Recounts a life-long tale of violently obsessive passion that has made headlines repeatedly over the decades. Burt Pugach was an ambulance-chasing lawyer and a night-club owning, Cadillac-driving, Manhattan playboy. When he first set eyes on Linda Riss in 1957, he had to have her. Impressed by his ardour and status, Linda went along for the ride, but ultimately fled into the arms of a nicer, working class guy. Burt, obsessed, paid thugs to throw acid at her face, to have her blinded. The case made headlines. Burt made headlines again when, having served his sentence, he appeared on national TV and proposed to Linda. This is where the story becomes truly breathtaking. There were many more headlines to come.
Both Linda and Burt are interviewed here, as are their friends and associates and a few outside commentators who have taken a close interest over the years. [source: NZFF08]
I apologise, we feel bad, but there's no trailer available. ~Ed.
Whoever coined the phrase 'truth is stranger than fiction' must have had this film in mind. Hollywood screenwriters wish they could come up with something like this (literally as it turns out, as a feature adaptation is slated for the future). The documentary itself tells a tale as old as time - boy meets girl, they fall in – then out – of love, boy disfigures girl's face with acid and goes to prison, 16 years later they re-unite and get married. Oh how I love a happy ending.
So goes the twisted romance of Burt and Linda Pugach as they reset the benchmark for twisted romance. The pair – and those closest to them – recount the bizarre chain of events in standard talking heads format, the simplicity of the delivery underscoring by contrast the outlandishness of the incident in all its jaw dropping glory.
Ramping up the weirdness are the contributors themselves, most of whom carry themselves with a quiet, dignified insanity that is equal parts intoxicating, unsettling and darkly amusing. Style wise, there's not much to this, but that ends up enhancing the end product. Not only does it allow you to focus solely on the story of the relationship, but it also lends it a cheap, lurid tabloid feel that is absolutely in keeping with the nature of what it presents.
Still, it'd be wrong to sum this up as simply a celluloid freak show. While a lot of the time you do feel like you're rubbernecking at a car crash, by film's end an elusive, intangible commentary on love and relationships seems to have been pieced together from the most unlikely of sources. Check it out and put your own dysfunctional relationship into perspective.
By Andreas Heinemann, Flicks.co.nz
CRAZY LOVE is the twisted true story of obsessive love. I didn't think I would like this film but I was surprised at how the use of historical images and clips managed to recreate a time of glamour and convey a sense of nostalgic warmth. When Burt Pagach met Linda Riss he fell hopelessly in love. She wasn't that interested but he was determined to win her over. His infatuation soon turned to an obsession fueled by jealousy and desire. Burt and Linda talk candidly to camera about their story revealing startling insights into the darker side of human nature and our capacity to emerge from this, change and grow. I recommend this film unreservedly.
All told, Crazy Love is a rarity in documentaries; it's fun.
Despite the inherent, shocking nature of the material, Dan Klores' narrowly focused, poorly paced documentary lacks a narrative thrust that could have made for a more compelling film.
At one point, Klores thought about making a feature film out of the material, but it's a good thing he decided against it. You could not make this stuff up.
The overall vibe is morbidly entertaining, though something of a downer, partly because it's unclear if Mr. and Mrs. Pugach know that they are such sick puppies, partly because it's unclear if Mr. Klores cares that they are.
For those who don't believe that truth trumps fiction for whacked-out depravity, mark this shockingly fierce and funny spellbinder as Exhibit A.
We've been told the NZ release date for this flick is Thursday, 29th Jan 2009.
Release date: January 29th 2009.
We haven't received times for this movie in this location yet. However these are updated as cinemas announce them, so check back soon. Hopefully the lovely cinemas in your location will choose to play it shortly. ~Ed.
