Dalbert Pringle Yes. As titillating and naughty as the subject of "hard-core" porn may be - I found "Inside Deep Throat" to be a decidedly "soft-core" documentary, on all counts.Instead of being all wet'n'juicy - This was a very dry and sanitized presentation. And, all that it did was lifelessly chronicle "Deep Throat" from its production, to its popularity, to its cult-status, to its inevitable battle with the self-righteous censors.You know, I've actually seen 1972's "Deep Throat" some years ago - And, if you ask me - It was, pretty much, just tiresome, z-grade garbage that didn't deserve (even one iota) all the attention that it got (and still gets).The only reason why this laughable film (about a woman whose clitoris was in her throat) has garnered so much undo attention for itself all comes down to the negative publicity that it's generated.You can be sure - Without all of this negative backlash, "Deep Throat" would have remained just another piffle-of-porn that would have quickly faded away into obscurity faster than an average ejaculation.Anyway - I don't completely write off this documentary as being a waste of time. It does contain some worthwhile moments. But, if you're expecting "Inside Deep Throat" to be a real hard-core production, then you are in for a big disappointment - 'Cause it's, pretty much, 90% talk-talk-talk, and, perhaps, 10% action.

bob the moo Deep Throat was filmed in less than six days at a cost of $25k. At the time, pornography was far from the mainstream and the easiest way to see sex was in sex education films and understandably there was moral outrage over this film. Despite bans and protests, the film went on to gross in excess of $600,000,000 and be one of the most profitable films ever made. This documentary looks back at how the film came about and the impact it had on society as it grew in success. However it also looks at the personal costs and benefits of those who were directly involved, from the stars to the director.This film opens in an energetic fashion with lots of editing, cool music and animated effects, I like this style but I did wonder how the hell it was going to keep it up for 90 minutes or indeed how I was going to keep up with it. Fortunately the film only uses this approach until the title card and from then on it is comparatively more traditional, but still quite pacey. The story itself is interesting but perhaps is stronger for the link it makes to the wider impact of pornography on society as well as the impact on those involved in the specific film itself. It is not 100% successful at this because it seems to want to have its feet in several different camps. As a result it fudges the bits on modern society and relies heavily on Norman Mailer telling us how porn is different not because it is all about money and how the interest in artistic expression has been lost – which is all very good while he says it in his unique, booming style but not when you think about 1970's pornography and wonder how much artistic creativity was involved versus the desire to make whacking material.Despite this fudge though the film is mostly interesting and well structured, with contributions cutting over each other to good effect. In terms of bias though, it is clear that we are not on the side of the moral crusaders here. We get chances to hear them speak, which is fair enough if you take it as read that the film is not meant to be a debate of the right and wrong of pornography so much as it is a discussion starter on the subject. Hopper's narration is solid and the couple of celebrities who pop up are wisely hardly used in favour of those who were directly involved.Overall this is an interesting documentary that is lively and interesting. Not the place to come to for a debate on the morality of pornography but it does a reasonable job of looking at the impact the film had at the time and, to some degree, the wider impact it had on society. However the potted focus on the film itself makes for an interesting and accessible film.

movieman_kev More than just a documentary on the triple X porn classic,"Deep Throat". This film is about the time of it's release, political motivations played an extremely huge hand in how well the porn movie did. And because it was released at just the right moment in history is one of the only reasons it's as highly regarded and made an unbelievable profit. There are a great many better porn films (New Wave hookers, Debbie does Dallas, Devil in miss jones 3, etc...) But I digress, the documentary is pretty interesting, if the subject matter does stretch a bit thin. When the people who were directly involved with the film are being interviewed the film's fascinating. When those on screen have nothing at all to do with anything (Wes Craven, John Waters, Bill Maher, and so on) not so much. The film as a whole is flaccid and nothing i would watch again. And this from a guy who isn't above pornography in the least. It still remains good in short spurtsMy Grade: C+DVD Extras: Audio commentary with directors Randy Barbato & Fenton Bailey; collection of audio outtakes from the film; 14 Deleted scenes (some exclusive to the NC-17 rated version); and Theatrical trailer

Tilly Gokbudak I have seen two other films by documentarian (well, he is not exactly in the Frederick Wiseman mode) Fenton Bailey_ "Monica in Black and White" and "The Eyes of Tammy Faye." All of his film that I've seen focus on sex and scandal, and "Inside Deep Throat" proves to be no exception. This film is a fairly solid period piece_ taking place in the 1970s, and there are very startling interview clips with those involved with the original adult film, including 'actor' Harry Reems, and from celebrities, like John Waters and Hugh Hefner, who comment on the film's cultural impact. The doc also shows how both feminists and right-wingers attacked "Deep Throat." Ultimately, it seems that the controversy and the actual banning of the film in the United States made it more of a commodity with the public. There is actual footage from the original adult film, and while I seriously doubt that it has any artistic merit at all (have not seen "Deep Throat"), the political debate it stirred still seems relevant today and the film illustrates this well. Bailey is no serious documentary filmmaker, like Barbara Kopple, at all- he's even used sock puppets in his films_ but this material is a perfect for this formula. "Inside Deep Throat" also shows America's psychological hangups about sexuality though it does not examine why we are collectively more uptight about sex than most Europeans. This film would also make a great companion piece to Caveh Zahedi's surreal, narrative doc "I'm a Sex Addict." I have personal reservations about adult films. A PBS documentary "American Porn" revealed how abusive the industry is towards its 'actresses,' in a very brutal, shocking manner. But, one also realizes that ultra-conservatives' efforts to use the issue to legislate morality has dire consequences which lead to political/creative censorship in more legitimate documentary forms. For this reason alone, Bailey's latest film is quite a thought-provoking one.