Inside Deep Throat (2004)

Featured Audience Ratings

• Carlos M

  
  This is a very well-edited and amusing documentary that investigates the cultural influence of one of the most polemic films ever made, as well as its impact on politics, the sexual revolution and the porn industry. An enlightening account that is fascinating and surprising.

• Matthew R

  
  Great documentaries come around once in a long time. And one of those is certainly Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato's homage to the most successful pornographic film ever made. Inside Deep Throat not only provides an interesting history to the blockbuster hardcore film, but also… More
  Great documentaries come around once in a long time. And one of those is certainly Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato's homage to the most successful pornographic film ever made. Inside Deep Throat not only provides an interesting history to the blockbuster hardcore film, but also provides the gravity of its impact and the influence of pornography on the culture. And as the film progresses, we see the increased stranglehold of censorship on artistic freedom and the devolution of the pornography from a rebellious art form coinciding hand-in-hand with the sexual revolution and the earliest stages of the feminist movement to a sleazy cash machine devoid of practically any value or effort. Though I wouldn't say Deep Throat was an artistic masterpiece, but its impression on American media history is impossible to ignore. This is one documentary that puts the current battles of censorship and freedom of artistic expression through sex in mainstream media used more than simply smut for the sake of smut to set under the microscope, and dissects it very well from the people who lived the lives of those who were involved in such an important bit of history. This film almost couples in time with Kirby Dick's amazing documentary This Film is Not Yet Rated which emerged the year after Inside Deep Throat.

• Veronique K

  
  someone tries to dispute with me over whether cinema is an ideological apparatus. there're great many historical facts to prove this, if cinema is not an ideological apparatus, why a self-publicized democratic nation like united states would make laws like 1930s hays code or… More
  someone tries to dispute with me over whether cinema is an ideological apparatus. there're great many historical facts to prove this, if cinema is not an ideological apparatus, why a self-publicized democratic nation like united states would make laws like 1930s hays code or 1950s maccarthyist blacklist to take total control of this medium. even when these laws are already made obsolete in present stage, why there was still great moral crusade from various religious groups which cooperated with some of the inland state government against an insignificant joke like DEEP THROAT? and it's just sex, a private matter you perform in the bedroom, and it's supposedly a freedom you're entitled to have without lawful interference! why all the fuss over it? ideological apparatus??? ok, it's not an argument about what cinema should be but what cinema is often prsented to be...my idea of cinema is CAMP! even i'm a complicated woman by mind, but i do like put my complexity into oblivion sometimes when i watch a movie. my notion of pure entertainment, and what cinema should be, is CAMP, a sheer celebration of apolitical aesthetics. let's face it, no matter how sharp my viewpoints can be, i cannot change the world. all the power i have is to avoid buying food from macdonald. (petite individual). i cannot change anything but pray for survival, free from disfranchisement, malicious discrimination and unjust condemnation. firstly, i wish to say, fellatio was not invented by linda lovelace even the publicity of deep throat in 70s seemed to favor giving people impressions that she was the first woman who could do that with her magical "verbal gift." there's always a thing called stag films way back to 1920s, even 1910s. okay, even in victorian age, there were naughty postcards with such illustrations. BUT i do wanna say, linda lovelace was indeed the one who popularized fellatio into the course of mainstream sex-culture (seriously, i think every male should be grateful to her! everyone who benefits from it in america should donate five-dollars to her..haha.) secondly, the changes of linda lovelace's public image as the ultimate miss fellatio also reflect the evolved process of second and third wave of feminism. she was originally a symbol of woman being free to pursue her own pleasure of sex. by the end of 70s, lovelace started to unite with the spectacled, serious prim second-wave feminists to protest that her performing fellatio was a open exploitaion against woman and watching her doing that is like being an accomplice of a rape scene. then lovelace retired as she aged. later by the end of 80s, penniless linda got paid again to exploit herself by flashing her body for some man's magzine. so she betrays again to everything she's said. in a brief, the public image of linda lovelace was being made over, over and over again in accrodance of the demands of feminist ideolgoies. thirdly, as for what linda lovelace's sexual revolution turns out to be...she just opens the gate of female-fetishizations with a justified name of sexual freedom. there could be a whole debate on approving porns or disappproving porns. porn is exploiting woman or liberating woman, blah blah blah. ok, i suppose it could be both, and it all depends on how you views it with or without a discerning eye. i attended a conference about gender studies on porn, and there were a two-people team doing surveys over the internet porns. their result is, the popular trend within the internet porn industries is still quite misogynistic, and those clips which receive most viewings still favor to gaze at woman as dimensionless object, and fellatio is still the most popular one. (the details of that reports were really hilarious, and the reactions of various users' responces made me laugh, let's skip that here)...and i did give them a feedback, why it's always sex on the target when it comes to woman's liberation. how about EQUAL PAY? i suppose the reason is simple, because man could also benefit from woman's sexual liberation. those sex workers are people who are stuck in their present conditions without a way out to make a regular living, so they have to declare things like they like to be whores, for the sake of the last petite pride left in them. but state could make welfare laws to help people like that instead of leaving all the responsibilities to them while remaining in a morally, socially condescedning attitude. at last, linda lovelace led a crappy senile days, living in a trailer, seriously ill, disgusted and disrespected by her kids, failed marriage. btw, there was some arguments made upon throat cancer caused oral sex. but some university (forget the name of it) chose to demonstrate that by using a picture of a headless woman receiving male head. what does it suggest? some say, it suggests that cunnilingus is to be condemened and man should watch out his health, while you woman could fellate as much as you want since your health is not in realm of foundamental significance. (ok, i just summarize those discussions made over it in that conference). gee, everything could be ideological, even sex. ok, maybe sometimes.

• Steve K

  
  Fascinating from a sociological point of view, but also seems a bit too determined to anoint importance on something that probably was just one of those things.

• Spencer S

  
  An interesting and argumentative scope on the reach of the iconic porn film Deep Throat. The interviews, from the original stars to people as wordly as Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer, put a light on everything from politics to pandemonium.

• Wahida K

  
  It was filmed in 6 days for 25 thousand dollars. The government didn't want you to see it. It was banned in 23 states. It has grossed over 600 million dollars. And it is the most profitable film in motion picture history.

• Stella D

  
  i've never seen deep throat but from the clips shown here it doesn't look like a masterpiece. however this is an enlightening documentary on the first porn film to go mainstream and be prosecuted for obscenity, ultimately becoming the most profitable film of all time. the… More
  i've never seen deep throat but from the clips shown here it doesn't look like a masterpiece. however this is an enlightening documentary on the first porn film to go mainstream and be prosecuted for obscenity, ultimately becoming the most profitable film of all time. the early 70s was a more innocent time for so-called 'blue movies' and the director, gerard damiano, reminded me of burt reynolds' character in boogie nights, with his ambitions of merging hardcore with hollywood. things took a turn with the invention of the vcr and, almost 40 years on, the internet may kill the adult film industry altogether. it becomes ever more extreme and misogynistic in search of an audience. interesting sidelights include the mob's investment in the film and the feminist crusade that turned its' star against it. the first amendment issue is still relevant as the laws under which it was prosecuted are in place in america and the religious right is never far away

• Michael G

  
  A really great documentary about one of the most famous porn movies in history. Not so much about the movie itself so much as world it came from and ultimately brought with it. Very well done with some classy Dennis Hopper narration. Lots of great interviews and archival footage too.… More
  A really great documentary about one of the most famous porn movies in history. Not so much about the movie itself so much as world it came from and ultimately brought with it. Very well done with some classy Dennis Hopper narration. Lots of great interviews and archival footage too. (Namely the Miami theater manager and his cranky old wife pissing and moaning in the background.) Inside Deep Throat is also a great look into a nearly forgotten time which at times seems so inconceivably ignorant which gave way (as the ending points out) to another twisted time in history--now.

• Ross C

  
  For a documentary about the movie that kicked off the modern porn trade there's not enough porn and too many annoying Americans!

• Nate Z

  
  [center][img]http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/5796/insidedeepthroat3ki.jpg[/img] [/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred]I find that there are generally two requirements that make a really great documentary: 1) have an interesting story, and 2) have an interesting way of telling it.… More
  [center][img]http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/5796/insidedeepthroat3ki.jpg[/img] [/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred]I find that there are generally two requirements that make a really great documentary: 1) have an interesting story, and 2) have an interesting way of telling it. I’ve seen documentaries on ripe topics squandered because of the dull and unimaginative ways they tell their tales (Robert Greenwald’s [i]Uncovered: The Truth about the Iraq War[/i] comes to mind). The skilled documentary team behind [i]The Eyes of Tammy Faye[/i] and [i]Party Monster[/i] has set their sights on a little smut film that changed the world in the early 1970s. [i]Deep Throat[/i] was a “dirty movie” made for peanuts (25 grand) that ended up becoming the most profitable film of all time, eventually grossing more than $600 million. The story behind its meteoric rise, cultural acceptance, and damnation hits both requirements, thus making [i]Inside Deep Throat[/i] a sensationally entertaining documentary.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]It all started in 1971 when Gerard Damiano wanted to make an inexpensive pornographic film. Back in those days, many aspiring filmmakers actually got their start in porn (Wes Craven admits it). Damiano was in the planning process when he was visited by a man who wanted his girlfriend, Linda Lovelace, to appear in the eventual porno. He swore his girlfriend could do the most amazing trick. Lovelace demonstrated her trick, the full swallowing of an erect penis. Damiano was dumbstruck. He was determined not just to involve Lovelace but to base an entire film around her stunning ability. [i]Deep Throat[/i] was written in three days, filmed in six days, but the furor it would bring would be irrevocably long lasting.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][i]Deep Throat[/i], as many crew will happily report, is not exactly a good movie. In fact, some call it the worst pornographic film of all time. Lovelace’s character found sex joyless, that is, until a doctor (Harry Reems) discovers that she has her clitoris all the way in the back of her throat. Thus to orgasm she has to swallow head-on (oh the double meaning). When the crew actually witnessed Lovelace’s cavernous abilities firsthand, they too were flabbergasted. But they wouldn’t be alone. [i]Inside Deep Throat[/i] makes smart use of archival footage to prove how mainstream a small smut flick became. We see clips of Bob Hope and Johnny Carson cracking jokes about the film, and most amusingly of all are one or two interviews with little old ladies who “wanted to see a dirty picture.” [i]Deep Throat[/i] crossed over and people went out in their Sunday finest to watch a hard-core porno.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][i]Inside Deep Throat[/i] is rated NC-17 and with good reason. We do get to see Lovelace strut her stuff (by “strut her stuff” I mean swallow an erect male organ) and the film almost playfully teases an audience with anticipation. We hear interviewees discuss their amazement; we see a close-up of Reems face as he gets pleasured. By the time the scene in question is shown uncut, we’re eager to witness this feat of fantastic fellatio ourselves. Let’s be honest, you can’t have a documentary about [i]Deep Throat[/i]’s impact without showing the goods. Filmmaking duo Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato have a very visually satisfying way of telling their story. Images tear across the screen and animation pops, all set to what must amount to most of the soundtrack to [i]Boogie Nights[/i]. The glossy visual flair reminds me of the swirling, near-pop-out book imagery of [i]The Kid Stays in the Picture[/i]. The pacing of [i]Inside Deep Throat[/i] is near break-neck, with the film clocking in at just over 90 minutes. I wish that the filmmakers had spent more time on their subject and gone more in depth into certain areas like Lovelace’s turnaround from girl next door goddess to anti-porn crusader . . . back to fifty-something nude model (she was killed in a car accident in 2002).[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [center][img]http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/1199/photo024mc.jpg[/img][/center] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The cultural splash [i]Deep Throat[/i] made is interesting enough, but the meat of the story is in the battles that would ensue. Damiano openly talks about how the mob controlled the early porn industry. He admits that he refused his share in the millions out of fear that he might have had his legs broken, or worse. There’s a long tangled web of mafia influence in the proliferation of [i]Deep Throat[/i]. It was banned in over 30 states, but everywhere it went it became a hit. A Mafioso says that they were making so much money that they had to count it by the pound. Mob hits would materialize over the film’s profits and territory.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Even more fascinating, the U.S. government, to no one’s surprise, declared the film indecent. They couldn’t prosecute the director, or the distributors (unless they liked sleeping with the fishes), or anyone really making money off of the success of [i]Deep Throat[/i]. So what’s a stubborn government to do? They prosecuted Reems for his involvement in a pornographic film. It was the first time an actor was ever prosecuted for his participation in art after the fact. Celebs like Warren Beatty and Jack Nicholson came to Reems’ aid, fearful of what might happen if a government could retroactively punish artists. Sadly, Reems was found guilty and sentenced to years in prison and was really never the same afterwards.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]But instructional films on sexuality were still okay as far as government was concerned, and we see clips of them in all their medical film hilarity (apparently some positions are not meant for the obese we’re told). These were acceptable because they were meant to help and inform, whereas porn is meant to entertain.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]The film’s interviews comprise some of its best and worst moments. Most of the [i]Deep Throat[/i] crew is in their 60s or 70s now, and hearing them talk about porn and sexual acts does make you titter a bit. The crew provides funny anecdotes and some of the juiciest material. However, the film also curiously interviews people like Dick Cavett and Bill Maher. The expected talking heads are here like Dr. Ruth, Camille Paglia, John Waters, Hugh Hefner and Larry Flynt, but they regularly don’t have anything insightful to say.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][i]Inside Deep Throat[/i] goes back and forth with its objectivity. It’s obviously pro-freedom of speech and doesn’t mind ridiculing the government agents who tried taking [i]Deep Throat[/i] down (oh the double meaning). Particularly telling is an FBI agent who wishes that terrorism could be tidied up so that he could finally get to the real importance, which is stopping people from seeing pornography. One of the main points of the prosecution of [i]Deep Throat[/i] was that it “wrongly” purported the idea of a clitoral orgasm (talk to any sexually satisfied woman, and I think she’ll find some error with this judgment). It’s easy in retrospect to chide government officials ruling on inaccurate information or just plain ignorance. It may be too easy for some viewers, but for me it’s fair game to lambaste any idiot trying to strip me of my Constitutional rights.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][i]Inside Deep Throat[/i] is an engrossing if light-hearted look at a moment in time. Some of the seedier elements feel skipped over, but this is a documentary on a fascinating subject told with a pleasing visual style. Don’t be put off by the NC-17 rating or the subject matter. Inside [i]Deep Throat[/i] is more than a behind-the-scenes featurette on a wildly successful porno. It’s a fast, funny, and greatly entertaining time capsule of an era where boundaries were still being pushed, both by artists and by censors. And in today’s FCC-fearing landscape, maybe not everything has changed since [i]Deep Throat[/i] brought porn into the mainstream.[/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred][/color][/font] [font=Arial][color=darkred]Nate's Grade: A-[/color][/font]

• Eric B

  
  Of course, a documentary about the "Deep Throat" controversies is bound to be interesting. Narrator Dennis Hopper helps trace the phenomenon of the first hardcore film to enter the mainstream. Director Gerard Damiano and co-star Harry Reams add their first-hand perspective,… More
  Of course, a documentary about the "Deep Throat" controversies is bound to be interesting. Narrator Dennis Hopper helps trace the phenomenon of the first hardcore film to enter the mainstream. Director Gerard Damiano and co-star Harry Reams add their first-hand perspective, while interview soundbites come from celebrities including Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, Helen Gurley Brown, Bill Maher, Gore Vidal, John Waters, Dick Cavett, Norman Mailer, Erica Jong and Camille Paglia. Unfortunately, "Deep Throat" star Linda Lovelace died in 2002 and thus only appears in archival clips. The doc's first half details the creation and initial success of "Deep Throat," and is admittedly more engrossing than the legal headaches detailed in the second half. "Inside Deep Throat" was rated NC-17, but don't be too squeamish -- it probably would be rated R if not for a single (and arguably necessary) shot of Lovelace performing the curious feat that made her famous. Until I looked up some background information tonight, I never realized that "Deep Throat" was just 61 minutes long. And yet it allegedly grossed $600 million? Wow. How unfortunate that the film's director and stars apparently didn't benefit at all from this windfall. Says Mailer: "It was a giggle. And the worst thing that can be said about us as Americans is we'll sell our souls for a giggle."

• Walter M

  
  [font=Century Gothic][color=blue]The first time I ever saw a pornographic film was my sophomore year in college. A few of my friends had access to a particular tape which they showed to me. It was plotted like an exercise tape. I was very excited at the beginning of the tape when… More
  [font=Century Gothic][color=blue]The first time I ever saw a pornographic film was my sophomore year in college. A few of my friends had access to a particular tape which they showed to me. It was plotted like an exercise tape. I was very excited at the beginning of the tape when the stars of the film got undressed and down to action. Ten minutes later, I was very bored...which is how I feel about pornography in general. Basically, a good idea but never well made enough to maintain my interest. And it just makes me thankful for the fast forward button on the remote.(While at college, friends would tell me that it was always more interesting watching me waching sports and pornography, then what was going on screen. I never figured out what exactly they meant.)[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=blue][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=blue]"Inside Deep Throat" is a breezy documentary that features interviews with the surviving makers of the landmark pornographic film "Deep Throat", various people who were tangentially involved in the aftermath of the film's release and various cultural figures like Gore Vidal, Erica Jong, Norman Mailer and John Waters. Footage is also shown from the film and interviews conducted at the time. I liked the film but I do not really agree with its conclusions:[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#0000ff][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#0000ff]1. The feminist bashing rubbed me the wrong way. Feminist thinking is more diverse than just being anti-pornography.(For example, Susie Bright has always been pro-sex.) I can understand some feminists' dislike of pornography since so much of it is simply male fantasy, though. Especially, "Deep Throat" which is about a woman whose clitoris is at the back of her throat. What this indirectly says is that women can receive sexual pleasure from giving blow jobs...which is rather hard to believe.[/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#0000ff][/color][/font] [font=Century Gothic][color=#0000ff]2. I don't think there was ever a chance for pornography to cross over to the mainstream. I think this is less a matter of censorship, than of economics. Studios know that PG-13 movies make more money than R rated movies, so why even bother making something as risky as a NC-17?(There have been several NC-17 movies released over the past year but for the most part, they have been independently made.) The one movie that came closest to this imagined hybrid was "Last Tango in Paris" which was released in 1973 but it was not mentioned in the documentary. "Deep Throat"'s legacy was to convince untold numbers of filmmakers that they too could make an adult film for very little money in hopes of making the huge profits that "Deep Throat" reportedly did.(There are mentions of how very little of the profits the filmmakers saw. More than 25 years later, the lack of compensation would again arise in the documentary "Sex: The Annabel Chong Story". Oh those, wascally capitalists!)[/color][/font]

• Professor W

  
  A documentary based solely around the 1972 film, Deep Throat. It does a great job capturing the social mind-state people had in the 1970s. It shows the making-of the film, the controversy around it, and stories of those involved. 8.8/10

• Alec B

  
  While it's pretty informative the film is completely one sided. The whole idea of doing a documentary about the porno Deep Throat would be to get a gigantic response from people with all sorts of opinions. We know how people like Hugh Hefner or Gore Vidal are going to view the… More
  While it's pretty informative the film is completely one sided. The whole idea of doing a documentary about the porno Deep Throat would be to get a gigantic response from people with all sorts of opinions. We know how people like Hugh Hefner or Gore Vidal are going to view the situation, it would have been more interesting to get more reactions.

• Ed Fucking H

  
  A very well done documentary on the most profitable film in American History. From a sociological point of view it was also a very important movie that broke a lot of barriers, and was an important part of the sexual revolution. This film covers the film itself, it's champions,… More
  A very well done documentary on the most profitable film in American History. From a sociological point of view it was also a very important movie that broke a lot of barriers, and was an important part of the sexual revolution. This film covers the film itself, it's champions, its critics, the obscenity trials, mafia goons, moral crusaders, feminists, the Lina Lovelace story etc. I've never understood why people fucking on screen get's some people so bent out of shape. If you don't want to see it these films are easy enoug to ignore, but certain people in places of power will always want to control what people are allowed to see. I would say that this film is also of interest to fans of exploitation films. A lot of the paranoia surrounding the porn films of the 70's would cross over and affect those films as well, and their arguments were more or less the same: "These films will turn other wise normal people into serial killer, rapist, sexual deviants." While most rational people will say that this is ridiculous, it did seem to be an effective argument as the porn industry was effectively pushed underground. They weren't able to surpress it to the point of extinction, but they were definently able to affect what constitutes a porn film, thus the unimaginative, carbon copy material produced today. Either way, this is a very thought provoking, often humourous and always entertaining and enlightening documentary about a film that has great cultural importance. Worth seeing regardless of your opinions on pornography.

• Jason R

  
  Considering the film is about the lives of those people who made the most successful pornographic film of all time. Inside Deep Throat is one of the most interesting and well made documentaries I have seen. It touches on everything from the Sexual Revolution, Decency Laws, and the… More
  Considering the film is about the lives of those people who made the most successful pornographic film of all time. Inside Deep Throat is one of the most interesting and well made documentaries I have seen. It touches on everything from the Sexual Revolution, Decency Laws, and the Woman's Rights Movement. There are so many interesting characters, so many great stories, you gotta see this one.

• matt s

  
  What a sham! I thought this movie was going to be like hardcore and shit... Just kidding, wankers. Nice little documentary. Best part: the paranoia of those days. I love watching the old footage of interviews where the porn "actors" are defending themselves and the… More
  What a sham! I thought this movie was going to be like hardcore and shit... Just kidding, wankers. Nice little documentary. Best part: the paranoia of those days. I love watching the old footage of interviews where the porn "actors" are defending themselves and the government officials are lauding about their morals. However, the best interview was this guy Lenny Crab or something. The guy is hilarious. Every time he's asked about something be it the actors, directors, locations, he answers, "Oh yeah, it's shit." I love that dude. Be warned though, it's about porn. Oh well, you're an adult. The downside to a movie like this is that we might as well legitamize films like Crank and shit like that and do docs about Sly Stallone's late career violence boner. Deep Throat is what it is - a movie to get your rocks off. Sure, it made lots of money and the government went apeshit, butttttt, I just don't think it warrants a $5 million doc from Brian Grazer. Maybe just a Behind the Music special.

• Quinto W

  
  A very engrossing and informative tale of not only one of the most controversial films of all-time, but a fascinating account on the status of freedom and sexual revolution in troubled times; as well as a sad tale of the downward spiral the porn industry came to suffer afterwards.

Read all 18 featured audience ratings