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| Crazy Love | 
 enlarge | Directors: Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens
Actors: Burt Pugach, Linda Pugach, Jimmy Breslin
Studio: Magnolia
Category: DVD
List Price: $26.98
Buy New: $17.02
You Save: $9.96 (37%)
Buy New/Used from $8.49
Avg. Customer Rating:  (14 reviews)
Sales Rank: 26922
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Subtitled, Widescreen, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), Spanish (Subtitled)
Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Media: DVD
Running Time: 92 minutes
Number Of Items: 1
Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: MAGD10097D
UPC: 876964000970
EAN: 0876964000970
ASIN: B000U6YJLU
Release Date: October 16, 2007
Theatrical Release Date: 2007
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
The astonishing & unbelievable story of the obsessive roller-coaster relationship of burt & linda pugach. Their whirlwind romance culminated in a violent & psychologically complex set of actions which landed the pairs saga on the cover of endless newspapers & magazines. A true story. Studio: Magnolia Pict Hm Ent Release Date: 10/16/2007 Run time: 92 minutes Rating: Pg13
Amazon.com
If it were a novel, the story of Burt Pugach and Linda Riss would be rejected as ludicrous: When Pugach discovered that Riss was engaged to marry another man, he hired thugs to throw lye in her face, blinding her. But after almost two decades in prison, Pugach emerged as obsessively in love with Riss as ever and continued to woo her--successfully. This flabbergasting true story is slowly unveiled, thanks to marvelously adroit editing, through interviews with Pugach, Riss, many of their friends, and various media figures like Jimmy Breslin, who followed the twists and turns of this saga as it played out in the courts and the papers. The key to the movie, though, is not the plot so much as the characters: Not only are Pugach and Riss a fascinating psychological study, all of their friends are standout personalities as well, each with their own take on what happened. The big events are bizarre enough, but it's the strange small twists--just how Pugach and Riss were brought back together, for example--that push the story into the realm of tabloid surrealism. (One detail that doesn't give much away: Prior to meeting Riss, Pugach co-produced a movie called Death Over My Shoulder.) Skillful use of historical footage keeps the movie from just being a series of talking heads and provides period texture. Crazy Love is yet more evidence that we are living in a golden era of wildly entertaining and engaging documentaries. --Bret Fetzer
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| Customer Reviews: Read 9 more reviews...
 Will Leave You Shaking Your Head In Disbelief! November 12, 2008
This may be the most amazing true-life documentary I've ever seen. If it wasn't all true, I'd never believe it. Who would? This is an insane "love story," and it really happened. Ask the citizens of New York City who lived through this tabloid story.
I hesitate to say too much for those who haven't watched this, but I highly recommend this DVD. The filmmakers did an outstanding job in presenting all the major figures in this fascinating tale of twisted lovers....and "twisted" is putting it mildly, especially in regard to the chief male: Burt Pugach, who is one of the most despicable no-conscience people I've ever seen.
If crazy people, obsession, romance, crime, loneliness, comedy, etc., are all something you find entertaining, this documentary has all of it. It might also disgust you that human beings can be so pathetic.
I couldn't stop shaking my head in disbelief after this watching this documentary. Kudos to everyone involved in this film for a job very well done.
 Incredible Story, Decent Movie October 13, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
This movie was a great surprise. A friend of mine lent it to me and the story pulled me in right away. Many moments of 'are you serious?' and 'you must be kidding me!'. It's better going into the movie if you know absolutely nothing about the story. Otherwise, there are parts of the movie that are kind of slow, so the pacing can be a little off during certain portions of the film. But this was a minor flaw, in my opinion, because the story kept me intrigued throughout. Recommended.
Belle Dame Haitien October 12, 2008
0 out of 1 found this review helpful
Fast shipping. My dvd came quickly but it was severly scratched up because the dvd was not secure in the dvd holder. I thought I wasn't going to be able watch the movie but the dvd played without a problem.
Seller was willing to refund my money, but there was no need.
Seller was fast, profesional and responsive. Would have gotten 5 stars if the dvd wasn't scratched.
 Worthless and dull! September 11, 2008
0 out of 5 found this review helpful
People trying to be original will never be original! This bit of tripe perfectly illustrates my point. The film makers sure wasted their time on this one. Put out a better product next time!
Be prepared to have to scrape your jaw off the floor August 25, 2008
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
****1/2
Of all human traits, "love" is probably the least easy to categorize or define. We like to believe that it comes in all shapes, sizes and forms, but is there a limit beyond which the definition simply cannot go, a type of feeling that, though it may resemble love on the surface, is, in reality, an entity quite different from the actual thing? Without setting out to do so, Burt Pugach and Linda Riss are two individuals who have truly done their best to redefine "love" on their own terms.
Almost from the outset, the story of Burt Pugach and Linda Riss had all the ingredients of a classic tabloid sensation: romance, jealousy, rage, obsession, disfigurement, imprisonment, reconciliation and redemption, all wrapped around a crime of passion that would shock and horrify the nation. And this would turn out to be no run-of-the-mill, here-today/gone-tomorrow type of scandal, either, for it would flourish over the course of no fewer than five full decades, from the late 1950's to the mid 1990's. Now, straight out of the truth-is-stranger-than-fiction file comes the documentary "Crazy Love" to provide us with a brilliant and mind-blowing account of their story.
This disturbing and fascinating film begins in 1957, when a lawyer from the Bronx named Burt Pugach met and fell in love with a beautiful, yet naive, young woman named Linda Riss. Though at first carried away by this man's easy flowing charm and wealth, Linda tried to back out of the relationship when she discovered that he was already married and had apparently no intention of ever asking his wife for a divorce. Unable to live with Linda's rejection, Burt quickly became a stalker, going so far as to hire three men to go to Linda's house and throw lye into her face, resulting in almost total blindness for the unsuspecting girl. A sensationalistic trial then ensued, resulting in imprisonment for Burt and a life of loneliness for Linda. Yet, baby, you ain't seen nothing' yet - for it's from here on out that things REALLY start to get crazy.
Suffice it to say that, when all is said and done, "Crazy Love" will leave you gaping in stunned silence - or at least scratching your head in amazement at the mind-boggling truths it reveals about human nature. This film conjures up a whole host of contradictory responses in the audience, making us question just how exactly we are supposed to feel about these two individuals and the relationship they've somehow managed to forge out of all this madness. Is Burt simply a raving maniac who can`t tell the difference between love and obsession, or is there some basic element of decency in his character that might allow him to find true forgiveness and redemption for his crime? Is Linda merely a hapless victim drawn to the man who's abused her, or is she a calculating opportunist willing to do what it takes to obtain some security and love in this world? Or does she - in some weird way and despite all he`s done to her - actually love the man? What's admirable, from an artistic standpoint, is that the movie doesn't answer any of those questions for us. Instead, we are lured into this crazy, topsy-turvy world of inverted values, then forced to find our own way back out of it - if we can.
Writer/director Dan Klores has structured his film in a way that is particularly effective for anyone not yet acquainted with the story. He begins by relating the initially rather mundane details of this romance in strictly chronological order, with no real inkling of the darkness that is to come, leaving us to question after awhile just why this particular story and this particular couple merit all this attention. It isn't until about twenty or thirty minutes into the film that he finally lowers the boom on us, and we come to realize the significance of the tale he is relating. He does this again later in the story (yes, there is a second major boom to drop), as we watch in spellbound amazement as one astonishing layer after another is slowly peeled off the onion.
With an abundance of photos and film clips - along with songs popular at the time playing on the soundtrack - Klores is able to bring the various eras in which this all took place to vivid life. But, obviously, his key selling point is the numerous interviews he was able to glean with people intimately connected to the story - including Burt and Linda themselves. Nobody could ever probably fully comprehend their relationship and the fact that it somehow "works" for them may say more about human nature than we may indeed care to know.
Still, there's no doubt that this is one movie that will have you thinking long and hard about it for days or possibly even weeks after it's over.
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