Inside Deep Throat (2005)

An examination of the infamous pornographic film Deep Throat (1972), covering aspects from the film's creation to its cultural impact.

Directors:

Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato

Writers:

Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato

Stars:

Linda Lovelace, Harry Reems, Dennis Hopper

1 win.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Dennis Hopper	...	Narrator (voice)
Gerard Damiano	...	Himself - Director, Deep Throat
John Waters	...	Himself - Filmmaker
Larry Flynt	...	Himself - Publisher, Hustler Magazine
Erica Jong	...	Herself - Author, Fear of Flying
Ruth Westheimer	...	Herself (as Dr. Ruth Westheimer)
Dick Cavett	...	Himself
Camille Paglia	...	Herself - Author, Sexual Personae
Linda Lovelace	...	Herself - Linda Lovelace (archive footage)
Harry Reems	...	Himself / Dr. Young / Dr. Schmock
Hugh M. Hefner	...	Himself (as Hugh Hefner)
Bill Maher	...	Himself
Norman Mailer	...	Himself
Charles Keating	...	Himself
Alan M. Dershowitz	...	Himself - Law Professor, Harvard (as Alan Dershowitz)

Storyline

In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel, "Deep Throat," starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film's star. In short, the combined events would redefine the popular appeal of pornography, even as more cynical developments would lead it down other paths.

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Plot Keywords:

deep throat | clitoris | porn industry | oral sex | fellatio | 

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Taglines:

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.

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Genres:

Documentary | Biography | History

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Former Official site for the film - site no longer active. [United States] Official distributor's page for the film. [United States]

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

11 August 2005 (Germany)

Also Known As:

Dentro de Garganta Funda

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$88,709 (USA) (11 February 2005)

Gross:

$653,621 (USA) (15 April 2005)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Imagine Entertainment, HBO Documentary Films, World of Wonder

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Black and White (archive footage: news broadcasts) Color

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Two clips from the same episode of 77 Sunset Strip (1958) are included, both with actor Eddie Fontaine, the first is in the original black and white, and the second has been colorized.

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Goofs

Early in the film, an unseen projectionist starts the film and we can see the projected image through the projection room window. He carelessly allows the leader to show on the screen. A frame marked "FOOT" is shown. Unless he is running the film backwards, this is wrong. The beginning of a film is marked "HEAD".

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Quotes

Daminano, Gerald: They invented a new word, filmmaker. Suddenly there were independent filmmakers.

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Crazy Credits

This Is The Story Of The Most Profitable Film Ever Made The Lives Of Those Who Made It And The Price They Paid

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Connections

Features Today (1952)

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Soundtracks

A Lot of Little Tingles
Courtesy of Arrow Productions

User Reviews

The Boogymen of her time are still with us.

I was impressed with this marvelous doco after watching it yesterday and unlike Dick Cavett I remember watching the film in the heady days of the 70s in San Francisco-perhaps not as brave and revolutionary as watching it in Oklahoma City but a political statement none the less.

My thoughts about the film are coloured by this historical connection but that in no way diminishes the strengths of the film. After all these years to see the players in the flesh talking about such a phenomenon made for an enjoyable morning of film watching. You cannot view the film without seething anger at the religious conservatives that made virtually all the player's lives far more difficult than those lives should have been.

If there was a villain in the movie it would have been the Tennesee prosecutor who doubled as a lay preacher when he wasn't trying to make America into his own little brand of religious conservatism. Their kind of dead-head sociology and politics is still rampant in the States and the only difference is they've changed their target from sex to terrorism-or at least their definition of political terrorism.

The directors, Bailey and Barbato, have crafted a superb film inter-cutting old film clips with current interviews in order to create an excellent vision of all the threads between the personalities and opinions of the players. The hilarity of these characters come through when they speak with a forthrightness that generally ends up on the cutting room floor.

If you are an old guy like me-see the film for its historical look at a time that we can remember. If you are a young person interested in politics, look at the film to see the nature of the bad guys around us now but with new crusades to fight.