Sedução e Medo

Long before the days of anti stalking laws and before it was a crime just to even look at a woman if she suspected fear, this film "The Seduction" shed light on the issue of stalking bringing it to the headlines. As in the early 80's when the film was made most states had yet to impose stalking laws, as the victims were put thru a lot of torment just as the Fairchild character was in this film. Yet thru the years with attractive stars, newscasters, and sports sideline reporters being the victims of stalkers the issue has came to the forefront and the laws against stalking are broad and tough. Mostly the well known and attractive are targets and this film showcased that well.

"The Seduction" is one underrated early 80's thriller with plenty of suspense and erotic drama. Set in L.A. anchorwoman Jamie Douglas(the beautiful and attractive Morgan Fairchild)is at the top of her game with cover girl looks, a beautiful California hills home, and a top rated news show along with a tough guy lover Brandon(Michael Sarrazin). Yet add one big negative and that's Jamie has a strange and obsessed fan a crazed and lonely admirer named Derek(B movie legend Andrew Stevens). Right away when Jamie says no to Derek's romantic offer, he becomes off the chain in his obsession one by one it's the strange phone calls, letters, flowers, to the eventual following of Jamie to work, the mall and even her own home. Derek's snapshots of Jamie's most private and personal moments are at an all time high as this obsessed guy is now a regular pepping tom! Yet the police can't assist as in these times before the anti stalking laws were written this was a laugh, so revenge and stoppage must come from Jamie! Overall this film was a joy to watch for it's suspense and erotic scenes proving that many like Derek become obsessed with a beautiful attractive lady. And these obsessions can take a turn for the worst, and this film in my opinion shed light on the issue of stalking as it probably helped push for strict laws and tougher guidelines. Overall this is one film not to miss.

for anyone who might tend toward romantic obsession, here's your cure. do yourself (or a friend) a favor and (get him to) watch this film. fifteen minutes into the film, you just want to punch andrew stevens in the mouth. the problem is that the harasser never seems to know what a jerk and a fool he is being. here's the message, written in big red letters. too bad more men don't see themselves this way until it's too late. of course, derek (mr. stevens' character) becomes a very bad person by the time he gets his due. if only derek could see himself in this movie, maybe then he wouldn't have taken that first step. sure, not all crushes are actually stalkings. and there is the risk that the truly disturbed stalkers won't understand that this movie is supposed to help them not to do it. the movie may just make a lot of people paranoid. still, it as an effective counterpoint to the CINEMA PARADISO-style treatment of unrequited love, and too much of that sort of fantasy romance in cinema just exacerbates this social problem.

it's not so much a thriller as a public service announcement. amazingly, farrah fawcett is in BURNING BED just two years later. one has to think that blossom kahn had more to do with this film than the credits reveal.

it's obvious why morgan fairchild took the script. ms. fairchild was never the bimbo that people accused her of being. (i have a friend who was at a bio lab at harvard when she phoned to discuss primate genetics for several hours! no kidding!) the kind of power that julia roberts uses today to deliver ERIN BROCKOVITCH was enjoyed by ms. fairchild in 1982, and she seems to have used it here. ms. fairchild even gives up her body with shocking compliance (with dozens of nude scenes, and almost constant appearance on screen) in order to keep the drooling men in their seats until the lesson is complete. as easy as it is thus to applaud ms. fairchild, mr. stevens deserves greater praise. not many leading men would have taken such a role in 1982, and mr. stevens is the perfectly detestable pretty-boy delusional peter-pan smarm. the boys will watch this film for ms. fairchild, and they will learn to leave the girls alone because of mr. stevens.

I've seen this movie about three times,and its preposterousness(is that a word or did I just make one up?)made it something that practically all parties involved,particularly the leads, would probably want to forget they took part in. Having said that,it is at least marginally interest-emitting and,of course,lovingly sexual.

I recall that when this movie was being primed for release in early 1982,the selling point was almost entirely around the (still)lovely Morgan Fairchild--who,at the time,was nursing a floundering career after her series "Flamingo Road" was left to whither on the vine by NBC--and her sex/nude scenes. Sure enough,the scenes where she is sans trow are lovingly shot and have a lushness of editing and sound(her bubble bath scene has a particularly rapturous feel,reminiscent of Angie Dickinson's opening scene in Dressed to Kill) that would make the viewer believe that Andrew Stevens' creepy script boy stalker ISN'T the only one stalking Fairchild's eye-candy news anchor-lady.

Another IMDb commenter gave away some perceivably important plot points. Suffice it to say,the thriller/suspense/mystery element of this movie languishes behind the soft-core erotic quality of the film up until the last twenty minutes of the film,when suddenly the urgency of a dangerous stalker(with amazing ability to hide and enter people's abodes)with rapist/deadly abilities comes to the top of the agenda. This is probably ONLY a recommend for FAirchild fans and worshipers,since it is a donut-hole without her.

After an erotic, sinuous credits-sequence with a shadowy woman gliding through the waters of a swimming pool, we get mired in straight-faced, B-movie hell. Morgan Fairchild, looking unsure and as stiff as her hairdo, plays a TV news anchorwoman who attracts a stalker. Truly mines the depths of drive-in cliches--and dispatches with one character in such a ridiculous fashion it may have invented a new cliche--"The Seduction" is just half-undressed tripe. Too bad, it had the possibilities of being a juicy, nasty little thriller with soft-core edges. There's nothing edgy about Fairchild's presence: she's as slick as lip gloss and about as permanent. * from ****

Some people may snicker at this film, but back in the heady days of 1982 we just weren't as sophisticated about the celebrity stalker phenomenon as we are today. We didn't have to be, it was a more gracious and civilized time to live and, I might add, a golden era for television.

But dark days were just around the corner and those of us in the public eye owe the lovely Ms. Fairchild quite a debt for her eye-opening work on this film. I myself found it particularly enlightening when she demonstrated the dangers of being stalked while showering, swimming nude or taking a bubble bath while stroking one's silky thighs.

I'd also like to say that though some philistines may have nominated Colleen Camp for a Golden Raspberry award, I thought she was fantastic in her role, though we could have seen more of her.