Inside Deep Throat (2005)
78%RT Audience Score: 67%
Awards & Nominations: 1 win & 1 nomination
A documentary on the film that brought smut mainstream, Inside Deep Throat is gaining praise as an entertaining look at a pop culture milestone. However, some critics say the film could have gone a little deeper into the people involved
Inside Deep Throat is a documentary that takes a deep dive into the cultural phenomenon that was the pornographic film, Deep Throat. While some critics found the film to be a valuable document of a cultural shift, others thought it was a bit too grandiose in its statements. Regardless, the film offers a fascinating look at American sexual history and the counterculture of the 60s and 70s. Plus, who doesn’t want to catch a glimpse of Linda Lovelace’s party trick? Overall, Inside Deep Throat is a must-watch for anyone interested in the history of American sexuality and the cultural impact of pornography.
Production Company(ies)
New Line Cinema, Partizan Films, Partizan
Distributor
Universal Pictures
Release Type
Theatrical, Theatrical (Limited)
Filming Location(s)
Paramount Studios – 5555 Melrose Avenue, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA
MPAA / Certificate
Rated NC-17 for explicit sexual content
Year of Release
2005
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Color:Color
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Sound mix:Dolby Digital
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Aspect ratio:1.85 : 1
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Runtime:1h 30m
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Language(s):English
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Country of origin:United States
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Release date:Release Date (Theaters): Feb 11, 2005 Wide
Release Date (Streaming): Sep 20, 2005
Genre(s)
Documentary
Keyword(s)
documentary, Inside Deep Throat, NC-17, explicit sexual content, directed by Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato, produced by Brian Grazer, Ron Howard, starring Dennis Hopper, Gerard Damiano, Erica Jong, Norman Mailer, Harry Reems, Gore Vidal, John Waters, reviewed by Nick De Semlyen, Scott Tobias, Ken Tucker, Jamie Russell, Roger Moore, Felicia Feaster, Miles Fielder, Cole Smithey, Felix Vasquez Jr., Prairie Miller, box office gross $653.6K, budget unknown, Universal Pictures, aspect ratio flat (1.85:1), interviews, cast and filmmakers, Linda Lovelace, Hugh Hefner, Larry Flynt, controversy, cultural icons, zeitgeist, pornography, Watergate, social and political powers, censorship, freedom of speech, sexual revolution, porn industry
Worldwide gross: $709,832
Worldwide gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,081,772
Worldwide gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,585
Worldwide tickets sold (est.): 117,969
US/Canada gross: $691,880
US/Canada gross (inflation-adjusted): $1,054,414
US/Canada gross ranking (inflation-adjusted): 2,178
US/Canada opening weekend: $88,709
US/Canada opening weekend (inflation-adjusted): $135,191
US/Canada opening weekend ranking (inflation-adjusted): 1,826
Budget and Earnings Details
Production budget (est.): $2,000,000
Production budget (inflation-adjusted): $3,047,967
Production budget ranking: 1,974
Marketing and distribution budget (inflation-adjusted est.): $1,641,330
Box office net earnings to date (inflation-adjusted est.): -$3,607,525
ROI to date (est.): -77%
ROI ranking: 1,859
Erica Jong – Self
Norman Mailer – Self
Harry Reems – Self
Gore Vidal – Self
John Waters – Self
Director(s)
Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Writer(s)
NA
Producer(s)
Brian Grazer, Ron Howard
Film Festivals
Awards & Nominations
1 win & 1 nomination
Academy Awards
All Critics (122) | Top Critics (48) | Fresh (100) | Rotten (22)
A sharp documentary that has comedy, tragedy and, yes, a glimpse of Linda Lovelace’s party trick.
January 7, 2006 | Rating: 4/5
Nick De Semlyen
Empire Magazine
TOP CRITIC
Bailey and Barbato can only scratch the Boogie Nights-influenced surface, but they cover the ABCs of pornography with undeniable zip.
September 26, 2005
Scott Tobias
AV Club
TOP CRITIC
[A] valuable document of a cultural shift.
July 18, 2005
Ken Tucker
New York Magazine/Vulture
TOP CRITIC
Interviews with the surviving players, including porn stud Harry Reams … make for entertaining viewing.
May 25, 2005 | Rating: 3/5
Jamie Russell
BBC.com
TOP CRITIC
Fascinating social criticism and a witty and relevant take on American sexual history.
April 22, 2005 | Rating: 5/5
Roger Moore
Orlando Sentinel
TOP CRITIC
The absorption of Deep Throat into the political melodrama that was Watergate seems to have led to some grandiose statements in Messrs. Bailey and Barbato’s documentary.
March 31, 2005
Andrew Sarris
Observer
TOP CRITIC
[S]o much of the material is served up with a wink and “a giggle,” the possibilities for real revelation are scarce.
February 3, 2020
Felicia Feaster
Creative Loafing
A candid portrait of an America reasserting its conservatism in the 1970s and attempting to crush the 60s-spawned counterculture.
April 24, 2019 | Rating: 3/5
Miles Fielder
The List
Three days after President Nixon brought a halt to military operations in Vietnam, another offensive maneuver was just beginning in Minneapolis.
August 21, 2009
Rob Nelson
City Pages, Minneapolis/St. Paul
This keen look at the most successful independent film ever made describes how the film’s distribution and profits were taken over by the mob, and how its director and actors were affected be the social and political powers that sought to use it as a tool
May 16, 2009 | Rating: B
Cole Smithey
ColeSmithey.com
A polemic on America, and its incapability to be accepting of sexuality by demonizing and stigmatizing the act…
February 3, 2008 | Rating: 3/4
Felix Vasquez Jr.
Cinema Crazed
Move over, Alfred Kinsey. Apparently the unusually avid sex researcher’s knack for shaking up the gatekeepers of traditional moral values, may have been a mere dress rehearsal for Deep Throat a few decades later.
June 2, 2007
Prairie Miller
Long Island Press…
Plot
In 1972, a seemingly typical shoestring budget pornographic film was made in a Florida hotel, “Deep Throat,” starring Linda Lovelace. This film would surpass the wildest expectation of everyone involved to become one of the most successful independent films of all time. It caught the public imagination which met the spirit of the times, even as the self appointed guardians of public morality struggled to suppress it, and created, for a brief moment, a possible future where sexuality in film had a bold artistic potential. This film covers the story of the making of this controversial film, its stunning success, its hysterical opposition along with its dark side of mob influence and allegations of the on set mistreatment of the film’s star. In short, the combined events would redefine the popular appeal of pornography, even as more cynical developments would lead it down other paths.
Trivia
Goofs / Tidbits
The documentary features interviews with cultural icons of the era such as Hugh Hefner, Gore Vidal, and Larry Flynt.
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