Love Machine

Plot synopsis:
Robin Stone, a handsome, ambitious newsman for a New York television station, attracts the attention of Judith Austin, wife of Gregory Austin, the head of the IBC network. Concerned about ratings, Greg is encouraged by Judith to hire Robin as IBC's new anchorman. Although he opposes Greg's decision, Danton Miller, the head of programming, is unable to overrule his boss. Soon afterward, feeling threatened by Greg's support of Robin's plan to take his newscast to prime-time, Dan decides to build a variety show around second-rate comedian Christie Lane to prove that the audience prefers crass entertainment to more cerebral programming.
Christie is a hit in the ratings, and Jerry Nelson, a homosexual friend of Robin, arranges for the show's sponsor to hire Amanda, a fashion model and Robin's occasional girlfriend, as the on-air representative of its product. After her first spot airs, Amanda skips a celebratory party and goes to Robin. Shattered when she finds Robin with a nude woman, she attends the party alone. Christie Lane, smitten with Amanda, proposes marriage when a drunken Amanda agrees to go home with him.
Judith persuades Robin to have lunch with her, but they end up in bed instead. During their rendezvous, Greg suffers a severe heart attack. Judith, who holds Greg's power of attorney, appoints Robin to act as head of the network while she takes her husband to Switzerland to recuperate.
Soon afterward, having rejected Amanda yet again, Robin is shaken by the news of Amanda's suicide. He goes out for a walk. Propositioned by a prostitute, he accompanies her to his room, but then changes his mind, and beats up the hooker. He then confesses to Jerry, who agrees to provide an alibi for Robin. In return, Jerry asks for a slave bracelet engraved with Robin's name.
Judith returns to New York with Greg, now recovered. When Robin refuses to resume their affair, Judith convinces her husband to reclaim control of the network, thereby demoting Robin. In response, Robin threatens to quit entirely, a move which would result in problems between Greg and the shareholders.
When Robin visits Los Angeles, Jerry persuades him to attend a party at the home of the actor Alfie Knight, Jerry's new boyfriend. Robin, in turn, invites Judith who is also in the city. At the party, Robin is pleased to see aspiring actress Maggie Stewart, who rebuffs him. Judith, meanwhile, becomes annoyed when Robin neglects her for Jerry and Alfie.
After most of the guests have gone, Judith, still angry, finds Jerry's slave bracelet on the floor. Reading the inscription, she threatens to expose Robin. Jerry and Alfie try to retrieve the bracelet, which leads to a brawl. Soon the police arrive, and Robin explains the fight by claiming that he had instigated it by making a drunken pass at Judith. Later, as Robin leaves the police station, his reputation in ruins, Maggie Stewart pulls up in her car and asks him if he needs a ride. He declines.

Tags: romantic

Review:
great material for analyses of robots, AI, and ethics. I saw this movie last week, hosted by Peter Asaro, one of the film makers. Much more than just a "gee-whiz" description of current developments in robotics and artificial intelligence, the film provides really rich material for thinking about the delegation of all sorts of labor (including emotional and/or sexual work) to socio-technical systems. It includes examples (both technical and philosophical) that could serve as very useful materials for university courses on social, ethical, and legal issues and technology. With a running time of 110 minutes, it could be a bit much for most undergraduates, and some of the montage sequences can feel a bit long. But apart from this, I found the interviews with Manuel Delanda, Daniel Dennett, and Hubert Dreyfus particular insightful, and the images and soundtrack (including material by Blonde Redhead) provide much needed pacing for reflecting on the issues raised during the film.. A great survey of Human/Machine Interaction. I finally managed to see this film, thanks to the filmmaker Peter Asaro. This film will appeal to others like me who are interested in the history of technology. It explores the general topic of human/machine interaction especially are regards one of the most complex of human interactions, love, from filial to sexual. The film is an excellent survey of the opinions of key individuals ranging from philosophers to engineers as well as a catalog of a variety of high and low technology devices aimed at providing 'love', broadly defined. Some of the material is becoming dated, such as the MIT work, but it will be difficult to find as complete a collection of material as is presented here anywhere else.I recommend viewing this film if you can arrange it.