Inside Deep Throat (2005)
Directed by: Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.
Premise: A documentary on the legal and cultural legacy of the pornographic film Deep Throat.
What Works: The film is irreverent and fun but also speaks with authority, which makes the sensitive subject matter accessible. The narrative of the film is solid and is enhanced by commentators including the cast and crew of Deep Throat, filmmakers Wes Craven and John Waters, and cultural figures Gore Vidal, Camille Paglia, and Dr. Ruth Westheimer. This gives the film a varied and intelligent voice that has a contemporary urgency given the growing censorship powers of the FCC.
What Doesn’t: The film is not shy about its political point of view but giving more voice to the opposing side of the argument would have strengthened the film’s credibility.
DVD extras: Deleted scenes, trailers. The film is available in R-rated and NC-17 versions.
Bottom Line: Inside Deep Throat is a very good example of the new wave of entertaining and informative documentaries. The film challenges the audience with its point of view but does not dumb things down or fall back on the lowest common denominator. This is an important documentary that deserves to be seen.
Episode: #75 (November 20, 2005)