Lovelace - Blu-ray

Content: Davie, Florida in 1970: This is where young Linda (Amanda Seyfried) lives with her very conservative parents (Sharon Stone, Robert Patrick). Too provocative clothes, swearing and of course drugs are absolutely taboo for Linda. Only when she goes out with her best friend Patsy (Juno Temple), the gray mouse sometimes becomes a hot kitten. And that's exactly how she attracts the attention of handsome Chuck (Peter Sarsgaard), with whom Linda quickly falls in love. It doesn't take long for Linda to elope with Chuck and find herself in seventh heaven. But after only a few months, things look very different. Chuck becomes violent again and again and also has financial problems, which Linda is supposed to solve for him. Because her very special way of giving him a blowjob, Chuck wants to make money. He introduces Linda to porn filmmakers Butchie (Bobby Cannavale) and Gerry (Hank Azaria), who immediately recognize the young woman's special talent. Linda is persuaded to star alongside the well-endowed Harry Reems (Adam Brody) in the sex film Deep Throat - unaware of how much it will change her life. And despite its enormous success, not exactly for the better...

Filmmakers Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, who previously tackled a controversial chapter in American literary history with Howl, now deliver Lovelace, a thrilling look at a scandalous work of film history. With a production cost of just under $25,000 and a box office take estimated at $600 million, the porn film Deep Throat is one of the most profitable films of all time. It was the first work of the genre to draw the masses into theaters, making porn a big step out of the muckraking corner and into social acceptance. Linda Boreman became a star as the leading actress under the name Linda Lovelace and was from then on a welcome guest at parties and other social occasions. For many, Linda Lovelace was a pioneer of sexual liberation. It seemed to be the realization of the American dream par excellence. But when Linda Lovelace published her autobiography a few years later, it became clear that Deep Throat was more of a curse than a blessing for her.

And that's where Lovelace comes in. The film shows the two sides of the story. First the rather glamorous one, in which the ordinary girl becomes a superstar. But then comes the disillusionment, when it becomes clear how much pressure Linda is put under by Chuck, how he humiliates and physically abuses her. And when she tries to get out of this life and find help from her parents, she is denied it, especially by her arch-conservative mother. It's actually a very sad story, but Epstein and Friedman don't tell it in a completely depressing tone. Rather, they also manage to lighten up the proceedings with a little bit of humor every now and then. Especially the short appearances of James Franco as Playboy boss Hugh Heffner or Adam OC California Brody as porn star Harry Reems are extremely amusing.

Overall, the film lives primarily from the great cast. Amanda Seyfried embodies the transformation from naive girl to sexy porn star to emancipated fighter very credibly and leaves a really very positive impression especially in the second half of the film. Also the prominent supporting actors like Chris Noth (Sex and the City), Eric Roberts, Wes Bentley or Sharon Stone make Lovelace first-class acting cinema.

The coherent set and the integration of archive footage in the film - such as the legendary interview of Linda Lovelace with talk show legend Phil Donahue - underline the positive overall impression. Here and there, the staging seems a bit powerless and clearly falls short of its potential. But even if this has made the drama not quite as interesting as the great documentary Inside Deep Throat, the bottom line is still a very clear: worth seeing!

Picture + Sound: The visual realization of the Blu-ray captures the 70s feel of the production very well. Coloration, filters, contrast matching, and image sharpness all make for a very authentic look. The audio is in a convincing DTS HD Master Audio 5.1 mix that matches dialogue and music well. The only noticeable thing is that the dialogue in the original version seems a bit more naturally integrated into the tonal proceedings, and sounds a bit more front-heavy on the German soundtrack. Good!

Extras: As a bonus, the Blu-ray has in addition to an uncommented look behind the scenes (about 5:30 min.) and a short promo featurette (about 2:53 min.) still a concise, but worth seeing Making of (about 13:58 min.) and some interviews (about 31:32 min.) to offer. Plus, there's a reading from Linda Lovelace's book, as well as the press conference from the 2013 Berlinale (approx. 37:40 min.) Good!

Conclusion:Lovelace is an ambitious look at the tragic career of a young woman who becomes first a porn star and then the poster child for the sexual revolution. Rob Epstein and Jeffrey Friedman, with the support of a superb ensemble of actors, have attempted to show two sides of the Linda Lovelace story. The result is a compelling drama for long stretches that works really well, especially as a companion to the excellent documentary Inside Deep Throat. The Blu-ray is technically well-executed and the bonus material is also worth watching - although subtitles would have been desirable, especially for the Berlinale press conference, due to the less than perfect sound quality. Overall, however, all this is still enough for a clear: Recommended!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp