Magie rose

I saw this movie about 4 years ago, and it still is on my top ten movies that are truely funny and made me laugh out loud.

Everything in it is just off centre and it's a perfect setting for a comedy.

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.

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).

Its 1692, the judge and mayor of Salem team up to take over the town's land by starting up witch hunts which leaves vacant properties. The plan is going real well, when suddenly a real witch, Faith, for witchcraft, accuses the innocent Sara Lee. She uses this as a chance to get to her boyfriend Miles, but he stands by Sara and tries his best to convince the town she's no witch.

"Love at Stake" is a reasonably obscure and small-scale b-grade spoof that amusingly sends up the infamous Salem witch trails with quick fire gags and lowbrow tone. There's a certain Zucker and Abraham style (think of Airplane & Top Secret!) about this comedy. It even has a touch of Monty Python about it. The martial has a cheeky hit and miss self-mockery about itself, but it's always on the move and there are some inspired lines of dialogue. The corny premise is quite an original take with plenty of zing and a playfully raunchy touch. There's plenty of room for minor jokes to feed off the major one. It can get infantile and crass, but the superb cast upped the material to another level with their blinding chemistry and well-timed performances. Stuart Pankin and Dave Thomas were sensational as the two weasels, Judge John and Mayor Upton. They clicked when they came together. Kelly Preston was delightfully sweet and very effective in her role as Sara and Patrick Cassidy fitted perfectly as her concerned boyfriend Miles. A fickle turn by Bud Cort had me snickering quite a bit as the blind Parson Babcock and an alluring Barbara Carrera turns heads as the voluptuous witch Faith. It's directed with a lot of ticker by Saturday Night Live's John Moffitt. Which it's a shame that it goes by unnoticed.

A fun flick with energetic performances, but in the long run it's still a forgettable spoof. Well worth a look though.

This is a great film for fans of cheesy humor. The acting is sometimes questionable, but the experience and laughter is well worth putting up with it. If you enjoy films like "The Pirate Movie" and "Airplane" then this film is for you. It even has the pre-requisite Dr. Joyce Brothers cameo.