This doco is much more entertaining than "Deep Throat" itself. It re-assembles all the cinematic miscreants involved with the production of the infamous pioneering porn flick and gets some of the lowdown on its making and aftermath, political and personal.
The strangest aspects of the doc, for me, were the twenty-years-later-re-appraisals of the film's merits. One or two interviewees talked about the film's "witty dialog" and its "originality". Please, let's get some perspective here, folks. "Deep Throat" was never and never will be a good movie. It's hardcore scenes are sweaty and ugly, it is barely technically adequate, and the dialog (if you are generous enough to call it that) is puerile. The reason the film entered popular culture was because it was first. It wasn't the first hardcore feature film, but it was the first to be widely distributed and widely discussed. On top of that, it was busted for obscenity over and over again. But, it didn't become a better film because of the trouble it caused.
The doco is so polished you can't believe it's about the making of "Deep Throat"; it's a clever gimmick, actually, because it, too, like "Deep Throat", got wide distribution (by Universal in this case) with an NC-17 rating.
Damiano makes an interesting subject, as do the massive pants he wears that he pulls up to his nipples to hide his girth. A distributor from Florida (and his nagging wife) are memorable, too. Harry Reems, the male star of "Throat", and star of better skinflicks such as "Society Affairs", is open and honest discussing the negative impact starring in the film had on him.
As the film was mob-financed, we get the sense that the entire "Deep Throat" story has still not been told. Nevertheless, this accomplished film is an illuminating look at the film's voyage into 70's American culture.
The strangest aspects of the doc, for me, were the twenty-years-later-re-appraisals of the film's merits. One or two interviewees talked about the film's "witty dialog" and its "originality". Please, let's get some perspective here, folks. "Deep Throat" was never and never will be a good movie. It's hardcore scenes are sweaty and ugly, it is barely technically adequate, and the dialog (if you are generous enough to call it that) is puerile. The reason the film entered popular culture was because it was first. It wasn't the first hardcore feature film, but it was the first to be widely distributed and widely discussed. On top of that, it was busted for obscenity over and over again. But, it didn't become a better film because of the trouble it caused.
The doco is so polished you can't believe it's about the making of "Deep Throat"; it's a clever gimmick, actually, because it, too, like "Deep Throat", got wide distribution (by Universal in this case) with an NC-17 rating.
Damiano makes an interesting subject, as do the massive pants he wears that he pulls up to his nipples to hide his girth. A distributor from Florida (and his nagging wife) are memorable, too. Harry Reems, the male star of "Throat", and star of better skinflicks such as "Society Affairs", is open and honest discussing the negative impact starring in the film had on him.
As the film was mob-financed, we get the sense that the entire "Deep Throat" story has still not been told. Nevertheless, this accomplished film is an illuminating look at the film's voyage into 70's American culture.