The Legend of Lizzie Borden
| The Legend of Lizzie Borden | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Paul Wendkos |
| Produced by | George LeMaire |
| Written by | William Bast (screenplay) |
| Starring | Elizabeth Montgomery Katherine Helmond Fionnula Flanagan Fritz Weaver Ed Flanders Gloria Stuart |
| Music by | Billy Goldenberg |
| Cinematography | Robert B. Hauser |
| Editing by | John A. Martinelli |
| Running time | 100 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
The Legend of Lizzie Borden is a 1975 American television movie. It premiered on ABC on February 10, 1975.
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[edit] Plot
The film, although based on fact, is a stylish retelling of the events of August 4, 1892 when the parents of New England spinster Lizzie Andrew Borden were found brutally murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts home. The subsequent incarceration of the prime suspect (Lizzie herself) as well as the coroner's inquest and trial are largely faithfully depicted, using actual testimony.
The film departs from historical fact in multiple speculative flashback sequences, showing possible motives for the Bordens' murders as well as the murders themselves. The film portrays Lizzie as the killer, acting out of frustration for her father's cruelty, and depicts her as stripping naked, committing each murder, then washing the blood away in the cellar, thus explaining why no blood was ever found on Lizzie's clothing immediately after the murders.
[edit] Cast
- Elizabeth Montgomery and Lizzie Borden were sixth cousins once removed, both descending from 17th-century Massachusetts resident John Luther. Rhonda McClure, the genealogist who documented the Montgomery-Borden connection, said, "I wonder how Elizabeth would have felt if she knew she was playing her own cousin."[1]
[edit] Awards
The film won two of the five Emmy awards (Outstanding Costume Design & Outstanding Film Editing) for which it was nominated. Other nominations included Elizabeth Montgomery for Outstanding Lead Actress. Her portrayal of the famed murder suspect was a dramatic turnaround from the wholesome image she presented on the 1960s sitcom Bewitched. Other nominations included Art Direction and Sound Editing.
The film was also nominated for Best Motion Picture Made for Television in the 1976 Golden Globe Awards.
[edit] European version
The European theatrical version is more explicit than the one broadcast on ABC, showing Borden nude in the scenes where she kills her parents.[2]
[edit] References
- ^ Pylant, James (2004). "The Bewitching Family Tree of Elizabeth Montgomery". Genealogy Magazine. http://www.genealogymagazine.com/elmo.html. ""Rhonda R. McClure. Finding Your Famous (& Infamous) Ancestors. (Cincinnati: Betterway Books: 2003), pp. 14-16."
- ^ In appreciation of Elizabeth Montgomery
[edit] External links
- The Legend of Lizzie Borden at the Internet Movie Database - 1975
- The Legend of Lizzie Borden at AllRovi
- Movie trailer
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