its worldwide gross. If that was a domestic gross, which I’m sure it’s not, it would be #2 right behind Titanic. Even stranger, because some of the box office receipts could not be accounted for due to the movie’s unusual distribution and tracking methods, the actual gross could be much more. People love their porn, especially when some moral watchdog group or another tries to say they can’t have it. The story of Deep Throat is not a pretty one, but it is mighty intriguing.
Somewhere, a comb manufacturer is voiding a lifetime warranty.
The Flick
Once upon a time, porn movies were shown in theaters. Many cities and towns throughout the
Mary Lou Retton earns a meager living.
In 1969,
An Evening of Song in Melissa’s Ass was a hit musical for two weeks, then was
suddenly closed due to a lube shortage.
Deep Throat (almost titled The Sword Swallower) premiered at the New World Mature Theater on June 12, 1972 in
In response to the film’s success, the first obscenity trial against Deep Throat began in
Early porn productions had a "film whoever we can get drunk" philosophy.
Unfortunately, Damiano received little in the way of earnings from the movie because his mob backers bought him out (they made him an offer he couldn’t refuse). Harry Reems was convicted in federal court on conspiracy charges in 1976 for appearing in the film, was later exonerated, and eventually became a real-estate agent in
Heff crawled out from under a pile of blondes to give an interview.
The moral of this story is obviously “Governments can’t legislate morality.” But another lesson of Inside Deep Throat is that the porn film about getting head may not be obscene, as that is up to the viewers to decide for themselves, but the industry that sprang from the success of Deep Throat may just be. The documentary follows the cast of characters involved in the production and distribution of Deep Throat and how their lives were affected by its amazing exposure. It’s important to remember that actual humans were a part of this sensational story. Inside Deep Throat also charts the forces in our society that somehow allow pornography to flourish regardless of the righteous ranks that tirelessly align themselves against it. Directors Barbato and Bailey took what could have been a simple story about a spank film and filled their running time with pathos and intelligence. There are scenes from some porn films on display, including the famous scene from Deep Throat that earned the documentary an NC-17 rating (an R-rated version is also available on DVD without the scene), but it’s not all about the skin. They interview a number of people involved with the original film as well as authors, directors and other cultural observers who witnessed Deep Throat’s effect on a society in flux. They bring us to the conclusion that Deep Throat, the most successful film in history, goosed our maturity as sexual adults even as it kick-started the industry that would treat us like kids in a candy store.
8.5 out of 10
Scatty-Cake II: The Butterfinger Identity was not as good as the original.
The Look
Inside Deep Throat is a highly-polished documentary. The anamorphic widescreen transfer doesn’t serve the subject matter that well, since porn movies are all about the close-ups anyway. Still, the grain in the erotica looks as good as film grain will ever look, and its presence makes one nostalgic for a time when framing, lighting and focus were integral parts of porn production. Every hairy body part imaginable is presented in rich, hairy color.
8.0 out of 10
"For the last time, there’s not a yo-yo in there!"
The Noise
Dennis Hopper’s weathered voice narrates the film, which has a 5.1 audio track. There are several nice musical interludes throughout but, again, it’s a documentary. The total lack of skin-slapping or moans of delight in surround sound is a bit disappointing, since most of the porn scenes are shown without their original sound. I don’t know, do any modern porn DVDs have 5.1 audio tracks? Probably not. I suppose that will become more important when holographic HD porn arrives someday.
6.9 out of 10
Me, founder of Men Against This Woman in Pornography
The Goodies
It’s apparent that the directors had a lot of material to work with in making their film, because the extra scenes included with the disc are plentiful. There are clips concerning the various trials that were held in an attempt to block wide distribution of Deep Throat, including those in
Also in 2002, 172,212 tissues dampened.
The disc includes two commentary tracks. The first is a slew of audio clips from unused interviews cut together. Personally, I dislike this type of commentary simply because the moderator spends a lot of time introducing each voice when more than five speakers are involved. It’s a very choppy experience. I don’t blame the directors for including the track, because the stories do add to the richness of the subject matter, I just find it distracting. The other track with Directors Barbato and Bailey is much better. They obviously did a lot of research in preparation for this film. They also have a lot of insightful things to say about the sex industry and the state of human sexuality in a nation such as ours swayed by its fundamentalist leadership.
7.5 out of 10
The 2005 model Resusci-Annie introduced some advanced features.
The Artwork
I can think of better images for the cover than a big pair of open, red lips, but it makes sense for the rental industry, since the idea is to encourage people to rent a documentary about a porn movie instead of forcing them to make a snap judgment about its content. If minimalism gets more people to watch this DVD, then I’m all for it.
6.0 out of 10
Overall: 7.5 out of 10