Pornographic actress Linda Susan Boreman, better known by her screen name Linda Lovelace, found stardom in a strange place. In 1972, she played the lead in Deep Throat, an adult film that was shown in theaters and gained a substantial amount of mainstream appeal during the 'sexual revolution' of the era, along with later backlash of outrage and controversy. It also made hundreds of million of dollars during its theatrical run alone, far outstripping its modest $25,000 production costs.
Deep Throat itself was the subject of a 2005 documentary called Inside Deep Throat, which featured interviews with the film's director, Gerard Damiano, and was narrated by Dennis Hopper. The latest film on the subject, however, is all about the star of Deep Throat and her life before and after making the film. Lovelace was directed by Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, the team behind the camera of recent Allen Ginsberg biopic Howl, and features Amanda Seyfried in the starring role, with Peter Saarsgard as her abusive husband and manager, Chuck Traynor.
With Lovelace's limited theatrical release only a month away, production company RadiusTWC has released an international trailer along with a UK trailer and a rather provocative teaser poster. Watch the international trailer above, and check out the UK trailer and poster below.
CLICK TO VIEW FULL SIZE IMAGE
-
-
A clip towards the end of the international trailer also suggests that Lovelace will cover some of the actress' life after quitting pornography, which is perhaps even more interesting than her career. In the 1980s, Boreman was a part of - and a symbol for - the anti-pornography movement, during which feminists in particular became divided over the subject of whether pornography was damaging to society, or an essential part of sexual freedom and expression.
This will likely end up being one of the main issues around which Lovelace is based, as the character is seen looking happy and liberated in photo shoots, but also suffering extreme abuse behind closed doors at the hands of her husband. According to the reviews from the film's screening at Sundance, it is structured in a way that first shows the events of her life from a more public perspective, before going back to show the darker underbelly of the same scenes.
One thing that Lovelace definitely has going for it is a stellar cast: James Franco (who played Ginsberg in Howl) stars as a very young Hugh Hefner; Sharon Stone and Robert Patrick play Boreman's horrified parents; Hank Azaria takes on the role of Damiano, and Adam Brody plays porn actor Harry Reems, who was later indicted by a federal court for conspiracy to distribute obscene material.
The topic of hardcore pornography and its place in society is a controversial one even to this day, and the filmmakers and stars have to be admired for taking on such a risky project. Share your thoughts on these two trailers, and the Linda Lovelace story, in the comments.
_____
Lovelace will be out in limited release from August 9, 2013.
Source: RadiusTWC