Hi, everyone. "Moriarty" here with some Rumblings From The Lab...
I’m very curious about this documentary. Brian Grazer’s been talking about it in the press recently, and he’s got me curious as hell. Now it’s been shown, and this is our first reaction to it, and all it does is make me want to see it even more. Take it away, Sam...
To all the folks at Ain’t It Cool,
Tonight, I got a chance to see a documentary that absolutely rocked me. As fans of the documentary format, I thought you’d be interested. This isn’t “Fahrenheit 9/11” or “Hearts & Minds” or “Hearts of Darkness,” which are three of my favorite documentaries, but it touches on similar points as all of those. It’s a story about the making of a movie and how that movie rocked the United States’ government and its citizens. The movie is “Deep Throat.” And I had no idea what impact it had on my life, and all of our lives, today. After the movie, I grabbed a drink with my friend to discuss it (coincidentally, we were right around the corner from UCLA, where I first became interested in First Amendment law and made speeches about the positive sociological impact of pornography - so, yes, I have an opinion about the issue), and here are some points we covered… maybe you’ll find them interesting. But, like the documentary, this isn’t about detailing sexual acts… it’s about a revolution.
Pornography is just plain fascinating. Yes, there’s the sex. And, yes, I confess, I get great joy out of watching it. But it’s fascinating for so many other reasons. Some of the earliest movie theaters thrived because of images of nude women. We all know that the VHS format grew with pornography. Interactive CD-ROMs were really brought to a certain consciousness thanks to the pornography. The adult film world was very quick to adopt the DVD format. The internet? Well, we know that story. It has been the pioneer of so many widely-accepted entertainment formats and remains more lucrative than mainstream cinema. Yet, it is discussed behind closed doors. And the great majority of people would not admit to viewing such content.
But this documentary, “Inside Deep Throat,” shows that whatever mainstream discussion of pornography we have today was made possible by the low-budget film, “Deep Throat.”
Taking us through the making of the film and the discovery of its star, Linda Lovelace, we see how a tiny film capitalized on its star’s talent for giving oral sex. A small premise for an adult film of the time. But it caused a revolution. And it found itself at the crossroads of the sexual liberation movement, the burgeoning adult film industry, increased government regulation, and even organized crime.
When released, the government, led by Richard Nixon and J. Edgar Hooker went to ridiculous ends to shut it down. They prosecuted theater owners and went so far as to prosecute one of its stars, Harry Reems (a truly ridiculously desperate tactic by the prosecution and one which drove Harry to alcoholism and a ruined career). Nixon ordered a study of pornography and, when that report didn’t yield the conclusions he wanted, he ordered the study to be canceled and invalidated. This government intrusion really left a sick taste in my mouth (pardon the pun). Censorship and the blatant abandonment of our First Amendment rights are discussed and I couldn’t help but to think about the parallels in our lives today. This isn’t a college essay, I realize that. But the themes are too important to dismiss. Gore Vidal had a quote in the movie and I had to write it down as soon as I heard it: “When you have a nation that totally lies, then you have no reality.” And another man said plainly, “Justice is not blind.”
The movie caught on with mainstream audiences, looking to take a peek at what the fuss was all about. Hollywood rallied around it and lines were around the block. This was a breakthrough! Seeing increased revenue due to the government’s radical reaction (a la the continuing success of “Fahrenheit 9/11”), the mob got deeply involved in the distribution. They made so much money that they stopped counting it, and started weighing it! One person interviewed was a theater owner in Florida, who was under the watchful eye of the mafia during the run of the film and he’s still scared of them finding him. In fact, during the interview, he is scolded by his wife for even participating in the documentary! Despite the dark overtones, it was a nice break for the humor of this lovely elderly Floridian couple still on the run from the mob – all because of porn.
The doc gets into some really interesting issues, like:
- Showing that the government’s case against the pornography industry was initially sexist against women. The government was trying to show that the only acceptable form of orgasm is from the vagina and not clitoral - Making sex acceptable ONLY when there’s a man involved.
- The late-‘70s/early ‘80s fight against pornography was spearheaded by feminists. That’s something most of us are aware of, but it is an interesting juxtaposition of intentions vs. results.
- These filmmakers saw their work as “art” – which is obvious from a first amendment point-of-view - and they assert the VCR has caused the disintegration of art. And, while the new wave of filmmakers are making tons of money, the old guard are penniless.
- Linda Lovelace, who died in a car crash a few years ago, provided key testimony for Reagan’s Meese Report, which associated pornography and violence. This was after she had “changed her ways” in the years after the movie’s release… however, a few years after that, she posed nude AGAIN. Just showing that the person behind all of this furor was just that – a person. Not a demon. Just a confused, vulnerable woman who leaves a legacy of on-screen liberation, off-screen anguish, and all-around naïve resolve. Her daughter, as the doc tells us, was offered a part in Deep Throat 7 - a sad story in and of itself.
- Today’s pornographers and stars don’t even know about the legacy of “Deep Throat.” They haven’t seen it, yet they work with a certain degree of freedom IT gave them. Made me think about how many people enjoy the freedoms afforded to them by the Bill of Rights without a thought of what it took to get those rights in the first place.
The main questions I had from this film are:
How come a tiny film could become a cultural phenomenon, grossing over $600 million, and being the most profitable movie of all time STILL be called a niche film? One step further: How can pornography be one of the world’s largest industries when the great majority of people won’t even discuss it? Is it just the overpriced product? Or is this the great silent majority? Is it because of shame? Is that shame caused by the government? The moral majority? Or what?
So, I left with questions - something any great documentary should leave you with. Though it seemed as though there’s still a little bit of work to be done, it was very well produced (by Brian Grazer, as my friend pointed out – this is not what I’d expect from the man who brought us “The Grinch”). It’s, at once, shocking and funny and sad and completely riveting. And, though it seemed to have a point of view, it gave reasonably balanced arguments for each side of the issue. The use of upbeat music tempered what is really a dark story. Much like “Boogie Nights” (where much of the same music was used), this doc wasn’t afraid to show the duality of the adult entertainment industry. It’s a dark, dark world which yields great pleasure to many, great anguish to many others, and great deals of freedom which we see everyday: in advertisements on the street, on TV, in magazines, on the internet.
And it all started with a little film where a girl could give a mean blow job.
God Bless America.
-- Sam The Eagle
Indeed. Nice report, man. Can’t wait to see it m’self.
"Moriarty" out.
