Deep Thoughts on Deep Throat
When I was a kid, one of my favorite movies not featuring Darth Vader or Indiana Jones was All the President's Men. I found it absolute fascinating. Prior to seeing it - I must have been 7 or 8 on my first viewing - my favorite President was Richard Nixon. He was President the year I was born, so he was my favorite. I had no idea what impeachment was and only a vague knowledge of the word "Watergate" with almost no connection to it whatsoever.
Then I saw the movie.
After that, I was far more pleased that 1974 was the same year Nixon left office than the fact that he was the President that year. I can't even begin to imagine what 1974 must have been like for my parents, the ultra liberals, Mr. and Mrs. Conscientious Objector. Within the first month, they find out that they're going to have a baby and to mark the time along, they get to follow the Watergate mess. Nixon resigned a month and a half before I was born, so technically, I spent the first 8 years of my life with the wrong favorite President: it should have been Ford.
By no rights should an 8 year old be all that enthralled by a movie like this, but I was. My favorite scene, by far without any doubt, was when Woodward is meeting with Deep Throat and Deep Throat is being vague again but Woodward insists that he needs specifics. Then the music gets all serious and Deep throat tell him that his life is in danger. Next shot is Woodward running into Berstein's place and cranking up some classical music and they start communicating ont he typewrite. Keep in mind that I'm still at the age where mom or dad have to read it for me because there's no way I'm keeping up. I would have to say it remains one of my most favorite 10 scenes in any movie all time.
And the best part of this was that IT WAS REAL!!! I could actually MEET Deep Throat. This was mind boggling to me. Movies weren't real. BUT THIS REALLY HAPPENED! And yes, today I understand that in "based on a true story" movies, they dramatize this. Now. But I didn't know this then, so as far as I knew, what was happening happened just as they said. To this day, I think of the events depicted in ATPM as occurring as shown in the movie. There is no suspension of disbelief required and there is no spoil-sport in the back of my head saying, "Sure, but you know it wasn't EXACTLY like this."
The only caveat to ATPM was that Deep Throat was real but we didn't know who he was. I've known since the first time I saw the movie that Woodward was going to keep this secret until the actual Deep Throat died because after the movie I must have asked my dad about 1 zillion questions. It's always been the one piece of the puzzle that was missing that probably helped keep my interest going.
When I was in college, Bill Bradlee, the Editor of the Post at the time of Watergate, came to Pitt to give a speech. You better believe that I was one of the first people there. There's not too much I actually remember of his talk. But there are 2 parts of the evening that stand out in my mind: someone in the audience asked who was Deep Throat (his answer being that he can't say yet) and that during the book signing portion, I got to ask what he thought of Jason Robards' portrayal of him in the movie. To be honest, I don't remember the answer exactly (he asked me what I thought and I said something, he more or less agreed and mentioned that he spent a day with him before filming), but just getting to ask the question was an absolute thrill for me.
So that brings us to Deep Throat revealing himself this week. To my surprise, it hasn't been remotely as anti-climactic as I had feared it would be. Maybe because all of the fascist conservatives are lambasting the guy for pointing out how crooked they are. His grandkid called him a hero, which he most certainly is. I think he's as close to a living Yoda as we can expect. I'm talking Yoda from Empire here, not the Yoda that kicks all kinds of ass in the recent trilogy. And now he's real.
I can't wait for the inevitable TV movie that pops up as a result of this. From what I've read, it seems like the guy lived a truly remarkable life. He was involved in spying at some level as far back as WWII. Some of the communication codes he used with Woodward he lifted from the Nazi's (Buchanan, Hannity and the rest should be at least a little amused about that). Just seems like a really cool guy to sit and listen to tell stories. I'll be reading each one of those as they come out over the coming weeks, to be sure.
And if he were to appear on a campus to give a talk somewhere to promote a new book, I'd be in the audience. I'd wait in line to have a book signed. And I'd ask him a question when I got in front of him. This time though, I don't think I'd ask, "What did you think of Hal Holbrook's performance as you." Nope. I'd ask a question that he'd absolutely, positively HAVE to have an opinion on one way or the other but I doubt anyone would be willing to ask. I'd have to ask, "So, what's it been like all these years to know that you were given a nick name based on a porno?"
Then I saw the movie.
After that, I was far more pleased that 1974 was the same year Nixon left office than the fact that he was the President that year. I can't even begin to imagine what 1974 must have been like for my parents, the ultra liberals, Mr. and Mrs. Conscientious Objector. Within the first month, they find out that they're going to have a baby and to mark the time along, they get to follow the Watergate mess. Nixon resigned a month and a half before I was born, so technically, I spent the first 8 years of my life with the wrong favorite President: it should have been Ford.
By no rights should an 8 year old be all that enthralled by a movie like this, but I was. My favorite scene, by far without any doubt, was when Woodward is meeting with Deep Throat and Deep Throat is being vague again but Woodward insists that he needs specifics. Then the music gets all serious and Deep throat tell him that his life is in danger. Next shot is Woodward running into Berstein's place and cranking up some classical music and they start communicating ont he typewrite. Keep in mind that I'm still at the age where mom or dad have to read it for me because there's no way I'm keeping up. I would have to say it remains one of my most favorite 10 scenes in any movie all time.
And the best part of this was that IT WAS REAL!!! I could actually MEET Deep Throat. This was mind boggling to me. Movies weren't real. BUT THIS REALLY HAPPENED! And yes, today I understand that in "based on a true story" movies, they dramatize this. Now. But I didn't know this then, so as far as I knew, what was happening happened just as they said. To this day, I think of the events depicted in ATPM as occurring as shown in the movie. There is no suspension of disbelief required and there is no spoil-sport in the back of my head saying, "Sure, but you know it wasn't EXACTLY like this."
The only caveat to ATPM was that Deep Throat was real but we didn't know who he was. I've known since the first time I saw the movie that Woodward was going to keep this secret until the actual Deep Throat died because after the movie I must have asked my dad about 1 zillion questions. It's always been the one piece of the puzzle that was missing that probably helped keep my interest going.
When I was in college, Bill Bradlee, the Editor of the Post at the time of Watergate, came to Pitt to give a speech. You better believe that I was one of the first people there. There's not too much I actually remember of his talk. But there are 2 parts of the evening that stand out in my mind: someone in the audience asked who was Deep Throat (his answer being that he can't say yet) and that during the book signing portion, I got to ask what he thought of Jason Robards' portrayal of him in the movie. To be honest, I don't remember the answer exactly (he asked me what I thought and I said something, he more or less agreed and mentioned that he spent a day with him before filming), but just getting to ask the question was an absolute thrill for me.
So that brings us to Deep Throat revealing himself this week. To my surprise, it hasn't been remotely as anti-climactic as I had feared it would be. Maybe because all of the fascist conservatives are lambasting the guy for pointing out how crooked they are. His grandkid called him a hero, which he most certainly is. I think he's as close to a living Yoda as we can expect. I'm talking Yoda from Empire here, not the Yoda that kicks all kinds of ass in the recent trilogy. And now he's real.
I can't wait for the inevitable TV movie that pops up as a result of this. From what I've read, it seems like the guy lived a truly remarkable life. He was involved in spying at some level as far back as WWII. Some of the communication codes he used with Woodward he lifted from the Nazi's (Buchanan, Hannity and the rest should be at least a little amused about that). Just seems like a really cool guy to sit and listen to tell stories. I'll be reading each one of those as they come out over the coming weeks, to be sure.
And if he were to appear on a campus to give a talk somewhere to promote a new book, I'd be in the audience. I'd wait in line to have a book signed. And I'd ask him a question when I got in front of him. This time though, I don't think I'd ask, "What did you think of Hal Holbrook's performance as you." Nope. I'd ask a question that he'd absolutely, positively HAVE to have an opinion on one way or the other but I doubt anyone would be willing to ask. I'd have to ask, "So, what's it been like all these years to know that you were given a nick name based on a porno?"
posted by RauluaP at 12:58 PM
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