| Video Roundup September 2008
Pornography Documentaries
 You might think that pornography
would be an interesting subject for a documentary. If you enjoy pornography, you probably
won’t be engaged by most pornography documentaries, as they’re not particularly
titillating. If you like insightful documentaries, then you probably won’t be that
impressed either -- like many documentaries, these are often not very well made. They
sometimes even seem to exploit their subjects, which makes them seem as unsavory as the
industry they purport to examine.
With the proliferation of the Internet and first VHS, then
DVD video rentals, pornography has become mainstream business. And now that television
reality shows such as HBO’s Porno Valley and Showtime’s Family
Business bring the porn industry right into our living rooms, documentaries about the
subject no longer have the shock value they once did. Still, there remains some element of
taboo to pornography that, in the right hands, should make for an interesting documentary.
This isn’t always the case.
Inside Deep Throat: Theatrical NC-17 Edition (Universal)
***1/2
If you see only one documentary about pornography, make it
this one: It’s informative, interesting, and well made. Instead of trying to justify
the existence of pornography or exploit its subjects, Inside Deep Throat quietly
explores the original film and the events around it.
Deep Throat, first released in 1972, was one of the
first hardcore pornographic films to be seen by a large audience. Neither judging nor
sensationalizing the film, Inside Deep Throat provides an in-depth look into the
history and politics surrounding its release, as well as its actual production. The list
of interviewees extends beyond those who worked on the film to include members of the FBI,
and attorneys for the defense and prosecution in the obscenity trial that followed its
release. Many celebrities, such as Gore Vidal, John Waters, Wes Craven, Dr. Ruth
Westheimer, and Hugh Hefner, weigh in with their thoughts on the film and how it shaped
the times.
Friends and family of the late Linda Lovelace, who starred
in Deep Throat, are also interviewed in a tasteful manner that is revealing but
respectful of her memory. Although a bit gruff, writer-director Gerard Damiano is
thoughtful and measured in his recollections of the events surrounding Deep Throat.
The most interesting story is that of Harry Reems, the male lead, who was prosecuted for
his role in the film yet is surprisingly engaging and sympathetic. Some lighter moments
are provided by the extremely profane Lenny Camp, who is credited as the "Location
Manager."
Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered (New Video
Group) *
At the opposite end of the spectrum from Inside Deep
Throat is Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered, a 47-minute episode from the
documentary series The Dark Side of Porn. One of the mysteries of Debbie Does
Dallas (1978) is that its star, Bambi Woods, disappeared into obscurity after making
the film; apparently, no one now knows her real name or identity. In a ridiculous attempt
to uncover her whereabouts, the producers of the documentary hire a private investigator
to locate her. At one point, they highlight the story of an undercover FBI agent who
infiltrated the mob to investigate the porn industry. After the agent’s dismissal for
shoplifting, presumably due to the stress of being undercover, the documentarians attempt
to compare his plight with that of those exploited by the porn industry. The entire
documentary is a bit disjointed and seems a little lost and pointless.
More interesting than the documentary itself is one of the
extras, Diary of a Porn Virgin, also from The Dark Side of Porn,
which follows the story of two ordinary women as they embark on careers in porn. Frankie
is a wife and mother and, like Sahara, a successful corporate manager. Both want to become
porn stars. While this documentary is hardly without fault, it’s far more interesting
and coherent than Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered.
The Girl Next Door (Indican) **1/2
This is not the 2004 film starring Elisha Cuthbert and
Emile Hirsch, but the story of Stacy Valentine, a suburban Oklahoma housewife who was
discovered after appearing in an amateur photo layout in Hustler magazine. The
Girl Next Door takes a somewhat lighter look at the porn industry while exploring some
deeper issues.
Although Valentine has her problems, the documentarians
don’t dwell on them, but attempt to evenhandedly cover her life’s highs and
lows. Though the scenes of Valentine’s plastic surgery are a bit excessive, they
highlight the artificiality of the porn industry, and the unrealistic expectations it
perpetuates. But the documentary’s downfall is the fact that Stacy Valentine really is
the girl next door: There’s nothing particularly remarkable about her -- or about
this film. Although it contains some nudity and shocking moments, The Girl Next Door
is innocuous and only mildly entertaining.
Sex: The Annabel Chong Story (Strand
Releasing) *1/2
This documentary devotes much of its time to the events and
people surrounding The World’s Biggest Gangbang, the adult video for which
Annabel Chong gained notoriety. (She’s also known for pioneering the "triple
penetration.") In that movie, she purportedly had sex with 251 different men
(although it’s later revealed that it was closer to 70 men engaging in 251 different
sex acts). Still, Chong is portrayed as somewhat of an outsider in the porn community who
was criticized by some who claimed that The World’s Biggest Gangbang reflected
poorly on the porn industry.
When The World’s Biggest Gangbang was shot,
Chong was a student at USC, and later went on to complete a master’s degree in gender
studies. As intelligent as she might be, some might see her as a victim of the porn
industry. The documentary, too, exploits Chong by showing many sensational and
uncomfortable scenes, including a particularly shocking scene of self-mutilation. Handled
more skillfully, these might have been insightful and moving; instead, they are callous
and gratuitous. Ultimately, Sex: The Annabel Chong Story is hollow and mildly
depressing.
. . . Roger Kanno
roger@hometheatersound.com |
