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Review by: Jack Foley | Rating:
Two
DVD SPECIAL FEATURES: Director's commentary. Deleted
scenes. Interviews. Trailer.
AMERICA has always seemed a little prudish when it comes to the
issue of sex, so it's refreshing to find Hollywood exposing a
few home truths in some of its recent movies.
Kinsey, for example, demonstrated
the great lengths a respected sex researcher had to go to even
get people to talk about it, while Inside Deep Throat, a new documentary,
lifts the covers on the controversy surrounding one of the nation's
first mainstream porn films.
The film in question, Deep Throat, was released in 1972 amid
a storm of controversy, given that it featured the sexploits of
a small-town girl (played by Linda Lovelace) who possessed an
astonishing talent for fellatio (or oral sex, to those who don't
know).
The film quickly aroused the contempt of the religious right
who enlisted the help of President Richard Nixon in their bid
to get it banned.
But the notoriety only served to help it become the most profitable
film of all time, taking in $600 million at the box office as
people travelled from state to state to see it.
What's more, it is generally considered to be the film which
kickstarted the porn industry - something Nixon and his war on
freedom were keen to prevent when they first took it on.
Fascinated by the cultural impact of such a seemingly insignificant
sex flick, Brian Grazer's fascinating documentary - which is directed
by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato - examines the history of Deep
Throat, from conception to present day.
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It exposes the film's director, Gerard
Damiano, as nothing more than a former hairdresser who seized
the opportunity to make some money when he realised that the line
between hardcore pornography and mainstream fare was becoming
blurry.
And it shows how great an impact the film had on the lives of
those concerned, including its two main protagonists, Lovelace
and Harry Reems.
Lovelace, especially, suffered greatly for her 'art', first appearing
as a mascot for creative freedom and sexual energy, and then being
recruited by the feminist movement to speak out against the movie.
By her untimely death in 2002, she was penniless.
Reems, too, was made something of a scapegoat for the film's
success by the people trying to ban it and was faced with a prison
sentence at the height of the hysteria.
He has since become a born-again estate agent and is one of several
key figures interviewed in the documentary.
Central to Inside Deep Throat's success, however, is the way
in which it keeps audiences entertained throughout its 90 minutes
without resorting to too many cheap shots.
There are clips from Deep Throat, as well as various odd bits
of nudity, but the film avoids the temptation to become voyeuristic,
emerging as an intriguing, funny and even eye-opening chronicle
of prudish attitudes versus cheap titillation.
It's certain to stimulate some worthwhile debate after you've
seen it.
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