WWW- I don’t think I’ve ever seen a stranger DVD than the inaugural edition of the Midnight Blue Collection, The Deep Throat Special Edition, www.xxxdeepthroat.com. For over twenty years, Midnight Blue raised temperatures across New York City late at night. Hosted by the ubiquitous Al Goldstein, Midnight Blue provided a serious (well, relatively serious) look at pornography and sexual politics at the height of the adult film industry’s popularity. Cashing in on the resurgence in popularity of all things Deep Throat, this DVD collects an assortment of interviews from Midnight Blue over the years revolving around the legendary porn movie. Yes, the TV on DVD phenomenon is now so pervasive that we’re seeing public access shows released on disc.
Strictly speaking, the content of the disc isn’t all that interesting. Interviews with the likes of director Gerard Damiano and star Harry Reems are interesting within the context of their time but if you’re genuinely interested in learning about the making of the movie, you’re much better off waiting to see Inside Deep Throat. But it’s the way this disc is put together that makes it so bizarre. Occasional bits of trivia are put in Pop-Up Video style, giving context to the proceedings and filling us in on tidbits like the fact that Carol Connors, the nurse in Deep Throat, is Thora Birch’s mother. Weirdest of all, the individual episodes are bridged by the actual commercials aired at the time. So you get to see ads for swingers clubs like Plato’s Retreat, escort services, and sex toys like the Orgasmatron.
A disclaimer at the beginning of the program explains that every effort was made to restore the original elements but, as they say, you can’t shine shit. True to their word, the program looks and sounds pretty awful. Watchable but with occasional dropouts and weird video rolls. It’s bad but in a way, it just makes the whole thing feel that much sleazier. The only extras are two horrible audio interviews with Damiano and Reems recorded so poorly that I couldn’t make out a word that was said.
The Deep Throat Special Edition at least has got a real air of genuine porno sleaze to it. If it were a bonus disc to a full-fledged double-disc special edition of the movie Deep Throat, it would be pretty damn cool. But on its own, it’ll only appeal to the most devoted of vintage porn collectors.