dinner and a movie?

I went to see Deep Throat because I'm fond of animal pictures . . . I thought it was about giraffes.
    --  Bob Hope

Serafina and I are watching a movie on Netflix - Inside Deep Throat.  It's said that Deep Throat made pornography what it is today, changing the nature of pornographic sex from art to money.

The 1970's were a strange and confusing time for both of us, I was in my teens, she her twenties.  Neither of is saw the original when it came out, I watched a copy on VHS in the 80's with a friend from school days.

In terms of writing a running review as we watch, my first observation is that the use of Dennis Hopper as narrator for this documentary is a plus.  But, I wonder if perhaps they were paying him by the word, because his interspersed comments are pretty sparse.

Looking back at that decade, the news clips etc., it does bring back memories.  Nixon was ugly, not just physically.  The feline with the mustache named Hitler was, however, quite cute.  And, Harry Reems is still an awesome porn name.

Watching a simple adult movie cause such controversy is a little unsettling.  Seeing the FBI get involved is more than just unsettling.  I'm (obviously) a free speech advocate, so seeing the government charge everyone on down to projectionists with some kind of crime is anything but a hoot.

The government in my bedroom is bad enough, but seeing the mob get involved is scarier still.  One theater owner refused to pay his cut, his movie house burnt down, or so the story goes.  Creepiest of all is Larry Parrish, former federal prosecutor from Memphis.

Belay that . . .

Creepiest is Linda Lovelace on stage, with feminists clinging to her, claiming to have been a hostage throughout the whole thing.

Statistic - in 2002 Hollywood released 467 films. 11,303 adult films were released that year.

Fact - the obscenity laws used to prosecute Deep Throat's makers remain unchanged today.

Deep Throat is a landmark pornographic film in that it launched the brief “porno chic” movement in the early `70s, where it became fashionable for couples to attend softcore porn films like Behind The Green Door, Debbie Does Dallas and The Devil In Miss Jones. Even celebrities like Johnny Carson, Jack Nicholson and Barbara Waters have admitted to attending films during this time.