Inside Deep Throat

It caused an administration to declare war on freedom.
It turned buying a ticket into an act of revolution.

Generally considered the most profitable motion picture of all time, the 1972 adult film Deep Throat was more than a titillating curiosity and a huge moneymaker. Released at the very moment when the nation's movements for sexual liberation, equal rights and counter-cultural values were reaching a fever pitch, this sexually explicit film unexpectedly became the flashpoint for an unprecedented social and political firestorm ¨C a major cultural phenomenon whose impact continues to affect us today.

Now, more than 30 years after Deep Throat first burst upon the public consciousness, Inside Deep Throat is the documentary that examines the chasm between the modest intentions of the movie's makers and the unforseen legacy they inadvertently created.

Synopsis

INSDIE DEEP THROAT is a documentary focusing on the cultural impact of the 72 movie DEEP THROAT. When director Gerard Damiano unleashed the film - a witty, yet explicit X-Rated movie starring Linda Lovelace as a fellatio-crazed woman, audiences flocked to it in droves. The film was a cut above standard adult fare, and attracted an unusually high percentage of female viewers who reveled in seeing a female character attain sexual satisfaction in the male-dominated world of adult films. With the publics interest piqued, controversy followed, and a court case against the movie prompted the government to try to ban the film outright. This only drew more people to it, and its combined box office is estimated at $600 million - an incredible return on the original $25,000 investment. Or was it. Damiano never made a cent from the film, while Lovelace and co-star Harry Reems made $1450 between them. Lovelace complained bitterly about her treatment on the set in her memoir - the appropriately titled ORDEAL - and Reems had to go through his own obscenity trial, during which he succumbed to the temptations of alcohol and narcotics. Damiano and Reems return to talk about their experiences here (Lovelace passed away in 2002), while the indelible impression the film left on a shocked early-70s society is fleshed out by comments from Hugh Hefner, Germaine Greer, Camille Paglia, and many others. A truly arresting film, INSIDE DEEP THROAT offers a fascinating lesson about how little the world has changed in regard to pornography and censorship in the 33 years that have passed between Damianos movie and this documentary.