Love at Stake

My review was written in May 1987 after a Cannes Film Festival Market screening.

"Burnin' Love" is a far-out, irreverent sendup of the Salem Witch trials that packs plenty of laughs for its targeted Mel Brooks audience.

Producer Michael Gruskoff has worked with Brooks on several features and the influence shows. Besides the patented "Blazing Saddles" brand of flatulence humor there is a healthy respect for slapstick and vulgarity here, sometimes missing the mark but often scoring. John Moffitt, a tv grad, pilots with aplomb and Terrence Sweeney and Lanier Laney's screenplay is chock full of clever anachronisms.

Patrick Cassidy and Kelly Preston are well cast as idealized young loves in 1692 Salem, caught up in the witch hunt hysteria created by the unscrupulous town judge (Stuart Pankin) and mayor (Dave Thomas, using just a trace of his patented Bob Hope impression) who are burning landowners as witches in order to confiscate their property as part of a real estate development scheme.

A real witch (Barbara Carrera, deliciously sexy) shows up and accuses Preston of the crime in order to take Cassidy for herself. In the manner of "Tom Jones", which remains the template for these period tales (right down to Carrera's plunging decolletage), Georgia Brown as a local tavern owner shows up in court to reveal Preston's actual parentage and save the day.

Cast excels in this romp, with many outstanding turns. Bud Cort gets some big laughs as the local parson who is struck blind by Carrera (similar to Elizabeth Montgomery's tv witch on "Bewitched", she just has to squint to work magic), while Audrie Neenan as his crusty old mama steals many a scene using a voice like Margaret Hamilton's. Pankin and Thomas make a comfortable team of bumbling villains in powdered wigs while Cassidy and Preston are effective butts of many physical gags as the too-good leads.

Period feel is captured well on Canadian locations, with a satirical music score by Charles Fox ramming home the jokes (plus some outlandish touches such as The Kingsmen's hit "Louie, Louie" playing at Thanksgiving Dinner after the Indians pass around the peace pipe).

I haven't seen this in a while, but I remember watching it over and over again for a while. It's a wonderful spoof situated at the time of the Salem Witch Trials, full of anachronisms and humor. Plus it's a cute love story.

Throw your brain out the window, and you might get some chuckles from "Love at Stake", although it definitely will appeal more to the "Saturday Night Live" crowd, than those seeking a semblance of historical reality. It's extremely scattershot, with a hit or miss barrage of witch jokes revolving around town folk who could barely write their name in the dirt with a stick. Enter Witch Barbara Carrera and her push up brassiere. She is none other than Ann Ramsey in disguise, which further complicates the land grab scheme of the Judge and Mayor. Obviously this is not "Gone With the Wind" and should tickle the funny bone of those willing to wade through the simpleminded script to uncover a few gold nuggets. - MERK

I remember liking this film when I was a child, and with very good reason. "Love at Stake" is a comedy that continues rolling out the laughs in each and every scene. Film was written by two former writers for the original Saturday Night Live variety show, and the film was directed by a man who later went on to direct episodes of the Cult Comedy favorite "Mr. Show." Film includes an excellent cast, including Dave Thomas from "SCTV" and Bud Cort from "Harold and Maude" fame. Actress Ann Ramsy also makes a hilarious appearance as an old witch. Film is essentially a spoof of the Salem Witch Trials, which makes it a fairly interest bit of history to tackle as a comedic feature. I would also like to add that this film is highly original, and, of course, they just don't make them like this any longer.

In an attempt to acquire land so that they can enhance their fortunes, the mayor and judge of Salem, Massachusets decide to accuse certain landowners of witchcraft. What neither "Mayor Upton" (Dave Thomas) nor "Judge Samuel John" (Stuart Pankin) realize is that a real witch named "Faith Stewart" (Barbara Carrera) has just arrived from London and has her own agenda which is furthered by the mass hysteria. Anyway, this was one of those comedies that is pretty much hit or miss. Some parts were hilarious. Other parts not so much. Personally, I liked the performance of "Parson Babcock" (Bud Cort) the best. Additionally, having attractive actresses like Kelly Preston (as "Sara Lee") and the aforementioned Barbara Carrera in the movie didn't hurt either. On the other hand, the character named "Nathaniel" (David Graf) was much too vulgar in my opinion and along with some of the other worn-out gags by other actors really diminished the overall film. All things considered then I rate this as about average.