El caso de Lizzie Borden

Atmospheric, rather violent and shocking television-movie from 1975 didn't ignite a great deal of controversy upon its original airing, yet it is still quite potent and scary today (arguably, if made today, it would have to be a cable movie with a strict rating). Elizabeth Montgomery is chilling as Lizzie Borden, an unmarried 32-year old in 1890s Massachusetts, still living at home with her father, sister and stepmother, who wishes she could sleep with one eye open after claiming their house was broken into; soon afterward, her father and stepmother are axed to death in the residence, on an afternoon when only Lizzie and the family maid were present. The courtroom theatrics (including the examination of a too-clean skull) are underwhelming, yet Montgomery is riveting nonetheless, particularly in the well-staged final moments after the verdict is read. Memorably, straightforwardly played out, without a hint of camp.

I concur with the positive comments here about this well above average made for TV movie. A friend of mine recently got his hands on a video of the film, and watching it, a little over 30 years later, I still experienced the hairs on the back of my neck standing up.

Elizabeth Montgomery gives a powerful, cold and chilling performance as the legendary Lizzie Borden.

LOL, when my brothers and I watched this ABC TV movie back in 1975, they would literally freak me out by locking me in the basement of our home. Through the locked basement door, they would sing, "Lizzie Borden took an axe, gave her mother 40 whacks...." Brothers - what can I tell ya?

I was interested to read the comments of US reviewers of this title, praising its period accuracy and attention to detail. In the UK we tend to take these 'costume dramas' for granted. Considering it was made in the mid-70's, however, the film still looks good and some of the principals look strikingly like their real-life counterparts (especially Ed Flanders as Hosea Knowlton). Only Lizzie's uncle John V Morse, who stayed in the Borden home on the night before the murders, is missing.

As you can probably tell by now I have quite an interest in the Borden case. I saw 'Legend of Lizzie Borden' when it was first broadcast and after 30 years I still think it offers as fair a reconstruction of the crimes and the trial as you can expect in 90 minutes.

The jarring notes are hints of Andrew being some sort of mild necrophiliac and having an incestuous or near-incestuous relationship with Lizzie. I don't believe there is any real evidence for either of these allegations. Much is made of the fact that Andrew wore a ring Lizzie had given him as a schoolgirl. In fact, at the trial, the undertaker Mr Winward could not remember if there was a ring on Andrew's body or not. This was rather embarrassing for the defence but didn't stop George Robinson making a big point of it during his closing address. (Much of the dialogue in the inquest and trial scenes is taken from the record).

It is probably more true to say that Lizzie desperately wanted Andrew to show his love for her. Instead, he killed her pigeons.

There are only two real flights of fancy: Lizzie stealing the axe from a store (she had no need to and, let's face it, it's a bit obvious); and the testimony at the trial that she tried to buy prussic acid the day before the murders. This is true, she did, but the evidence was *excluded* from the trial by Judge Dewey because the prosecution couldn't prove that Lizzie only wanted the poison for a criminal purpose. Wonderful thing, the law.

Much more revealing is the sense of Lizzie feeling stifled in a mean provincial household when she dreams of a life of travel, fashion and excitement. In the scenes of confrontation between the inhabitants of 92 Second Street, you get a real sense of the tensions that were building up in that confined space, a confinement that was spiritual as well as physical.

I once read a review which said Elizabeth Montgomery portrayed Lizzie as a "wide-eyed zombie". That can be dismissed as rubbish. This is a performance of tremendous scope, showing a Lizzie who was stubborn, vain, calculating, callous and yet strangely vulnerable (you can't help but pity her as she sobs over her slaughtered pigeons). She was a fascinatingly complex woman and this is as good a piece of acting as you will find anywhere.

In 1975 I remember the reconstruction of the murders being described as "overlong and bloody". How times change. I am sure these days they could be far more graphic and true to the brutal nature of the actual killings. Again the film is tempted to go too far by having Lizzie (or more properly Elizabeth Montgomery) strip off before committing murder. This could be one reason why there was no blood on Lizzie's person immediately after the crimes, but the pathologist at the trial stated that if the murderer stood astride Abby Borden, and the first blow that struck Andrew hit a major artery (killing him instantly and releasing blood pressure), there would be very little blood splattering around.

I have waited, and waited, and waited, for UK TV to show this film again. I recently managed to purchase a rare video copy. I am pleased to see that my memory didn't play me false. This is a superb production, a credit to its makers, excellently cast and performed which deserves to be shown again and given a much wider commercial video/DVD release.

I love this movie for two reasons: a big crush on Liz Montgomery and an interest in the case of Lizzie Borden. I don't know how she got this role, but she quickly goes from a sexy witch into a very scary and unstable psychopath, a role she soon excelled in two other TV-movies. This movie is chilling as it recreates the murders and the actual Borden house's floorplans to document and terrify the audience with a pseudo-documentary feel and psychological touch of suspense. The other roles were filled with lookalike actors and forms the atmosphere that you are really there in Fall River as the murders and trial occur. Some of the historical facts of the case and some witnesses are omitted for a more clearer script and continuity. The film also seems to suggest that Lizzie could see her stepmother's dead body from the top step long before it had been discovered [the father had been discovered first and had been killed sometime after he had been noticed. The bodies were found in the reverse order that they had been killed.}. This movie does remind me a touch of Lizzie's male counterpart, Jack The Ripper, whose movie starring Michael Caine also used very speculatory data to deduce the killer. Both movies are very chilling and true to their period with very dark primal undertones. This movie is a bit more than a cult classic, it's a TV-movie that should have been released theatrically. Someone ought to get on the ball and put this out on video for more people to appreciate it.

I remember the controversy when the film aired originally, but it wasn't until years later that I saw it. When I did see it, I was amazed by the high quality of it. This movie is much better than the majority of theatrical releases being made today. Elizabeth Montgomery gives a wonderful performance, and the script is intelligent, rich with subtext, and explores many themes (feminism, incest, murder trials as media events) which are still relevant.

The 1970s were a great time for made-for-TV movies, and this film is a shining example of that excellence. Today's filmmakers could learn a lot from this terrific production.