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Inside Deep Throat Directors: Randy Barbato & Fenton Bailey Rated: R (Restricted 18+) Palace Nova from Thurs 10 Nov In 1972 novice actor Linda Lovelace rose to international notoriety starring in 'Deep Throat'. It was a US porn comedy film that crossed-over into the mainstream and caused a flurry of censorship action. The ludicrous premise was that Lovelace had the anatomical anomaly of having her clitoris half way down her neck and thus could reach orgasm by 'giving head'. It was a time when female ecstasy was neglected and the locations of pleasure somewhat of a mystery to many, so the silly film which played out male fantasies but raised the issue of female eroticism, affronted decency all round. The upshot was to force explicitly sexual films back underground and into the realm of organised crime. This documentary explores the circumstances of the making of the film and it presents interviews with the key cast and crew. There's also commentary about the film and the stir it caused from luminaries and government officials. 'Playboy' impresario Hugh Hefner, feminists Erica Jong and Camille Paglia, writers Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer and film-maker John Waters are among those who recall the prudery of the time. Directed by Gerard Domiano, the original film's budget was meagre so its persistent box-office appeal, due mainly to the publicity from government attempts to suppress it, made it one of the most financially successful films of all time. Lovelace is portrayed in the documentary as something of a pawn in the whole exercise, perhaps having come under the spell, literally, of a hypnotist to perform the title role. She initially enjoyed superstardom, later disowned the film as a sexual assault on her, and later still made a comeback to cash in. The film draws on evocative music of the time by the likes of Gary Glitter, Melanie Safka and Eric Burdon & War, and is narrated by Dennis Hopper ('Easy Rider', 'Blue Velvet'). More a sociological study than titillating, it is the circumspect tale of a pivotal event in the sexual revolution and the rise of feminism. This is also another chapter in the pathetic history of freedom of speech in the US, with all the appalling hypocrisy, repression and religious fundamentalism that characterises public policy in the 'land of the free'. Full of surprises, humour and uneasy moments, it's a revealing study of an unusual and significant film.  |
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