Review: Inside Deep Throat (B)

Inside Deep Throat (2004)
Directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato
Narrated by Dennis Hopper
Featuring Linda Lovelace, Gerard Damiano, Harry Reems, John Waters, Wes Craven and Norman Mailer
MPAA: NC-17
Grade: B

Review by Scott Standish

Deep Throat was the first major adult film to attract national popular appeal, and it is the most profitable motion picture of all time. Directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (Party Monster) do a decent job of telling the story behind this legendary adult film.

Deep Throat was one of the first feature length porn films. It was made in six days for less than 25,000 dollars. It has since grossed over 600 million dollars. The star of the film, Linda Lovelace became a star overnight because of her technique for oral sex ("deep throating"). At a time before AIDs, and at the height of "porno chic" Deep Throat and Linda Lovelace became household words. People who normally would not be caught dead going to a "dirty movie" would boast about going to see Deep Throat.

Throughout Inside Deep Throat, celebrities including Norman Mailer, Bill Maher and Camille Paglia comment on the film's impact. The government used Deep Throat as a centerpiece for their war on pornography, and most of the talking heads here take a very strong stand against censorship. Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato take small forays into the film's mob ties and the feminist backlash to porn- but how far can you go in just two hours?

Inside Deep Throat is a very good documentary on one of the most influential films of all time. There are two versions of this film out there (one is NC-17 and the other is rated R). Given the subject matter, it seems that watching the R rated version would be a little silly.