DVD REVIEW: INSIDE DEEP THROAT

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 US had theaters devoted entirely to sex films. Up to the 1960’s, obscenity laws required films containing on-screen sex scenes to have some educational value, so porn film producers added simple anatomy scenes or instructional voiceovers to their films to avoid legal problems. Gerard Damiano, a full-time hair dresser and part-time filmmaker from Queens, NY, “wrote” and directed his first independent sex films in the mid-60’s this way. Despite the increase in social liberation that grew out of the national response to the Vietnam War in the late 60’s, the US remained solidly conservative on issues of sex. President Lyndon Johnson appointed a Presidential Commission on Obscenity and Pornography in 1968, and his replacement Richard Nixon did the same in 1969. These commissions were formed to determine if pornography had any detrimental effect on society.

Mary Lou Retton earns a meager living.

In 1969, Denmark became the first nation to do away with its obscenity laws based on studies that found no harmful effects from pornography. President Nixon’s commission released its report in 1970, concluding basically the same thing. Nixon, unmoved by mere science, rejected his own commission’s findings and refused to do away with US obscenity laws. However, the blossoming sexual revolution would not be slowed by politics. In 1972, Gerry Damiano found his personal “girl next door”: Linda Lovelace (not her real name). Lovelace’s Svengali-lite husband told Damiano that Linda had a “special talent” involving the combination of her mouth and a length of man meat. When Damiano witnessed her abilities, he immediately wrote a quickie script about a girl with a clitoris in her throat and pulled together a small film crew to make a movie in Florida. Damiano had trouble casting his male lead, but an eager young production assistant named Harry Reems (not his real name) fit the bill in a pinch. Meat met mouth. Everyone rejoiced.

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 New York City. Variety gave the film a favorable review a few days after its release. The New York Times ran an article by Ralph Blumenthal entitled “Porno Chic” that seemed to validate Deep Throat’s cultural significance. People who previously would have never entered a porn theater lined up to see the movie. Time magazine reported that the film had grossed $3 million and had been shown on more than 60 screens in the US in its first six months of release.

In response to the film’s success, the first obscenity trial against Deep Throat began in Binghamton, NY. Despite a favorable decision for Deep Throat’s producers in that trial, the film was deemed obscene in New York City and other cities across the country in subsequent trials and removed from many theaters. In the end, Deep Throat was banned in 23 states over a period of years. None of the legal proceedings slowed the public’s demand for Deep Throat, even when the FBI became involved in several cases due to the underworld connections of Damiano’s financial partners, the well-connected Peraino crime family.

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 Utah. Linda Lovelace enjoyed a short life of celebrity before fading into obscurity and poverty, suffering the stigma of her involvement in the film in her future pursuits and making public statements, under the guidance of Gloria Steinem, that she was forced to make Deep Throat by her abusive husband and was actually raped in the film. She died in 1992 in an auto accident.

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 Binghamton, Princeton, Tucson (where Gerry Damiano met up with a young Annie Sprinkle for some “deep throat” training) and Beverly Hills. Also, a short clip documents the arrest of two Harvard students who wanted to show the film on campus as a fundraiser, and the near-riot that ensued. There are three pieces on Linda Lovelace. One that describes her futile attempt to enter the Hollywood mainstream. Another entitled The Legends of Erotica: Remembering Linda shows a video from a gathering of legendary porn stars at what appears to be an adult entertainment store. The third shows interviews with Linda’s daughter, sister and a friend discussing the person behind the sex symbol. There is a clip of an interview with the founder of Women Against Pornography, who is featured in the film as well. Another short includes interviews with several women on the subject of fellatio. It’s amazing to see Marilyn Chambers get embarrassed while describing the proper way to give oral. A more serious clip details the disappearance of Bobby De Salvo, who made the mistake of upsetting the Perainos by trying to make side money from their film. Fire Dance With Me is an extended look at the dance Gerry Damiano’s daughter performs during the closing credits of the film. Another clip features a social club called the Harry Reems’ Athletic Club that is devoted to the male porn star. It appears that the participants just want an excuse to get together and drink. Finally, an interview compilation discusses sex and pornography and their influence on our country.

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