Controversial porn film subject of new, in-depth documentary

Inside Deep Throat is not just about the most famous porn flick ever made, in the hands of documentarians/filmmakers Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye, Party Monster, that really creepy “Plushies vs. Furries” episode of MTV’s “True Life”).

Deep Throat and its attendant controversy can be seen as a symbol for the sexual revolution, the Watergate scandal, the mafia, the Christian right, First Amendment rights, and a helluva lot more.

I would not have been at all surprised had the filmmakers eventually drawn some sort of Sept. 11 analogy, so strong is their emphasis on the connectedness between Deep Throat and just about everything that has happened in American culture since.

But while they do stop short of that, Inside Deep Throat is still one of the most thorough and rich documentaries ever made about a cultural phenomenon, continually exposing more and more of this explosively entertaining hidden history.

Before it goes branching off in a million different directions, the documentary begins by setting the stage for the making of Deep Throat. Prior to the film’s release in 1972, porn had been mostly relegated to back rooms and stag parties. People involved with porn did not call it porn; for all intents and purposes, they were making “educational” or “independent” films.

The film also illustrates how sex was considered a form of political activism, and that those involved with pornography considered themselves to be rebels against the puritanical culture surrounding them. Pornography was considered more of a social movement than an industry. At the time, this evidently seemed like a politically legitimate philosophy and not just an excuse to have a lot of sex.

The man who directed Deep Throat, Gerard Damiano, was just starting out in this “radical social movement” when he heard about the woman who would become his muse, Linda Lovelace. Damiano heard there was a certain sexual act at which Lovelace was extremely skilled. He cast her in a small film to see if what he had heard was true. It was.

It is quite amusing watching the crew from this film recount their utter awe when first watching Lovelace do her thing. Thirty years later, they still fall into a stunned, wide-eyed silence at the very thought of it. Damiano was so impressed that he decided to write an entire film centered on Lovelace performing fellatio.

The “plot” of that film, Deep Throat, involved a young woman (Lovelace) who found herself depressed and unable to experience sexual pleasure. She goes to see a wacky doctor (Harry Reems) who, after examining her, discovers the problem: Her clitoris has somehow ended up in her throat (oops!). But lucky for her, he has just the thing she needs. *cue porn music*

You have to admit, this is a fairly ingenious and tongue-in-cheek plot for a porno. Noted feminist Erica Jong offers the obligatory gender critique of the plot: “It was based on the idea that all a man had to do was put his penis down a woman’s throat and thrust and the woman was as satisfied as the man. Well, guess what?”

Deep Throat was filmed in six days for $25,000. It has gone on to gross an estimated $600 million. The documentary does not attempt to explain in any detail the film’s shocking box office success; while it offers a series of individual opinions, there is nothing conclusive. It does, however, go into great detail about the consequences of the film’s notoriety.

At this point, Inside Deep Throat becomes a First Amendment case study, with the “repressive” government forces attempting to crack down on the filmmakers’ right to “express themselves.” All of this is shown with something of a wink, since the disputed film is obviously of an extremely low quality with little to no redeeming artistic value.

Still, Barbato and Bailey are obviously making a partisan film here, clearly subscribing to the “I may not agree with what you say but will defend your right to say it” school of thought. In their perspective, the various breakdowns and hardships experienced by the film’s cast and crew are not a consequence of working with pornography, but rather the result of a repressive and hypocritical government with strong puritanical roots.

Inside Deep Throat certainly invites debate over these issues, but regardless of your political or moral leanings on the subjects of pornography and First Amendment rights, this is a wildly entertaining, informative and relevant piece of work.

Contact Pop Arts reporter Jason C. LeRoy at [email protected].