Product Details

• Actors: Linda Pugach, Burt Pugach, Jimmy Breslin
• Directors: Dan Klores, Fisher Stevens
• Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, NTSC, Subtitled, Widescreen
• Language: English
• Subtitles: Spanish
• Region: Region 1 (U.S. and Canada only. Read more about DVD formats.)
  
• Aspect Ratio: 1.78:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Rated: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
• Studio: Magnolia
• DVD Release Date: October 16, 2007
• Run Time: 92 minutes
• Average Customer Review: 4.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (42 customer reviews)
• ASIN: B000U6YJLU
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #123,380 in Movies & TV (See Top 100 in Movies & TV)
• Learn more about "Crazy Love" on IMDb

Editorial Reviews

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

Product Description

Crazy Love is the astonishing and unbelievable true story of the obsessive roller-coaster relationship of Burt and Linda Pugach. Their whirlwind romance, culminated in a violent and psychologically complex set of actions which landed the pair's saga on the cover of endless newspapers and magazines.

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

32 of 33 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars A Celebrated, Powerful, Unique New York Story August 25, 2007

By Stephanie DePue VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

It was 1959, and Burt Pugach, a funny-looking guy, but an extremely rich and successful New York lawyer by the standards of the day, spotted a beautiful girl, Linda Riss, on a street in the New York borough of the Bronx. He immediately jumped out of his car, introduced himself to her, and started courting her, with his classy car, his airplane, his nightclubs, and his nascent filmmaking career-- he'd just finished making a film, in London, starring now nearly forgotten, but very much pretty-boy-of-the-day Keith Brasselle. Unfortunately, however, Pugach was married. The attorney quickly became obsessed with Linda, and tried every twist and turn, every lie he could think of, to keep her. But Linda, an ordinary girl in every way, aside from her looks, had been raised in a household of women, where men were not necessarily trusted, and she was able to track his every twist. No divorce, no Linda was her position, and she took her leave, became engaged to somebody else.

Pugach's obsessional love went far beyond the ordinary, and he was determined that if he couldn't have Linda, nobody would. So he hired a coupla thugs to throw lye in her face. She was disfigured, and blinded. Pugach's trial was a media circus, covered extensively by Jimmy Breslin, among the city's famous journalists. Pugach was found guilty, disbarred, and sent to jail, where he became a winning jailhouse lawyer, freeing several men. He was in New York State's most feared upstate prison, Attica, when riots broke out there, taking several lives. Upon his release, he regained his lawyer's license, and was, remarkably enough, married to Linda. He was to lose his lawyer's license yet again by threatening another beautiful young woman, an employee, with "what Linda got." Linda stuck by him; today he has a successful paralegal business (the man's evidently an inspired lawyer) in the New York borough of Queens.

It's a unique New York story, and it's doubtful anything like it has ever happened anywhere else. It was celebrated in its time, the media made a feast of it, and, in its general themes, remarkably powerful. All the important characters are still alive, and were willing to talk freely to Fisher Stevens, who made this film: he deserves the greatest praise for that. We see archival stills, and film, but it's the current day Linda and Burt who are the stars of their own show.

And if you don't believe Linda could have married Burt after what he did to her, think about it some more. Women's lives haven't changed that much in the intervening nearly half-a-century since Burt and Linda first met, and "Crazy Love" lays it all out for you.

19 of 20 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars Truth IS stranger than fiction! October 19, 2007

By Allen Chapman VINE™ VOICE

Format:DVD

I first heard of this documentary this past summer. The premise seemed very odd, jealous guy (Burt Pugach) hires guys to throw acid in the face of ex-girlfriend (Linda Riss) and after he gets out of prison, she marries him. What's more interesting is the story unfolds in the seemingly innocent 1950's. Thru interviews with Burt, Linda and friends of the couple, the story is told. After watching the movie, you understand how Linda got to a point in her life after the incident where she felt she would spend the rest of her life alone. Burt was there and loved her, something seemingly no other man was able to do after the incident. It's ultimately a tragic love story about a man who is a borderline madman and a woman who didn't want to be alone in her dark and lonely world.

16 of 17 people found the following review helpful

5.0 out of 5 stars You can't keep a bad man down November 21, 2007

By J. Kel

Format:DVD|Amazon Verified Purchase

When I first encountered the story of Burt and Linda Pugach, some many years ago, in the paper back edition of Burt's biography, what I read on the cover I simply could not believe. At first I thought it was a novel, some kind of elaborate publishing hoax with a rather sick premise, but gradually I came to realize this was for real. I didn't buy the book, I confess. I treated it like it was radioactive and after a few minutes I put gingerly in back on the rack thinking: no good can come from this. But, I never forgot the essence of the story. What did it say about them, us, everyone? So when the documentary was finally made I jumped at the chance to see it.

[I should mention at this point that Burt and Linda have been what is termed a "staple" of the tabloids, at one point reaching all the way, if that is the correct way to put it, to People magazine. I don't read such stuff, however, so I did not know their story continued and in the scheme of things has probably turned out as well as one could hope.]

The DVD is probably the way to go with this story, not watching it in theaters. It is just too intimate, in all the senses of the word, a tale. Watch it all, cut scenes, features etc. Most of all, make sure you listen to the commentary track. At the end, you will then be able decide for yourself. Personally, I think the documentary did their story as fairly and as in depth as could be done. It really is an outstanding achievement. It frustrates some people however because it must seem the truth is missing: this story is so off the scale, so far beyond "Freudian," that while it is tempting to make psychological assessments, don't. The overwhelming majority of people are not competent to do so -- I'm certainly not -- and one would advise against it in any event. Here are two people who themselves probably, even after fifty years of living with the story, have no idea what really happened. But they are living whatever it was, and that is all they or we need to know.

As for Burt, he remains one scary dude, as the director himself would find out first hand, yet one cannot help but respect him, in a way. He is a survivor with a strong element of luck in his life, if that is correct way to put it. He certainly suffered, both before and after his crime, but whether he suffered enough I leave to others to judge. He's smart, resourceful, and in a word indeed "obsessed." "Determined" doesn't quite seem to say it about Burt. For someone who is pushing 80, he comes across as sharp and tough as ever. Given all that he has been through and all that he has done, this is no small accomplishment.

I should point out that Burt does at times appear callous and indifferent to Linda's blindness (a point the director himself makes in the commentary), but I can't help but wonder if he simply does not see Linda as she is now, but only sees her as she was in the late 1950's. The documentary seems to come to that conclusion as well. Love is blind, in more ways than one. Certainly forgiveness is, if it is to be worthy of the name.

As for Linda, she seemed to have been saving herself for the right monster and one day Mr. Wrong did come along. I have to confess I like her. She is obviously quite talented, intelligent, witty and every bit Burt's match in toughness. But as with Burt, I'm relieved I never had to interact with either of them. I care for them both, however, and certainly one of the most amazing things about "Crazy Love" is the degree we come to view both of them as human beings. This is not a freak show. There is so much suffering in the world if these two people can hold on to some measure of happiness given their history, then more power to them. I think as a viewer, you can't help but hope the best for them and at the end of the film wonder what will happen to the other when either of them dies.