Description
As STAR WARS was to space fantasy, as SUPERMAN THE MOVIE was to comic book films, and as WHEN HARRY MET SALLY was to romantic comedies, DEEP THROAT is to adult motion pictures: a landmark undertaking which established new standards for the pornographic arts. Formulated and directed by Gerard Damiano (billed as Jerry Gerard), and starring the infamous Linda Lovelace, DEEP THROAT was the industry's first major breakthrough film due in part to its 35mm production. It was shot at different locations (as opposed to a single hotel room) and carried a whimsical music soundtrack (who can forget themore… treasured melody and lyrics "don't row a boat, don't get your goat, that’s all she wrote, Deep Throat" blasting on our FM dial during the early seventies?), underscoring an original storyline which was presented with characters, dialogue and of course, lots and lots and lots of cocksucking. As quaint as it looks today, DEEP THROAT was certainly an event back in the youthful days of the Baby Boomers, and is a genuine classic.
The immediate success of DEEP THROAT has since influenced a wave of high budget, shot on film, theatrical releases, in the same way John Stagliano's BUTTMAN-style ushered in the incredibly popular genre of gonzo videos. Prior to this film, many movies were shot as lowly 8mm or 16mm loops, and full-length motion pictures were generally scarce and went largely unnoticed. DEEP THROAT has been accurately described as being more profitable than STAR WARS (from a cost to gross perspective), and was reviewed by popular critics, favored by Hollywood celebrities, and generally found crossover success into part of the mainstream. The movie derives its title from an obvious Nixonian reference, and aptly describes the sword-swallowing acrobatics, which serve as the premise of the movie. According to the film's star, DEEP THROAT took Linda Lovelace away from the coercion of doing cheap, lurid flicks and brought her to the more comforting porn mainstream.
Interestingly, although a large part of the film's controversy was detailed over Linda Lovelace's books ORDEAL and OUT OF BONDAGE, it should be noted that Linda's involvement in and success from DEEP THROAT are what she admits helped her from breaking out of the seedier side of adult entertainment as well as her personal, marital situation, a fact also analyzed and observed by Nadine Strossen, in her book DEFENDING PORNOGRAPHY. But in any event, DEEP THROAT's current notoriety seems to have overshadowed its prior significance in adult cinema. Fortunately, this early digital disc transfer from VCA gives Generation XXX-ers a chance to see what all the hoopla was about.
The plot is simple: Linda Lovelace plays a girl who can't achieve sexual satisfaction because her clitoris is located in her thoat. So of course, the only way to induce stimulation and achieve orgasm is to deep throat her partners, which she does well and often. Doctor Harry Reems diagnoses Linda's medical problem, and encourages helps her to heel thyself while taking him in by the mouthful. And truth be told, Linda Lovelace's larynx is remarkable in its natural ability to take in the male organ. While modern porn has its share of expert oralists, like Tianna, Little Oral Annie, Tiffany Mynx, Debi Diamond and Leena, none of their amazing work has been as effortlessly performed as Ms. Lovelace. The first time she achieves the big "o" is intercut by sights and sounds of ringing bells, blasting rockets and fireworks, a silly but creative touch for any dirty movie of that time. Linda then proceeds to make her rounds in a nurse's uniform to administer therapy treatment to various patients/clients, which in itself is a porn cliché, but was novel at that time. It should be noted that the scene involving Nurse Linda applying her bedside manner to an ailing Harry Reems was taken from a separate 8mm reel and inserted into the film somewhat indiscriminately (talk about padding!).
The dialogue is cornier than a can of Green Giant's, but some of the lines manage to be somewhat amusing when looking at this film retrospectively (it's kind of like watching at an old episode of SNL and realizing how unfunny the Coneheads or Joe Piscopo really were): as a guy is eating out Donna Sharp on a kitchen table, she asks "do you mind if I smoke while you're eating?'"...Linda asks Harry, "How would you feel if your balls were in your ear?" To which he responds, "Why, then I could hear myself coming!"...and a patient of Ms. Deep Throater explains that he can afford her treatment because he has Blue Cross... and so on, and so forth (when it comes to comedy, Chris Rock has nothing to worry about...). The story kind of loses its purpose half-way into the movie, but that's okay, because once Linda's problems were diagnosed, the resolution of the protagonist's external conflict has long since been fulfilled, rendering superfluous any further advancement of the movie's central plot (at least that is what I learned in Comparative Porn Media 101).
Those expecting luscious, hardbodied babes and gynecological anal shots should not expect to see too much eye-candy or the hardest of hardcore here (although there are anal scenes and enough explicit sex which surpass most Vivid Video titles). Director Damiano chose Linda because of her fresh-faced look and attitude, as he was determined to stay directly away from stereotypical casting of big-titted blondes. Linda's acting performance is convincing enough, and is no worse than the hammiest overacting we get in some of today's titles. The other actresses in the film are generally acceptable looking, and co-star Dolly Sharp should please fans of older, bolder actresses. Dirty blonde Carol Connors plays Reems' nurse, although she also takes a back seat to Lovelace's multiple scenes. Besides the standard sex-play, Linda does engage in some strange acts, like sipping coke from a tube placed inside of her as she is getting screwed (although it looks like that the scene has been edited so as not to show the actual product; this is completely unverified since I have no access to the original film or tape release). In truth, I could not recommend this particular movie for an individual who simply wanted to sit back for some rest, release and relaxation; the dated material and groan-inducing jokes can distract from its "wankability" factor. Rest assured, there is still some wild fucking and a never-ending series of trademark sucking going on...but your reaction to DEEP THROAT will depend on how you are able to adapt to this kind of material.
True to the studio's reputation, VCA has done a remarkable job of presenting and preserving the original film in its current DVD incarnation. Sure, the movie sounds strident, screechy, and warbled especially with its seventies' musical score and eccentric songs, and the picture looks like a bit washed out and worn, but I was actually surprised by how acceptable it appeared overall. I have seen much more recent films transferred to DVD which don't look half as good as this one (just take a look at the unforgivable treatment given to GIRLS ON FIRE and TABOO), so any complaints made with respect to this disc can be traced to the original master source.
However, since this is one of VCA's earliest entries into the DVD market, it should be noted that there are no extras whatsoever on DVD. Because of the timing of its release, I can forgive the lack of any bonus materials (maybe someday there will be a special edition made of this disc a la BARBARA BROADCAST and THE OPENING OF MISTY BEETHOVEN). Besides, it's not like either Linda or Harry (who has since apparently found religion and is now selling real estate) would ever contribute a running commentary. But those who want more than just a well-presented main feature on their porn DVDs should not expect a blessed thing; all you get is the film.
DEEP THROAT may be hard to swallow for viewers who have been weaned and raised by Buttman or gangbang videos, but the sex is still hot regardless of context. I can't say that this is a movie I would watch more than once or twice a year, but it may be fun to show at parties. However you view it, DEEP THROAT is still an all-time classic and definitely the most famous adult movie ever made. I can recommend it for anyone interested in a taste of porn history.
| Linda Lovelace |
| Harry Reems |
Info:
- Category:
- Movies > Adult
- Case Type:
- DVD
- Release Type:
- Retail
- Language:
- English
- Comments:
- 2 read add
Cover Info:
- Title:
- Deep Throat (1972) Retail DVD
- Part:
- Front
- Dimensions:
- 1429 x 1000 px
- Size:
- 371 KB
- Downloads:
- 700 (0 today)
- Uploaded:
- 02/01/08 by ASHBASH
- Quality Rating:
-
- Currently 4/5 Stars.
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