Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered

Those looking for titillation from this droll observation of the sociological impact of one of the most notorious porn films of all time will probably be disappointed. Broadcast on British television in 2005, Debbie Does Dallas Uncovered (originally known as The Curse of Debbie Does Dallas) is nonetheless a good-natured little documentary along the lines of Inside Deep Throat that takes a fun, matter-of-fact look at the adult film industry in one of its early incarnations (the 1970s). The film attempts to uncover the "mystery" of starlet Bambi Woods who made only a few other appearances in porn before disappearing into obscurity. It also explores the mob angle and some of the dangers associated with organized crime and the FBI's interest once porn became more lucrative and mainstream. More entertaining is the sense of nostalgia that comes through in the modern-day interviews with those who participated in the making and marketing of Debbie, and how a micro-budget movie that by all rights should have quickly faded away became a huge hit and icon of porn. Smart, gray-haired paunchy guys watching themselves perform with 30 years' perspective seem bemused, wistful, and maybe a little bit embarrassed about the wacky way they made a few bucks (only one of Debbie's original actresses agreed to be interviewed). The film takes no moral stance, even though many of the interview subjects speak seriously about the victimization that has always gone hand-in-hand with the adult entertainment business. While not as clever, inful, or stylish as Inside Deep Throat, Debbie Does Dallas is still an engaging glimpse at a tawdry time and place that produced a classic in the annals of the adult film history. As an interesting extra and counterpoint to the history lesson, the disc includes the bonus feature, Diary of a Porn Virgin, which documents the tale of two women who make dramatic career changes into the modern porn industry. --Ted Fry

• Factory sealed DVD.