Pornhappy in Norfolk.

[clayhornik]

Tonight I saw Inside Deep Throat at the Naro. I'm only familiar with Deep Throat by reputation, in books like The Other Hollywood. As a documentary, I was impressed. They'd gotten people like Cammile Paglia, Dr Ruth, and the great seventies triumverate of Norman Mailer, Gore Vidal, and Dick Cavette to give color to the precedings, since they were there when the cultural landscape was shifting. John Waters just comes off as creepy, but that has more to do with his eyeliner mustache than anything else.
IDT looks at the impact the film had on things, the near mainstreaming of porn, "porn chic", as well as the backlash it generated.
Today's FCC decency crackdown on obscenity is nothing new, but the moral highground hypocrisy of Nixon extolling decency was pretty funny. Footage of DT actor Harry Reems debating Roy Cohn. Yes, the "bastard" Roy Cohn. Kinda weird, actually.
The scenes from the movie were pretty crisp, despite the age, like they had a new print, perhaps. They point out that one of the things DT had going for it, apparently, was the wit. "Do you mind if I smoke while you eat?" Heh.
In today's gonzo era of AV, the scandalousness of the movie wasn't anything I hadn't seen before, but I'm going to try and see it eventually, since it's the AV equivalent of uh... Casablanca. Or something. (which is funny... since IDT went to the AVNews thing in Las Vegas- the porn Oscars- and most of the new female talent asked had never heard of Deep Throat. I'd expect most of todays new starlets haven't seen Citizen Kane either.)
The after discussion was pretty cool. I ummm... I had to define bukkake. That was fun. The squirm factor of the group in front of me- boy, his girlfriend, her mother- was pretty funny too.
Long story short- go watch it. Documentaries make you smarter.
--
The term Pornhappy is not mine. It's Susannah Breslin's. Check out her blog.

Comments

[spimby.livejournal.com]

I suppose the documentary might be okay, and I'm sure I'll see it eventually, but I have seen Deep Throat and anybody who praises it for its "wit" is exaggerating heavily.

I won't spoil it for you, except to say that once you do see it, the only thing you'll likely remember is the bizarre theme song, and that mostly because it sounds like it was written and recorded during one long drunk.

[boyfacedgirl.livejournal.com]

always been my vote for worst song in film history, much much worse than 'puberty love'. also the worst use of the (then current) coca-cola advertising jingle ever.