Linda Marchiano

Linda Marchiano appeared as Linda Lovelace in the pornographic film Deep Throat. She is also the author of Ordeal, an account of her experiences in the pornography industry. In the following viewpoint, which is excerpted from testimony before the Attorney General’s Commission on Pornography (the Meese Commission), Marchiano describes being coerced into participating in pornography by means of mental abuse, beatings, and threats against herself and her family. Marchiano insists that although she appears to be enjoying herself in Deep Throat, she was in fact brutalized and traumatized during the film’s production.

As you read, consider the following questions:

1. What does Marchiano say happened the first three times she tried to escape from Charles Trainor?
2. How does Marchiano explain the fact that she appears to enjoy herself in the film"

It all began...