Crazy Love (1987)

Three 'Bukowskian' torrid nights in the life of a man in search of love. Harry Voss, 12, is young and naive. Love, for him, is romantic love between princes and princesses demurely kissing ... See full summary »

Director:

Dominique Deruddere

Writers:

Charles Bukowski (novels), Dominique Deruddere,

Stars:

Josse De Pauw, Geert Hunaerts, Michael Pas

7 wins.

Cast

Credited cast:
Josse De Pauw	...	Harry Voss's father / Harry Voss at 19 / Harry Voss at 33
Geert Hunaerts	...	Harry Voss at 12
Michael Pas	...	Stan
Gene Bervoets	...	Jeff
Amid Chakir	...	Bill
Florence Béliard	...	The Princess / The corpse
Karen van Parijs	...	Moeder van Harry
Carmela Locantore	...	Gina
An Van Essche	...	Liza Velani
Doriane Moretus	...	Marina
Rest of cast listed alphabetically:
François Beukelaers	...	The doctor
Erik Burke	...	A student
Chris Cauwenbergs	...	The tall sailor (as Chris Cauwenberghs)
Dirk Celis	...	A policeman
Guido Colonne	...	The headmaster

Storyline

Three 'Bukowskian' torrid nights in the life of a man in search of love. Harry Voss, 12, is young and naive. Love, for him, is romantic love between princes and princesses demurely kissing each other on the mouth. His father is a hero who kidnapped his mother and married her on a lonely mountain peak... Later on, he'll do the same. But Harry has a lot to learn. He also learns that there are handsome men and ugly ones, that love can be unfair. That one can find comfort in drinking... but above all he learns that man is capable of anything - absolutely anything! - to get his fair share of love.

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Plot Keywords:

dance | masturbation | voyeurism | prom | sex with the dead | 

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Genres:

Drama

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Details

Country:

Belgium

Language:

Italian Dutch

Release Date:

1987 (Belgium)

Also Known As:

Love Is a Dog from Hell

Filming Locations:

Brussels, Brussels-Capital, Belgium

Box Office

Gross:

$119,919 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Kabinet van de Gemeenschapsminister van Cultuur, Ministère de la Communauté Française de Belgique, Multimedia

Technical Specs

Runtime:

90 min

Sound Mix:

Stereo

Color:

Color (Eastmancolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.66 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Belgian censorship certificate: 12 (DVD release).

User Reviews

one of the most underrated films of the 1980's.

When it exploded onto screens in the mid 1980's, Oscar® nominated director

Dominique Deruddere's film CRAZY LOVE divided critics and audiences as few

films before or since.

Championed by Godfather director Francis Ford Coppola, the film was picked

up for US distribution. Stars like Madonna and Sean Penn attended the LA

premiere. But the films shocking subject matter and startling imagery were too rich a combination for audiences at the time. The film vanished from sight,

becoming an instant cult classic - much written about but seldom seen and now reappraised as one of the most underrated films of the 1980's.

Taking his cue from stories by cult American author Charles Bukowski,

Deruddere's film tells the story of a man's life via three nights, spread over 20 years. We see his hero, Harry Voss, first as a romantic young boy of 12, then as an acne ridden teenager, lost in unrequited love, and finally as a drink sodden drop out, for whom no act is too dreadful to contemplate...with terrible and yet deeply moving consequences.

It's a film that, once seen, is never likely to be forgotten. A film with a unique, bitter sweet and poetic mood that manages to be funny and tragic at the same

time. A minor masterpiece.