New York- Intellectual kookiness collided with Hollywood last night at the New York premiere of "Inside Deep Throat.", www.xxxdeepthroat.com.
This is the documentary, first seen two weeks ago at Sundance, about the making of the most famous and profitable porn film in history - long before Paris Hilton. Someone decided that at the conclusion of the screening there should be a panel discussion.
Former New York Times movie critic Elvis Mitchell moderated, and the group consisted of HarperCollins publisher and controversy lightning rod Judith Regan, journalist Peter Boyer, famed criminal defense attorney Alan Dershowitz and feminist professor Catherine McKinnon.
The latter, who turned out be quite mad, I thought, immediately coined the phrase "throat rape" about what happened on screen to the movie's late star, Linda Lovelace.
That declaration produced hissing, and a few laughs, from the audience.
McKinnon, infamously known in intellectual circles as the "feminist censor," does not often appear before mainstream audiences. Her "partner in crime" is the militant feminist Andrea Dworkin, who luckily was not among us.
"Inside Deep Throat" producer Brian Grazer's hair was already standing straight up. Much more of McKinnon's off-the-wall theories might have made it curl.
Luckily, Dershowitz was prepared and ready to deflect McKinnon, who he has apparently been debating for 20 years. Dershowitz successfully represented the original film's star, Harry Reems, when he was tried on obscenity charges two decades ago.
Reems, a handsome man in his late 50s, is now a real-estate guy in Park City, Utah. His real name is Herbie Streicher, and he's originally from the Bronx. He has a head of neatly combed gray hair, dresses conservatively and is well-spoken.
Wisely, he did not participate in the debate, since McKinnon looked like she was ready to have him arrested for throat rape.
Regan stuck to promoting a book she recently published by porn queen Jenna Jameson, pointing out her 24-year-old son in the audience.
"He's the one who introduced me to Jenna Jameson," she said.
Boyer spent most of the time ducking.
Watching all this was a wide variety of New York characters, including actors Ron Silver and Bebe Neuwirth, director Joel Coen, comedienne Marilyn Michaels, documentary filmmakers D.A. Pennebaker and Barbara Kopple, novelist Erica Jong (who's in the film and helps make sense of it all) and various media types such as Tina Brown and Simon & Schuster chief David Rosenthal.
Many in the audience had never seen "Deep Throat." Some were so young, they'd never heard of it, if you can believe it. But they know what it is now, that's for sure.
