anniefairfield
First off, great title! Also, great star in Christina Ricci as Lizzie Borden. This is not your typical Lifetime movie. I don't watch much Lifetime but I saw the ad for this, and I was like I'm in! I like dark, eerie movies. This was not nearly as dark as it could have been, but given that it was a TV movie on Lifetime, it was much darker and creepier than their usual fare. Great performance by Ricci, and good suspense throughout. The house, town, period piece elements were also really good.
Michael Kleen (makleen2)
Christina Ricci stars in this made-for-TV dramatization of the 1893 trial of Lizzie Andrew Borden for the murder of her father and step-mother in Fall River, Massachusetts. The highly-stylized production recounts events immediately surrounding the murders and subsequent trial. Lizzie Borden Took an Ax (2014) was later developed into a TV Mini-Series The Lizzie Borden Chronicles (2015). It blends a modern soundtrack with historic events to create an oddly entertaining take on the controversial case.At 11:10 a.m. on August 4, 1892, Lizzy Borden (Christina Ricci), 32, yelled for the family maid, Bridget Sullivan (Hannah Anderson), to quickly come downstairs. She discovered her father, Andrew (Stephen McHattie), slumped over the sofa. His head had been bashed in. Abby (Sara Botsford), Lizzy's stepmother, was found on the floor of an upstairs bedroom, her head and face smashed. Lizzy gave police strange and often conflicting information, and she quickly became the chief suspect.Her New Bedford trial, beginning in June 1893, was a national sensation, widely reported in the newspapers. It took the jury 90 minutes to acquit her, and with her inheritance, she purchased a new home and lived there with her sister Emma (Clea DuVall). Despite efforts to start a new life, Lizzy Borden was ostracized from Fall River society, since many people believed she was the murderer.There are several alternative theories about "who done it," but Lizzie Borden Took an Ax doesn't entertain any of them. It openly implies Lizzie was the murderer, even going so far as to imagine Lizzie confessing the crime to her sister, causing her to flee their home in disgust. In fact, the two sisters split in an argument over a party in 1905, 12 years after the trial. We'll never know what the sisters said to each other in private conversation, so this is creative license at work.The film weirdly sexualizes Lizzie Borden, and for that, Christina Ricci was perfect for the role, but Ricci looks nothing like a proper, White Anglo-Saxon Protestant spinster. The real Lizzie Borden was a member of the Women's Christian Temperance Union, which advocated abstinence from alcohol. Rumors about Lizzie's sexuality revolved around an alleged relationship with the actress Nance O'Neil, but this gossip was probably of the kind leveled at any unmarried, middle-aged person at the time. Lizzie is portrayed as attempting to seduce everyone who gets in her way, even her own father, and is shown committing the murders in the nude.Lizzie Borden Took an Ax is well-paced. This 87-minute movie doesn't waste time dwelling on irrelevant information or side stories. It effectively shows the tension in the Borden household prior to the murders and moves on. The audience doesn't need to see flashbacks of Lizzie's childhood, labored exposition, or other staples of historic biopics. The filmmakers establish their backgrounds with a few lines and a few short scenes.Veteran character actor Gregg Henry was given the unenviable role of playing prosecutor Hosea Knowlton, who is portrayed in this film as the antagonist. Lizzie Borden gives him every reason to suspect she's the killer, yet Knowlton's insistence on prosecuting her comes off as a witch-hunt, as few believe her capable of a brutal double murder. He is a forceful presence on screen, but his edge is dulled by the knowledge he'll ultimately lose the case. Filmmakers tried to cast the verdict as a surprise, but it's hard to do that when your source material is a real trial.There are many ways to make a compelling film about the Borden murders–the drama practically writes itself. Lizzie Borden Took an Ax chose not to focus on alternative theories, public interest in the case (it was the first trial followed nationally in the American press), or social issues, but to glamorize Lizzie herself. Christina Ricci fans love this movie, and it's a capable and entertaining introduction to the case, just don't reference it in a history paper.
amaykate
I held off on watching this for a long time thinking it would be similar to the television show which came after. I was very pleasantly surprised right away. Most of the movie is straight from the documented facts of the case and seeing it helps to paint a better picture of what happened. Of course the fact is we can never know. And although most of the movie is straight from court documents and testimonies a small percentage is fictional dialogue based on the writers opinion of Lizzie Borden. Which is to be expected to heighten the conflict and entertainment value which any good writer hopefully would do. And on the topic of entertainment value, I have seen a few negative opinions regarding the music which is contemporary rock and roll. I very much enjoyed the music as it helped to heighten the emotional and dramatic moments of the piece. It also gave it a slightly contemporary feel. Adding music to the soundtrack only from the time period in which is set (1892) would be less relatable and insulting to its audience. We know that rock and roll didn't exist in 1892 but thank goodness it does now.My biggest disappointment with this movie was the nearly complete omission of Alice Russel who was there from the night of the murders and never left her friends side, even sleeping at the Borden house for several days, volunteering to stay in the very room the step mother had been murdered. She lied for Lizzie when questioned however it was only a matter of time before guilt overwhelmed her and she told the authorities that she saw Lizzie Borden burn her dress. That marked the end of their friendship. I also understand that they wanted to highlight most of all the relationship between the sisters and perhaps even show the isolation Lizzie could have felt. But it's strange why every part was so accurate and yet a main character was missing. this is also why I stopped watching the television show (and the fact that it's not accurate or as entertaining). My favorite representation of Lizzie Borden by FAR is "Lizzie" the rock opera which is almost unbelievably entertaining and clever. But that's another review. For the character this writer has made Lizzie, Cristina Ricci is wonderful and Clae Duvall is now the only actress I can picture as Emma. No one knows who Lizzie Borden was and can never know but it's certainly fun to mix documented facts and imagination to make up your own Lizzie. This is a fun and scary guess highlighting her darker possibilities. It's also the most entertaining way to get (at least most) of the actual history.
