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As a country,
the United States is populated by people
of diverse backgrounds, beliefs and cultures.
Perhaps this is why we are so darn screwed
up. When we look upon our populace as a
whole, we appear twisted to the rest of
the world as to our priorities as well as
our ability to be lead like little sheep
to the slaughter. Of course, there are a
few of us who take the time to think for
ourselves, make our own decisions and watch
carefully the idiotic perspectives of many
of our nation’s leaders… and
followers.
A perfect case in point is the way we view
sex and violence. Not a day goes by that
some politician is pontificating about how
sex and pornography are ruining our children.
While I’ll grant you that there is
certainly no reason to subject a younger
child to the world of sex as a psychological
event, there is a point in their lives where
parents need to be the ones to teach them
a little something about it. But as far
as adults go, there’s no reason for
them not to be able to watch whatever they
want in the comfort of their own homes (as
long as it doesn’t INVOLVE children
or unwilling participants).
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As far as keeping it away from kids, that is
the sole responsibility of the parents…
not the government.
What usually gets my goat though, is that these
same people who preach the evils of sex don’t
seem to have any problem with violence. At any
given time, our prime time televisions offer up
a myriad of sex and violence, but the only complaints
you hear about are the ones aimed toward the sexual
content. The mood seems to be that it’s
okay for children to watch someone getting shot,
stabbed, run over, thrown off a building, or beat
into a pulp…… but DON’T under
any circumstances let them little ones see to
people loving each other in the ‘biblical’
sense. (What was that I said about twisted?)
That said, I’d like to call your attention
to a recent film that touches upon the subject
by way of a focus on the porn industry, and mainly
one movie that brought the ‘art form’
into the realm of the mainstream community…
well almost. “Inside Deep Throat”
is a documentary that looks back on the porn movie
“Deep Throat” and the effect that
it had on the public, how the government got involved
with getting it banned, and how people fought
for and against its release. The original film
starred Linda Lovelace, who had a predilection
for performing fellatio in such as way that it…
well… suffice to say the title of the movie
is about a good description as I can possible
make up and keep my review PG-13 (unlike the documentary,
which is available in Unrated and Rated versions
on DVD.)
While the Unrated of “Inside Deep Throat”
doesn’t hold back as far as showing some
of the sequences from the original film, it is
really more about the climate of the country at
the time of its release (the 1970’s) and
how everyone reacted to this attempt to bring
the porn industry to the mainstream. As I mentioned,
the government got involved in banning the film
and there were actual court cases where members
of the cast were almost incarcerated for their
involvement in the film. Sounds ridiculous doesn’t
it? But it happened, and this documentary goes
into great detail to show us some of these events,
as well as delivering some great interviews with
the members of the cast and crew (both living
and dead.)
I think films like this are important in that
they show how stupid people as a whole can be,
and how mountains can be made out of molehills
over, while issues that are really important take
to the sidelines. It shows how people on the whole
would rather place the blame for their own inadequacies
squarely on the shoulders of others, which is
unfortunately something that this country still
suffers from today.
I’m not here to argue whether or not the
porn industry is good or bad and neither is “Inside
Deep Throat”. I’ve already stated
my case. What we both agree on is that the industry
is here to stay, not simply because it exists,
but because there is a market for it out there.
It really makes me wonder how many people stand
up and shout it down during the day only to slink
away to their basements to watch their own personal
fetishes acted out. Think about it, would the
industry be a multi-billion dollar money maker
if only 47 people were buying into it?
Being that as it may, I recommend “Inside
Deep Throat” to those adults who can handle
watching it without thinking they are just seeing
porn, and can learn from what it has to teach
us. It is an educational experience in spite of
its explicitness. After all, how can you learn
and form your own opinion unless you see a little
of what the argument is about? It’s like
saying the film, ‘The Last Temptation of
Christ” is anti-religious and blasphemous…
without ever seeing a single frame for yourself.
What I found the most interesting about the documentary,
aside from the fact that it was produced by Brian
Grazer (who has worked for years producing Ron
Howard’s films), was how many mainstream
entertainment figures were interviewed for it.
People like Wes Craven, John Waters, Dick Cavett,
Dr Ruth Westheimer and Bill Maher throw in their
two cents throughout the picture.
Universal is releasing the DVD this week in, as
I mentioned, Rated and Unrated versions. I’m
not really sure what is cut out on the Rated version,
but if that’s the one you prefer to watch,
suit yourself. The Unrated version pulls no punches
and includes several extra features that are not
on the Rated version. And let me tell you the
extra features are many. Mot of them seem to be
no more than sequences that were probably excised
from the finished film, but that doesn’t
make them any less interesting. Most look at aspects
of the original film that were not touched upon,
including remembrances of Linda Lovelace (who
passed away in a car accident several years ago)
and a look at one-time Porn Star Harry Reems’
new occupation as the owner of an Athletic Club.
I’ll grant you that “Inside Deep Throat”
isn’t a film for everyone, but I found it
to be highly educational about a subject that
is prevalent enough that most people should at
least know what’s going on with it.
Directed by: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato
Extras: The Binghamton Trial: Cliterally Speaking,
Beverly Hills: Holly Gets Wood, Quincy House:
Poison Ivy League, Princeton: Throat Deep in Suburbs,
Cut Throat: Where in the World is Bobby De Salvo,
Harry Reems' Athletic Club, Firedance with Me,
Women Against Pornography, Linda's Exit: What's
the Big Deal?, NC-17 Exclusives!, The Zen of Deep
Throat, Linda Does Hollywood, The Legends of Erotica:
Remembering Linda, The Last Word for Now, The
Tucson Trail: When Gerry Met Annie
Specifications: Widescreen, Dolby Digital 5.1
Surround Sound
Studio: Universal
Release Date: 9/20/2005
Region 1
MPAA Rating: NR
Website
We'll give Inside Deep Throat an A.
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