Crazy Love        

Burt Pugach and Linda Riss are a couple of morally bereft characters, who are broadly drawn, unfortunately, from real life. This sad, overlong rendering of their headline-grabbing story, from 1959 through the ‘60s, tells of two certifiably insane people, who made us feel that we were certifiable for watching this film. 

In the 1950s Burt Pugach was (and still is) a fast-talking New York lawyer who gave ambulance chasers a bad name. He owned his own plane, produced movies, and drove a new convertible every year. We see what he wants from life, not just how he’s able to make his money. He opened a nightclub, in part, so that he could woo the ladies and have his picture taken with the right people. Burt was the poster boy for overindulgence. 

When Burt meets the beautiful girl of his dreams, Linda Riss, he is instantly smitten with her. Rather than love at first sight, the word obsessed comes to mind. Burt says he’s in love but his definition is different than most. From old photographs and home movies, we see that Linda was stunning, and at 20, she was ten years his junior. Linda talks a lot about her values and her virginity at that time, though she was a flirt, and to her 2 and 2 always equaled something more than 4.  

Burt fails to mention to Linda that he’s married to Francine. And when Linda threatens not to see him any longer, he lies and produces a bogus divorce decree. When that lie is exposed, Linda begins to plan a life without Burt. She falls in love with a handsome young guy and becomes engaged, then the real tragedy begins. 

Burt’s cruel obsession brings their relationship into the headlines when he hires two black men to throw acid in Linda’s face. She is blinded and Burt and the men are convicted. 

After serving half of a 26-year sentence, Burt is released from prison. Much of the film meanders around the notion of how and why Linda and Burt eventually come together again. The major themes are jealousy, criminal attack, racism, self-hatred, forgiveness, and of course, that twisted crazy love. 

There is some humor in the film even though it’s overshadowed by wondering how the human ego can make us do such irrational things that at one time seemed to make sense.   

Crazy Love is co-directed by Dan Klores, a public relations superstar (read spin-doctor), and Fisher Stevens, who is recognized primarily as an actor and producer. Sometimes a documentary loses its interest because you don’t like the people it’s about because for them, it’s only about them. Burt is as despicable today as he was in the ‘60s.

PIERREPOINT: THE LAST HANGMAN

Roger Ebert captures the mental rationale of Albert Pierrepoint, the last hangman of the title (portrayed by Timothy Spall), in his review of Mr. Death when he says, “The hangman has no friends.”  

Pierrepoint was a master hangman, meting out that method of execution. In 1934 he picked up the trade of his father and uncle to become Britain’s most efficient hangman. During his tenure, Pierrepoint hanged at least 608 people. He maintained a “normal” life working as a grocery deliveryman as his cover. Only after an extended period of time does he even mention his real job to his wife (Juliet Stevenson of Breaking and Entering). Of course, she already knows, but she won’t discuss it until he tells her the truth. 

Pierrepoint allows himself to become trapped into doing what he later deems morally wrong, primarily because he’s doing what the government asks. It’s his patriotic duty. Pierrepoint’s okay hanging people with increased efficiency, until he’s asked by General Montogmery, at the end of WWII, to execute German prisoners. They’ve been found guilty and when you consider what they have done to others, even if you are against capital punishment, you can only feel so sorry for them. 

While on his trip to Germany, to a warehouse with a makeshift gallows, Pierrepoint is surprised to learn that not only is he to be a hangman, but this is to be an assembly line: over 40 in one week with 13 on the first day. 

Unlike a sniper who kills someone, only one person knows what is going to happen and when. When you look into the face of the person that you are going to hang, as your eyes connect, you both know with absolute certainty what is going to happen. 

Pierrepoint’s first moral question is hanging so many people in such a short time. Something about it just does not feel right. Although he is able to reconcile himself with that (after all, these people killed Jews for sport and in gas chambers by the millions), he is upset when he has no more coffins to hold the bodies. Every person deserves the dignity of a coffin. 

He and his wife decide to get out of the business by opening a pub. He’s on his way to making the transition until his former best friend Tish (Eddie Marsan of MI: 3), an old drinking and singing buddy, is on death row. Public opinion has now turned on the issue of capital punishment and Pierrepoint questions how he should handle the situation with Tish. Not helping the matter is that Pierrepoint goes from hero to goon once the secret is out as to his profession. 

Although we have given away the story in the film, we have not given away the real impact of the movie, which is to look at the concept of capital punishment square in the face.  Only by viewing the process of those that die as well as those that kill them do we connect our mind with our heart. 

What surprised us with regard to the grimy side of legalized killing is that Pierrepoint not only hung the condemned, but he took off their clothes, washed the bodies and put them in a casket. Although this may seem sick, it was a way for him to pay respect, even to those that “deserved” to be killed by the state. 

Timothy Spall (from Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire, and the upcoming Sweeney Todd) gives his usual brilliantly solid performance, as an everyman sort, questioning his lot in life. 

As Pierrepoint eventually concluded, the only purpose of capital punishment is revenge. We need people who can step above the fray to decide what is best with regards to punishment. Or do we? George recalls having no doubt that the killer of Polly Klaus deserved to die. When the man was executed George was pleased. However, being locked up for the rest of his natural life was probably more appropriate punishment.  There is no easy way out. No concrete answer to serve all grievous offenses. Perhaps, no true justice. Look at who populates our death row in this society ¾ the poor and minorities. 

Hostel 2

 

Similar to the set up in Grindhouse (which comes as no surprise, since Roth directed the “Death Proof” segment of that Tarantino film), Hostel 2 begins as if it’s not going to be a gorno (gore/torture porn) movie. Though with Eli Roth and Quentin Tarantino in the opening credits, you know it’ll get bloody soon.

Four female college students in Italy take a detour from their partying when they take off with a bunch of con artists to visit a Slovakian spa. Their thoughts are relaxation and maybe romance. The reality is horror and death. When they check into the hostel, the reception manager (who looks like a character borrowed from the film Vacancy) scans copies of the four beauties’ passports to his employer.

Twisted buyers from around the world are soon bidding with their Blackberries for the chance to kill young women as slowly and tortuously as their perverse desire dictates. The winner signs a contract that says they will kill the victims. Take a guess what happens if they change their mind.

Perhaps the one thing I did like about the script was that you didn’t always know who the likely killer might be. As we learned in Turistas, you not only have to be careful in the places you know, but especially in the places you don’t.

The killings were sadistic rather than sex crazed, or the usual serial killer motive for murder. One woman uses her resources to escape and turn the tables on those she wishes to get even with.  

This year horror films at the multiplex almost doubled to 45 from last year’s 23. There are some excellent horror films for genre fans, such as The Host and 28 Weeks Later; worth seeing because they are frightening and (believe it or not) have some type of political bent to make one think. There is no redeeming value in movies like Saw, The Hills Have Eyes and Hostel, as they appeal to only the sadistic killing of people wrapped around a paper-thin plot.

Production values in this film are good. The key reason for the “zero star” rating is that this is not entertainment, and the only purpose it can serve might be to help a person who is already deranged to do great harm to themselves and others. That said, this type of thing in a movie is probably less damaging than the violence in video games our kids often buy because they are more intense. The negative value of life in games can be reinforced over and over and over.  

The fact that this film is rated R means that in many places youngsters can easily slip in and see it. As Nathan Lee of the “Village Voice” says, “The most disturbing thing about this implausibly R rated spectacle is what it says about the double standard of the MPAA. Apparently, you can linger over a penis in close-up so long as it’s being cut in half by a pair of scissors.” 

There are many sick scenes in Hostel 2, such as the killing of children, dogs attacking and devouring a person, decapitation, a blood letting bath, and more. With Hostel 2 garnering only $14 million at the box office after two weeks, it appears that this and other gorno films may have peaked -- the sooner the better. 

White Dog

Although training a large white dog to attack black people was clearly an overt metaphor for racism in the early 1980’s (when this film was made and received limited overseas release), it directly speaks to how racism is taught and ingrained, even today. In the past, dogs were trained to capture slaves and later escaped black convicts. Things have changed for the better, but much of the racism today is as bad or worse than in the Jim Crow days because of its sophistication. When you know who your enemy is, you have a better idea of how to fight them. Today the method is much more of “they’re smiling in your face, backstabbers.”  

Julie (Kristy McNichol) is an aspiring actress who hits a white dog with her car one night, and after giving it some thought she saves the dog’s life when she takes him to a vet. Later, the dog saves her from an attacker in her home (not a black man), and all seems well. They have bonded. 

After the dog attacks a black man for no apparent reason, Julie takes the dog to Carruthers (Burl Ives), a man who runs an animal training center for movie productions. There she meets Keys (Paul Winfield), a black trainer who says he may be able to cure the dog. Keys informs her that the dog’s attack problem is specific only to black people, unless he’s provoked. 

While White Dog looks at racism, and the lengths to which some people go to insure its continuing terrifying acts, the film is done in an almost non confrontational manner. The metaphors in the script are there to see, yet its not overly heavy handed. We learn that hatred is taught and that if indoctrination begins at an early age, it is most effective. 

Once ingrained, one may change their feelings about who you hate, but once you hate, a switch has been turned on that directs that venom toward somebody. Keys works with the vicious dog to deprogram it. There are deeper secrets revealed about the training  the dog has received. Teach hatred and nothing good can come of it. 

Paramount Studios was set to release the film in 1982 but delayed plans once it became so controversial.  Among other critics, the NAACP feared the movie might encourage racists to mimic what was in the film. White Dog played in Europe (uncut) and a heavily edited (butchered) version was shown later in the US on cable. By 1991, an uncut, bootleg account played in a few art house theaters.  

It’s too bad the film did not see the light of day until 25 years after the fact. Even then, it only played for three days in Chicago, on a Monday-Wednesday. 

Using history can be effective for understanding what was and what is. This was indeed a movie ahead of its time.