If you’re as excited (read: impatient) as we are to see Lovelace next week then why not sate your appetite by reading or rereading Linda Lovelace’s autobiography Ordeal which inspired the movie?
When, in 1972, Deep Throat took to the mainstream, Linda Lovelace became the first porn star to become a household name. For ten years, her name was a buzzword for a playful form of wink-wink nudge-nudge glamour, associated only with carefree naughtiness and at worst louche irresponsibility.
But then in 1986 Lovelace testified before the Attorney General’s commission on pornography and the American public were forced to confront the nauseating reality of how wrong they had been. As Lovelace put it: “When you see the movie Deep Throat, you are watching me being raped. It is a crime that movie is still showing; there was a gun to my head the entire time it was filmed.” As the sick realisation that the New York Times had run a feature review of footage of a crime scene slowly dawned, Lovelace decided to capitalise on her personal fame for social good.
She went on to become the unlikely feminist supporter of an anti-pornography movement, speaking before feminist groups, colleges and government to publicly decry the exploitative practices of the porn industry as she had experienced it. Unequivocally Ordeal is a horrifying tale of abuse, but it is also a story of overcoming incredible odds and a testament to the ability of the human spirit to endure.
Lovelace has an A-List cast starring the likes of Amanda Seyfried and Peter Sarsgaard, and we’re really excited to see this story get the attention it deserves. So go see the film AND read the book: Lovelace’s brand of sparse, affecting prose isn’t to be missed.
Lovelace hits UK cinemas on August 23rd.
Ordeal is published by Citadel and is available from all good bookstores.
(9780806527741, p/b, £9.99)