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Dennis Hopper, Pat Carroll, Dick Cavett, Hugh Hefner, Xaviera Hollander ... see more see more... , Charles Keating , Linda Lovelace , Bill Maher , Harry Reems , Georgina Spelvin , Andrea True , Dr. Ruth Westheimer , Peter Bart , Tony Bill , Wes Craven , Gerard Damiano , Norman Mailer , Gore Vidal , Camille Paglia , Annie Sprinkle , John Waters , Al Goldstein , Erica Jong , Alan M. Dershowitz , Carl Bernstein , Helen Gurley Brown , Susan Brownmiller , Ralph Blumenthal , Barbara Boreman , Lenny Camp , Herb Kassner , Bruce Kramer , Peter Manouse , Lindsay Marchiano , Larry Parrish , William Purcell , Ray Shipley , Arthur Sommer , Terry Sommer , Ron Wertheim , Linda Williams

Directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato follow up Party Monster by returning to the documentary form of their most popular film The Eyes of Tammy Faye. Rather than examining evangelists-cum-gay icon... read more read more...s, this time the duo takes aim at the cultural phenomenon that is and was Deep Throat, the hardcore porn film that cost 25,000 dollars to make and grossed over 600-million-dollars world-wide, making it the most successful independent film of all time. The impact of the film on the public's perception of pornography is discussed, as is the unlikely relationship the film had to the Watergate scandal. Actress Linda Lovelace who later denounced Deep Throat, claiming she'd been forced to make it at gunpoint, appears in interviews that were shot just before her fatal 2002 car accident. ~ Matthew Tobey, Rovi

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NC-17, 1 hr. 30 min.

Directed by: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato

Release Date: February 11, 2005

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DVD Release Date: September 20, 2005

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Flixster Reviews (452)

  • blacksheepboy
    February 7, 2012
    blacksheepboy
    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.
  • tolkienfan101
    September 27, 2011
    tolkienfan101
    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 p... read morerovides 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.
  • groaningbitch
    May 21, 2011
    groaningbitch
    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 1950... read mores 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.
  • Beefy
    January 25, 2011
    Beefy
    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.
  • FrizzDrop
    September 6, 2010
    FrizzDrop
    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.
  • ScoopOnline
    December 15, 2009
    ScoopOnline
    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.
  • rubystevens
    November 9, 2009
    rubystevens
    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... read more 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
  • mjgildea
    October 13, 2007
    mjgildea
    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... read more 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.
  • RossCollinsUK
    June 15, 2007
    RossCollinsUK
    For a documentary about the movie that kicked off the modern porn trade there's not enough porn and too many annoying Americans!
  • mrbungle7821
    May 10, 2006
    mrbungle7821
    [center][img]http://img123.imageshack.us/img123/5796/insidedeepthroat3ki.jpg[/img]
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    [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 i... read moret. 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]
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    [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]

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Critic Reviews

Ken Tucker
July 18, 2005
Ken Tucker, New York Magazine

[A] valuable document of a cultural shift. Full Review

Roger Moore
April 22, 2005
Roger Moore, Orlando Sentinel

Fascinating social criticism and a witty and relevant take on American sexual history. Full Review

Andrew Sarris
March 31, 2005
Andrew Sarris, New York Observer

The absorption of Deep Throat into the political melodrama that was Watergate seems to have led to some grandiose statements in Messrs. Bailey and Barbato's documentary. Full Review

Bill Muller
March 17, 2005
Bill Muller, Arizona Republic

It just doesn't go deep enough. Full Review

Chris Vognar
March 4, 2005
Chris Vognar, Dallas Morning News

A better film than its subject. Full Review

Eric Harrison
March 4, 2005
Eric Harrison, Houston Chronicle

Above all, the film is a lively, music-filled social history. Full Review

Anthony Lane
February 22, 2005
Anthony Lane, New Yorker

Deep Throat bore an X certificate. Inside Deep Throat is an NC-17. Neither is suitable for grownups.

James Berardinelli
February 20, 2005
James Berardinelli, ReelViews

Although the film starts out with a clear thesis, by the time its 90 minute running length has expired, it is grasping at themes and topics that are beyond the limited scope of what a superficial docu... Full Review

Robert Denerstein
February 18, 2005
Robert Denerstein, Denver Rocky Mountain News

Might be more entertaining than instructive, but it manages to return us to a time when the world seemed crazy in a different sort of way.

Lisa Kennedy
February 18, 2005
Lisa Kennedy, Denver Post

The movie will set off a slew of new questions. Full Review

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  • Some of the profits from the most successful film of all time, Deep Throat(1972), were used to create Bryanston Distributing, a film company that went on to release such classics as 1974's The Texas Chainsaw Massacre.
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