Crazy Love sounds from the title like it could be a Drew Barrymore romantic comedy, but this documentary would be more of a psychodrama were it ever fictionalized, only it might be too outlandish for an audience to believe. It was 1957 when successful ambulance chaser Burt Pugach met Bronx beauty Linda Riss and became instantly smitten. A whirlwind courtship ensued, though Linda’s virginity remained an elusive quarry. Burt made do with his secretary (who helps tell the story) and his willing clients. Linda was impressed by his flashy clothes and cars, but not by his refusal to make her an honest woman. Familiarly, rejection became obsession on the part of Burt, thus presaging the horrific turn that New Yorkers of a certain age will remember from tabloid headlines, but will be shocking to those who don’t. And yet the truly weird part comes after this. Director Dan Klores edits so as to tell the tale with clarity and efficiency. An aging Burt and Linda, interviewed separately, tell most of their story themselves, with family members and friends also interviewed. There are no psychotherapists, other than one who testified in court. Burt and Linda are such fascinating characters that into the 1990s they were fodder for Geraldo and Sally Jessy Raphael. It’s unfortunate that there’s not that sort of footage from earlier, but told in any fashion this unusual pair’s story affirms the strangeness and complexity of human desire.
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