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 & 1 nomination.

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 Hefner	...	Himself
Bill Maher	...	Himself
Norman Mailer	...	Himself
Charles Keating	...	Himself
Alan M. Dershowitz	...	Himself - Harvard Law Professor (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:

21 April 2005 (Russia)

Also Known As:

Dentro de Garganta Funda

Filming Locations:

Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$2,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$88,709, 13 February 2005, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$653,621, 17 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

The film discusses how Deep Throat (1972) was actually distributed to theaters. Prints would be hand-delivered and employees would count heads of moviegoers and then collect the cash profits from the theaters. This process was known as sending "checkers and sweepers".

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Goofs

Early in the film, a person is shown transporting the film with "Deep Throat" painted one the film case. The case he carries holds only two reels or 40 minutes of film. When the case is opened in the projection room it has grown to a 3 reel case and when the police seize the film a few minutes later, the case is a 4 reel size, the correct size for this film.

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Quotes

Norman Mailer: [On why middle class people watched "Deep Throat"] It was a mid-world between crime and art.

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Crazy Credits

The Laws Used to Prosecute Deep Throat Remain Unchanged

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Connections

Features Saturday Night at the Mill (1976)

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Soundtracks

Jungle Boogie
Performed by Kool & The Gang
Written by Robert Kool Bell (as R. Bell), Claydes Smith (as C. Smith), Robert Spike Mickens (as R. Mickens), Donald Boyce (as D. Boyce), Richard Westfield (as R. Westfield), Dennis D.T. Thomas (as D. Thomas),
, Ronald Bell (as R. Bell), George Funky Brown (as G. Brown)
Courtesy of The Island Def Jam Music Group
Under license from Universal Music Enterprises

User Reviews

The DVD that will give legitimacy to your porn library

"Inside Deep Throat" is one of the most entertaining documentaries I've ever seen. This film doesn't cover all the aspects you may want to see about the porn-film-turned-cultural- phenomenon, but it is fun to watch -a thing you can't say about most documentaries. The tone is light-hearted, which will make people squeamish about seeing a film related to porn less threatened. It is however, one of the few films I've seen well deserving of the NC-17 rating.

The lessons to be learned from watching it are: The Christian Right is the American Taliban. The Republican Party spent too much taxpayer money and time deciding what you should and shouldn't see. Their silly "American values" platform has been around for decades. The silly obscenity laws are still around, though it'll be a big waste of taxpayer money to enforce them, as it was back then. The movie made so much money because it was banned and people were drawn to the controversy. The mafia was the biggest beneficiary, while most people involved in the film became victims of the movie's success.

I read somewhere the late Linda Lovelace said she realized the feminist crusaders used her more than the porn industry did. You can see a bit of that in this movie. In archive footage, Lovelace is being interviewed, but a feminist next to her doesn't let Lovelace speak and answers all the questions for her. Poor Lovelace was used to push whatever agenda she could be used for. In one part you see her defending the porn industry and free speech, the next you see her as the ultimate anti-porn crusader, and at an old age you see her posing nude for Playboy, defending her change of mind.

This will be a great DVD when it comes out. Many people won't agree with the points of view portrayed here, but we all can agree this is good storytelling.