PARK CITY, Utah - "Inside Deep Throat," www.xxxdeepthroat.com, a provocative documentary that premiered during the weekend at Sundance, yielded the festival's best party so far, complete with strippers from noted Hollywood establishment Jumbo's Clown Room.
But when producer Brian Grazer headed toward the go-go girls for a photo op, he was swiftly steered away by a publicist for the film's distributor, Universal Pictures.
Grazer, the Oscar-winning producer of "A Beautiful Mind," had long wanted to delve into the history and cultural impact of the 1972 porn film "Deep Throat." According to press materials, it was filmed in six days for $25,000, was banned in 23 states, and has grossed over $600 million.
With HBO Documentary Films acting as an intermediary, Grazer joined forces with directors Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato ("The Eyes of Tammy Faye"), and they came up with the NC-17 rated documentary, which Universal will release in select cities on Feb. 11.
Universal and HBO partnered on the $2.5 million film, with Universal putting up the bill for prints and advertising, and HBO intending to license the film back based on the box office receipts.
