Director Gerard Damiano, the writer/director of infamous 'adult' movie Deep Throat, died on October 25th after complications following a recent stroke (as in damage of blood vessels in the brain).As well as being credited with launching the adult motion pict- oh, to hell with it - the porn movie industry, Deep Throat was an incredibly successful independent film, adult or otherwise, and holds the title of most profitable movie of all time.Made for $25,000, it grossed about a bajillion dollars worldwide (although Damiano barely saw a penny of it, thanks to the finances being fronted up by gangsters), Deep Throat was again crystallised in the public consciousness when journalists Bob Woodward and Carl Bernstein named their Watergate source after it.Damioano made dozens of skin-flicks after Deep Throat, but never replicated its success.
- 11/12/2008
- EmpireOnline
Porn Film Director Dies Of A Stroke
Porn moviemaker Gerard Damiano has died. He was 80.
The director of 1972 adult movie Deep Throat passed away in Miami, Florida after suffering from a stroke last month.
The movie was the first pornographic picture to be shown in cinemas and made an estimated $600 million (GBP382 million).
His son, Gerard Damiano Jr, says, "He was a filmmaker and an artist and we thought of him as such.
"Even though we weren't allowed to see his movies, we knew he was a moviemaker and we were proud of that."...
The director of 1972 adult movie Deep Throat passed away in Miami, Florida after suffering from a stroke last month.
The movie was the first pornographic picture to be shown in cinemas and made an estimated $600 million (GBP382 million).
His son, Gerard Damiano Jr, says, "He was a filmmaker and an artist and we thought of him as such.
"Even though we weren't allowed to see his movies, we knew he was a moviemaker and we were proud of that."...
- 10/28/2008
- WENN
Inside Deep Throat
PARK CITY -- Deep Throat is still the most successful indie film ever made, a $25,000 porn flick released in 1972 that may have grossed -- no one was really counting -- $600 million. So what better place to premiere Inside Deep Throat, a film by Sundance veterans Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), than here at the king of indie fests?
The docu turns out to be an often provocative and perceptive look at the history of the porn business in America, the cultural wars the movie fed into and the lives of some who worked on the film.
Since forces on the right are currently galvanized for a renewed attack on civil liberties and freedom of expression, Inside Deep Throat is making a timely appearance. The film, which Universal will release nationally Feb. 11, looks like another documentary boxoffice winner.
When asked about the landmark film he made more than 30 years ago, director Gerard Damiano (a.k.a. Jerry Gerard) admits, "No, I don't think it's a very good movie." Which has to be the most irrelevant fact one can state about Deep Throat.
A poorly shot, absurd sex comedy constructed around its star's remarkable ability at fellatio, the movie opened in Times Square at the height of the war being waged by the counterculture and sexual liberation movements against a belligerent establishment. While Erica Jong's comment that suddenly sex was out of the closet may be overstating things, the movie certainly marked the first time grandmothers stood in line to watch porn and talk show hosts and The New York Times could make references to a sex act, then considered illicit in some states, which few had any trouble understanding.
The movie traces several themes emanating from this cultural phenomenon. First there are the damaged lives of the film's stars, Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems, an assistant camera drafted into the male starring role while on location in Florida. Then there is the growth of porn, which many filmmakers and artists saw as having artistic as well as commercial potential if it could cross over into the mainstream. That never happened.
The film also navigates through the legal and political battles this film and others faced including a presidential commission's investigation into pornography and society, which was roundly ignored by the government when the commission reached the "wrong" conclusions.
For the most part, Bailey and Barbato succeed in weaving together these various themes, thanks to smart editing by William Grayburn and Jeremy Simmons. Linda Lovelace, who disowned the film in a memoir that claimed she shot it under duress, later seemed to embrace her former image in a sexy magazine layout. She died in an auto accident in 2002 dead broke, according to her sister.
Reems suffered federal prosecution. While he prevailed, this sent his life into a downward spiral of alcoholism. Thankfully, he has recovered and lives here in Park City, where he has a real estate license.
For interviews, the filmmakers astutely cast a wide net, bringing before their cameras people not always connected to the film yet with insight into the issues it raised. These talking heads include Norman Mailer, Helen Gurley Brown, Susan Brownmiller, Alan Dershowitz, Camille Paglia, Gore Vidal and Reems' zealous prosecutor, Larry Parrish. A narration delivered by Dennis Hopper is unobtrusive, appearing only when necessary.
The salient point here is that Deep Throat can be seen as one of the first battles of the culture wars that still divide this nation. The choice of interviewees tilt the viewpoint heavily in favor of freedom of expression, yet both sides conclude that damage has been done and the wars are far from over.
There seems to be no middle ground on this issue, just as there never was any intersection between mainstream and porn. Movies such as Last Tango in Paris and, more recently, 9 Songs hint at the possibilities. But when an actor such as Reems can be hauled into court for accepting a movie role, little wonder those possibilities remain unexplored.
INSIDE DEEP THROAT
Universal Pictures
An Imagine Entertainment in association with HBO Documentary Films presentation of a Brian Grazer Production in association with World of Wonder
Credits:
Writers/directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Producer: Brian Grazer, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Co-producer: Mona Card
Executive producer: Kim Roth
Directors of photography: David Kempner, Teodoro Maniaci
Editors: William Grayburn, Jeremy Simmons
Music: David Steinberg
MPAA rating: NC-17
Running time -- 88 minutes...
The docu turns out to be an often provocative and perceptive look at the history of the porn business in America, the cultural wars the movie fed into and the lives of some who worked on the film.
Since forces on the right are currently galvanized for a renewed attack on civil liberties and freedom of expression, Inside Deep Throat is making a timely appearance. The film, which Universal will release nationally Feb. 11, looks like another documentary boxoffice winner.
When asked about the landmark film he made more than 30 years ago, director Gerard Damiano (a.k.a. Jerry Gerard) admits, "No, I don't think it's a very good movie." Which has to be the most irrelevant fact one can state about Deep Throat.
A poorly shot, absurd sex comedy constructed around its star's remarkable ability at fellatio, the movie opened in Times Square at the height of the war being waged by the counterculture and sexual liberation movements against a belligerent establishment. While Erica Jong's comment that suddenly sex was out of the closet may be overstating things, the movie certainly marked the first time grandmothers stood in line to watch porn and talk show hosts and The New York Times could make references to a sex act, then considered illicit in some states, which few had any trouble understanding.
The movie traces several themes emanating from this cultural phenomenon. First there are the damaged lives of the film's stars, Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems, an assistant camera drafted into the male starring role while on location in Florida. Then there is the growth of porn, which many filmmakers and artists saw as having artistic as well as commercial potential if it could cross over into the mainstream. That never happened.
The film also navigates through the legal and political battles this film and others faced including a presidential commission's investigation into pornography and society, which was roundly ignored by the government when the commission reached the "wrong" conclusions.
For the most part, Bailey and Barbato succeed in weaving together these various themes, thanks to smart editing by William Grayburn and Jeremy Simmons. Linda Lovelace, who disowned the film in a memoir that claimed she shot it under duress, later seemed to embrace her former image in a sexy magazine layout. She died in an auto accident in 2002 dead broke, according to her sister.
Reems suffered federal prosecution. While he prevailed, this sent his life into a downward spiral of alcoholism. Thankfully, he has recovered and lives here in Park City, where he has a real estate license.
For interviews, the filmmakers astutely cast a wide net, bringing before their cameras people not always connected to the film yet with insight into the issues it raised. These talking heads include Norman Mailer, Helen Gurley Brown, Susan Brownmiller, Alan Dershowitz, Camille Paglia, Gore Vidal and Reems' zealous prosecutor, Larry Parrish. A narration delivered by Dennis Hopper is unobtrusive, appearing only when necessary.
The salient point here is that Deep Throat can be seen as one of the first battles of the culture wars that still divide this nation. The choice of interviewees tilt the viewpoint heavily in favor of freedom of expression, yet both sides conclude that damage has been done and the wars are far from over.
There seems to be no middle ground on this issue, just as there never was any intersection between mainstream and porn. Movies such as Last Tango in Paris and, more recently, 9 Songs hint at the possibilities. But when an actor such as Reems can be hauled into court for accepting a movie role, little wonder those possibilities remain unexplored.
INSIDE DEEP THROAT
Universal Pictures
An Imagine Entertainment in association with HBO Documentary Films presentation of a Brian Grazer Production in association with World of Wonder
Credits:
Writers/directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Producer: Brian Grazer, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Co-producer: Mona Card
Executive producer: Kim Roth
Directors of photography: David Kempner, Teodoro Maniaci
Editors: William Grayburn, Jeremy Simmons
Music: David Steinberg
MPAA rating: NC-17
Running time -- 88 minutes...
- 3/8/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Sex keeps festivalgoers on toes
BERLIN -- Two very different approaches to sex and cinema were on display here Sunday as the documentary Inside Deep Throat blew into town and French director Catherine Breillat delivered a lecture on directing intimate scenes. Directed by Randy Barbato and Fenton Bailey, Inside drew a full house for its first press screening as part of the Panorama sidebar. The movie astutely reassesses the impact of Gerard Damiano's seminal 1972 erotic picture Deep Throat, both on society's attitudes to on-screen sex and on those who took part in the movie, notably its star, Linda Lovelace. Made for $25,000, the film went on to gross more than $600 million.
- 2/14/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
Inside Deep Throat
PARK CITY -- Deep Throat is still the most successful indie film ever made, a $25,000 porn flick released in 1972 that may have grossed -- no one was really counting -- $600 million. So what better place to premiere Inside Deep Throat, a film by Sundance veterans Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato (The Eyes of Tammy Faye), than here at the king of indie fests?
The docu turns out to be an often provocative and perceptive look at the history of the porn business in America, the cultural wars the movie fed into and the lives of some who worked on the film.
Since forces on the right are currently galvanized for a renewed attack on civil liberties and freedom of expression, Inside Deep Throat is making a timely appearance. The film, which Universal will release nationally Feb. 11, looks like another documentary boxoffice winner.
When asked about the landmark film he made more than 30 years ago, director Gerard Damiano (a.k.a. Jerry Gerard) admits, "No, I don't think it's a very good movie." Which has to be the most irrelevant fact one can state about Deep Throat.
A poorly shot, absurd sex comedy constructed around its star's remarkable ability at fellatio, the movie opened in Times Square at the height of the war being waged by the counterculture and sexual liberation movements against a belligerent establishment. While Erica Jong's comment that suddenly sex was out of the closet may be overstating things, the movie certainly marked the first time grandmothers stood in line to watch porn and talk show hosts and The New York Times could make references to a sex act, then considered illicit in some states, which few had any trouble understanding.
The movie traces several themes emanating from this cultural phenomenon. First there are the damaged lives of the film's stars, Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems, an assistant camera drafted into the male starring role while on location in Florida. Then there is the growth of porn, which many filmmakers and artists saw as having artistic as well as commercial potential if it could cross over into the mainstream. That never happened.
The film also navigates through the legal and political battles this film and others faced including a presidential commission's investigation into pornography and society, which was roundly ignored by the government when the commission reached the "wrong" conclusions.
For the most part, Bailey and Barbato succeed in weaving together these various themes, thanks to smart editing by William Grayburn and Jeremy Simmons. Linda Lovelace, who disowned the film in a memoir that claimed she shot it under duress, later seemed to embrace her former image in a sexy magazine layout. She died in an auto accident in 2002 dead broke, according to her sister.
Reems suffered federal prosecution. While he prevailed, this sent his life into a downward spiral of alcoholism. Thankfully, he has recovered and lives here in Park City, where he has a real estate license.
For interviews, the filmmakers astutely cast a wide net, bringing before their cameras people not always connected to the film yet with insight into the issues it raised. These talking heads include Norman Mailer, Helen Gurley Brown, Susan Brownmiller, Alan Dershowitz, Camille Paglia, Gore Vidal and Reems' zealous prosecutor, Larry Parrish. A narration delivered by Dennis Hopper is unobtrusive, appearing only when necessary.
The salient point here is that Deep Throat can be seen as one of the first battles of the culture wars that still divide this nation. The choice of interviewees tilt the viewpoint heavily in favor of freedom of expression, yet both sides conclude that damage has been done and the wars are far from over.
There seems to be no middle ground on this issue, just as there never was any intersection between mainstream and porn. Movies such as Last Tango in Paris and, more recently, 9 Songs hint at the possibilities. But when an actor such as Reems can be hauled into court for accepting a movie role, little wonder those possibilities remain unexplored.
INSIDE DEEP THROAT
Universal Pictures
An Imagine Entertainment in association with HBO Documentary Films presentation of a Brian Grazer Production in association with World of Wonder
Credits:
Writers/directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Producer: Brian Grazer, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Co-producer: Mona Card
Executive producer: Kim Roth
Directors of photography: David Kempner, Teodoro Maniaci
Editors: William Grayburn, Jeremy Simmons
Music: David Steinberg
MPAA rating: NC-17
Running time -- 88 minutes...
The docu turns out to be an often provocative and perceptive look at the history of the porn business in America, the cultural wars the movie fed into and the lives of some who worked on the film.
Since forces on the right are currently galvanized for a renewed attack on civil liberties and freedom of expression, Inside Deep Throat is making a timely appearance. The film, which Universal will release nationally Feb. 11, looks like another documentary boxoffice winner.
When asked about the landmark film he made more than 30 years ago, director Gerard Damiano (a.k.a. Jerry Gerard) admits, "No, I don't think it's a very good movie." Which has to be the most irrelevant fact one can state about Deep Throat.
A poorly shot, absurd sex comedy constructed around its star's remarkable ability at fellatio, the movie opened in Times Square at the height of the war being waged by the counterculture and sexual liberation movements against a belligerent establishment. While Erica Jong's comment that suddenly sex was out of the closet may be overstating things, the movie certainly marked the first time grandmothers stood in line to watch porn and talk show hosts and The New York Times could make references to a sex act, then considered illicit in some states, which few had any trouble understanding.
The movie traces several themes emanating from this cultural phenomenon. First there are the damaged lives of the film's stars, Linda Lovelace and Harry Reems, an assistant camera drafted into the male starring role while on location in Florida. Then there is the growth of porn, which many filmmakers and artists saw as having artistic as well as commercial potential if it could cross over into the mainstream. That never happened.
The film also navigates through the legal and political battles this film and others faced including a presidential commission's investigation into pornography and society, which was roundly ignored by the government when the commission reached the "wrong" conclusions.
For the most part, Bailey and Barbato succeed in weaving together these various themes, thanks to smart editing by William Grayburn and Jeremy Simmons. Linda Lovelace, who disowned the film in a memoir that claimed she shot it under duress, later seemed to embrace her former image in a sexy magazine layout. She died in an auto accident in 2002 dead broke, according to her sister.
Reems suffered federal prosecution. While he prevailed, this sent his life into a downward spiral of alcoholism. Thankfully, he has recovered and lives here in Park City, where he has a real estate license.
For interviews, the filmmakers astutely cast a wide net, bringing before their cameras people not always connected to the film yet with insight into the issues it raised. These talking heads include Norman Mailer, Helen Gurley Brown, Susan Brownmiller, Alan Dershowitz, Camille Paglia, Gore Vidal and Reems' zealous prosecutor, Larry Parrish. A narration delivered by Dennis Hopper is unobtrusive, appearing only when necessary.
The salient point here is that Deep Throat can be seen as one of the first battles of the culture wars that still divide this nation. The choice of interviewees tilt the viewpoint heavily in favor of freedom of expression, yet both sides conclude that damage has been done and the wars are far from over.
There seems to be no middle ground on this issue, just as there never was any intersection between mainstream and porn. Movies such as Last Tango in Paris and, more recently, 9 Songs hint at the possibilities. But when an actor such as Reems can be hauled into court for accepting a movie role, little wonder those possibilities remain unexplored.
INSIDE DEEP THROAT
Universal Pictures
An Imagine Entertainment in association with HBO Documentary Films presentation of a Brian Grazer Production in association with World of Wonder
Credits:
Writers/directors: Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Producer: Brian Grazer, Fenton Bailey, Randy Barbato
Co-producer: Mona Card
Executive producer: Kim Roth
Directors of photography: David Kempner, Teodoro Maniaci
Editors: William Grayburn, Jeremy Simmons
Music: David Steinberg
MPAA rating: NC-17
Running time -- 88 minutes...
- 1/24/2005
- The Hollywood Reporter - Movie News
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