Inside Deep Throat delves into the fascinating background of the most profitable film in the history of cinema; it's a story that features political machination, cultural revolution, moral uproar, censorship, obscenity lawsuits, the women's liberation movement, claims of sexual abuse, and the mafia—but most importantly, a lady with complete control over her gag reflex.
Linda Lovelace (real name: Linda Susan Boreman) shot to fame in Deep Throat, the porn film that became a phenomenon by capitalising on its star's outstanding ability to perform fellatio; in the permissive climate of the early '70s, Deep Throat became the first blue movie to be embraced by the middle-classes, briefly making it chic to go see a sex flick. Unfortunately, for the people involved in the making of the film, not everyone was so open-minded: the Moral Majority (i.e., religious right) were soon up in arms and launched a crusade against the film with the full backing of the current administration, led by that beacon of morality, Richard Nixon.
Interviews with the film's cast and crew, including it's male star Harry Reems and director Gerard Damiano, shed a lot of light on the movie, and opinions are also given by such luminaries as Al Goldstein, Dr. Ruth, Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, John Waters, Wes Craven, Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal; however, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the whole Deep Throat affair—Lovelace joining the feminist anti-porn movement and subsequently revealing that she was forced to take part in the film against her wishes by her controlling and violent husband—is only briefly touched upon.
Whether or not Linda was really a victim of abuse, or merely a puppet of feminist activists, is still the subject of much conjecture, and with the actress having died as the result of a car crash in 2002, we shall probably never know for certain; but watching Linda enthusiastically performing her signature move (this documentary shows snippets of the notorious act), listening to her proudly promoting the movie in interviews, and knowing of her intent to return to the world of porn, I do find her claim of unwilling participation rather hard to swallow (snigger, snigger, fnar, fnar!).
6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.
Linda Lovelace (real name: Linda Susan Boreman) shot to fame in Deep Throat, the porn film that became a phenomenon by capitalising on its star's outstanding ability to perform fellatio; in the permissive climate of the early '70s, Deep Throat became the first blue movie to be embraced by the middle-classes, briefly making it chic to go see a sex flick. Unfortunately, for the people involved in the making of the film, not everyone was so open-minded: the Moral Majority (i.e., religious right) were soon up in arms and launched a crusade against the film with the full backing of the current administration, led by that beacon of morality, Richard Nixon.
Interviews with the film's cast and crew, including it's male star Harry Reems and director Gerard Damiano, shed a lot of light on the movie, and opinions are also given by such luminaries as Al Goldstein, Dr. Ruth, Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, John Waters, Wes Craven, Norman Mailer and Gore Vidal; however, perhaps the most interesting aspect of the whole Deep Throat affair—Lovelace joining the feminist anti-porn movement and subsequently revealing that she was forced to take part in the film against her wishes by her controlling and violent husband—is only briefly touched upon.
Whether or not Linda was really a victim of abuse, or merely a puppet of feminist activists, is still the subject of much conjecture, and with the actress having died as the result of a car crash in 2002, we shall probably never know for certain; but watching Linda enthusiastically performing her signature move (this documentary shows snippets of the notorious act), listening to her proudly promoting the movie in interviews, and knowing of her intent to return to the world of porn, I do find her claim of unwilling participation rather hard to swallow (snigger, snigger, fnar, fnar!).
6.5 out of 10, rounded up to 7 for IMDb.