Porn Watcher

Inside Deep Throat is a documentary released to theatres in 2005 detailing the production, distribution, prosecution and near mythic status of the world’s most famous porn film. We learn, rather surprisingly, that Deep Throat is the most profitable film in motion picture history. Filmed in 6 days for 25 thousand dollars, it has grossed over 600 million dollars to date. Not bad for a movie the government didn’t want anyone to see.

Written and directed by the film-making team Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato, and narrated by Dennis Hopper, Inside Deep Throat is a fascinating exploration of a cultural phenomenon that took both the upper and middle classes by storm, delivering to the 1970s an outrageously radical new trend, "Porno Chic." The documentary also exposes the bigotry and hypocrisy of the Government and the Religious Right in their attempts to censor and repress the film.

Like the book The Other Hollywood I reported on back in November, Inside Deep Throat spends almost half its running time detailing the legal struggles endured by the film, its director and even its stars following its release and spectacular success. Unlike my complaints about The Other Hollywood, here we expect judicial maneuverings to be an intregal part of the narrative. After all, because of the conviction of star Harry Reems (the only artist in the history of the US prosecuted for their work), and the ultimate over-turning of that conviction, current obscenity laws are enforced as they are.

It was illegal to make porn in 1972, but hundreds of adult films were still produced. The artists who worked on Deep Throat (and other porn movies) didn’t do it for the money, or even the sexual thrill, but because they wanted to create social change, to wake audiences up to other moral principles, other attitudes toward sex. The anti-establishment movement was powerful, and sex films broke taboos in a manner no published material could. Deep Throat’s director Gerald Damiano, and stars Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems wanted to provoke the audience into thinking about sex (not to mention preconceived moral and ethical assumptions) in a critical way most run-of-the-mill Americans never had before. Needless to say, they succeeded beyond anyone’s wildest expectations.

It became a mainstream, Main Street hit, selling out theatres in nearly every town in America. Because it was so successful and made so much money, the FBI decided to make a moral example of it. Although the movie was banned in 23 states, it was the hot topic of conversation on television, at cocktail parties and around the water cooler. Subsequently, its success made porn acceptable and accessable to the average middle-class person.

Damiano is interviewed at length (cheerfully admitting the movie isn't very good), as is Reems, several distributors, a production assistant who worked on the filming, prosecutors, and the principle defense lawyers. A number of 1970s porn stars like Annie Sprinkle, Andrea True and, of course (in archival footage) the late Linda Lovelace also make appearances. But the most interesting commentary comes from the cultural leaders of the time, folks like Dick Cavett, Helen Gurley Brown, Carl Bernstein, Gore Vidal, Hugh Hefner, and Xaviera Hollander. Opinions are also offered by John Waters, Camille Paglia, Bill Maher, Dr. Ruth Westheimer, and Wes Craven (who admits he worked on porn films early in his career. He clams up, however, when asked which ones.)

All those interviewed for the documentary agree that Porn once looked like an exciting new art form, but tragically became a cheaply made, sloppily thrown-together commodity. I don’t completely agree, it’s not quite that bad today, but they have a point. Inexpensive video production turned what could have been a Brave New World of Art combining acting with fucking into the manufacture of thousands of videos that require little thought or pre-production from the maker, and the fast forward button close by for the consumer.

Inside Deep Throat is a fascinating and entertaining documentary about the creation of a cultural icon. The version that hit theatres was rated NC-17, but the DVD contains more nudity, and even briefly – Yes! -- Linda going down on Harry’s cock (and after all these years, it’s still fuckin’ impressive, let me tell you.) If this film didn’t come to your neighborhood cinema during its initial release, head out to Hastings and rent it – as I did last night. You’ll spend an hour and a half in front of the television without jacking-off, and you’ll still have a great time.