Deep Throat

Let’s start by dispelling a few persistent myths and misconceptions: Deep Throat was not the first feature-length American porn flick to receive broader distribution (Pornography in Denmark and Man and Wife from two years earlier are often mentioned as being among the first), nor was it the first narrative porn movie to be presented in this way (that honour belongs to Mona). Nor is it any sort of revelation that captured the hearts of millions of viewers with its brilliance; rather, it is simply a film that in its time attracted the public’s attention partly due to its hype, but mainly because of the widely publicised accusation of obscenity. Nevertheless, the truth is that Deep Throat became a sensation on the basis of that publicity, as it made attending a porn screening a social event and turned a poorly made pile of shit into the highest-grossing film of all time, across all film categories. Thanks to that, Deep Throat became the most famous and most popular porn flick, which is actually a shame, because it inevitably became the benchmark for the quality of porn. However, it is only a ground-breaking work in the history of porn, but it cannot in any case be taken as a measure of quality. The staggering revenues and media attention garnered by this tragically made or, to put it more kindly, purely utilitarian work showed Gerard Damian and dozens of other directors that the profitability and competitiveness of porn movies would not depend on escalating extremes, as had been the case in the preceding era of under-the-counter distribution, but would rather depend on filmmaking qualities, screenplays, imaginative premises and the charisma of the actors. Though a large number of better and more attention-worthy titles were made in the ensuing golden era of pornography, including in the filmography of its director, Deep Throat is still the main, but unfortunately also the only obligatory porn title for film enthusiasts, who thus form a completely inadequate image of the golden era of porn based on it. Deep Throat doesn’t really fit into that period, as it is rather a transitional title that heralds the characteristic elements of the golden era, when aspects such as creative ambition, distinctiveness and inventiveness were applied to porn, but it largely exhibits the attributes of an earlier period of illicit, quickly made productions, when porn was a purely consumer article that did not receive public recognition. The narrative thus rather has the form of a vague pretence for chaining together individual sex scenes, while the cinematography, sound and production values can best be described as sloppy, and the acting oscillates between the poles of Harry Reems’s surprising comedic talent and Linda Lovelace’s desperate stiffness. The opening psychologising titles (shot on a crumpled sheet of paper with typewritten text in accordance with the budget) is also a typical relic of the era. Besides the fact that it presents a neglected interpretation (according to which the protagonist does not actually have a clitoris in her throat, everything is only a part of psychiatric therapy), it is mainly supposed to give the film and its creators an alibi consisting in the so-called justifying value that legitimises the film in the eyes of the legislation of the day. In the context of the films that came after it, Deep Throat is rather a curiosity, of which mostly secondary elements remain in the viewer’s memory. For example, the unusually small number of shots of bare breasts is surprising, not only by today’s standards, but also in the context of production at that time. Another unique aspect from the ranks of insignificant trivia is the fact that Linda Lovelace was one of the rare porn actresses of her time who shaved their pubic hair. Besides these curiosities, the film offers an imaginative premise fleshed out into a clumsy narrative laced mostly with desperately awkward and obvious jokes. This is best confirmed by the fact that in the decades that followed, the expressive depiction of orgasm through a montage of exploding fireworks, rockets lifting off and ringing bells became common throughout the mainstream, from film parodies to television series. (05/09/2015) (less) (more)