Liebe ist mein Geschäft

A real nice film about a seducer, his victims, a charming Barry Bostwick and a sort of alliance for revenge , a young Hector Elizondo and the air of unique "80 s. A comedy, simple at whole, nice scene by scene, good for see more for actors and less for story and a too moral end, almost didactic one.

Larry Hogan (Barry Bostwick) is a serial womaniser and swindler, preying on the owner of a beauty salon, Cassie Robbins (Linda Purl). Although she is the one most hesitant to believe the worst of him amongst Vivian Langford (Polly Bergen), Betty Ann Brendan (Dee Wallace Stone) and Jenny Barrett (Erin Gray), it is her contribution which finally helps Larry be prosecuted for fraud.

Cassie is the dramatic centre of the movie, whereas the romances of the other ladies has a comic edge, and Purl brings a pathos to her shy character. Her disbelief at Larry's duplicity is demonstrated by her repeating a line of denial as she walks away, and Purl freezes in reaction to Larry's return after standing her up at their proposed wedding - the pain of her humiliation recalls silent movie acting.

The teleplay by Ronni Simon describes Larry as `like an animal stalking his prey', and has Vivian moralise with `He took the one thing we can't list on a police report - our pride'. There is a funny line `A woman at 40 is more likely to be shot by a terrorist than get married', and a funny exchange in `He wasn't even that good. He wasn't that bad either'. Although the climax where the women gather to entrap Larry is more silly than amusing, the best scene is at a restaurant where Larry has to move from sharing a table with Betty Ann and Jenny.

Director Arthur Allan Seidelman uses the music score by Richard Bettis with it's saxophone jazz for the comedy, and opens with an American Gigolo-style montage of Larry dressing. It's just a pity that Boswick's kind of sincerity is the type nobody would believe. Bergin has a campy drag queen appearance - at one point she wears a huge fur coat - and her face turns into a grimace after she speaks her lines, but Gray's voice has an unusual resonance, and even Wallace Stone has some schoolgirl-ish charm.

It is unclear if the writer was aware but the central character is a psychopath and the incidents in the film are to be seen in the textbooks illustrating psychopathic behaviour*. Had this been a better production especially had it had a better lead the extraordinary nature of the (in this case) man would have been more apparent. The psychopath is likely to be be the most charming, most charismatic apparently most sincere and trustworthy person one has ever met. Hence as correctly shown in the film, the woman in complete denial of reality. They are also completely devoid of conscience or empathy - utterly indifferent to the consequences of their actions no matter how serious. Lacking a core reality they spend their lives acting hence it is first nature to them - and they are able to seamlessly act whatever part will get them what they want. One of the cheated women speaks of him "stalking her like an animal" - that is one of the characteristics along with an intense stare at those they would con and manipulate - they are watching and reading. Notwithstanding their superficial appearance their inner self is reptilian in its utter cold indifference to others.

If only an actor of the calibre of for example Martin Sheen had played the lead with his capacity for charm, charisma and intensity this would have been a disturbing and memorable film. Jailing a psychopath would not change his behaviour - it would continue in prison and fully resume after release - as the text books attest.

This is a serious topic which merits better handling and wider recognition.

*authors Hervey Cleckley and Robert D. Hare