Lizzie: A gruesome tale of finding love unexpectedly
A sneak peek trailer at the latest Lizzie Borden movie and the real-life motivation behind the murders.
“This is America, sir. Every man with a pulse has enemies.” – Lizzie Borden
Lizzie Borden Took an Ax
From Elizabeth Montgomery’s (Bewitched) 70s television movie to the more recent Lifetime limited series, The Lizzie Borden Chronicles with Christina Ricci, the American murderess from Fall River, Massachusetts has a story that has fascinated and terrified people for decades. Now, she gets the big screen treatment with Chloe Sevigny (The Snowman) in the title role.
According to The Advocate, this is the first movie on Borden focusing on the lesbian love story behind the brutal murders. We all know the crime and the rhyme associated with it.
“Lizzie Borden took an axe, and gave her mother forty whacks; when she saw what she had done, she gave her father forty-one.” However, the motive for the crime was speculated upon for years but never fully explained. The movie, Lizzie directed by Craig William Macneill and written by Bryce Kass attempts to delve into the mystery behind the homicides.
This film is the result of Sevigny’s passion for the subject. She started working on it in 2010 with Kass. At the time, it was envisioned as a four-hour miniseries for HBO. What makes this effort different from past ones is the relationship at the heart of the action.
The Motive Behind the Madness
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Sevigny admitted to The Huffington Post that “historical accuracy wasn’t her main concern when making the film.” Most of the script focuses on Borden’s relationship with the family’s Irish live-in maid, Bridget Sullivan played by Kristen Stewart.
The trailer reveals an intimate connection between the women. Their attraction develops as a result of the sexual abuse of Sullivan by Lizzie’s father, Andrew Borden (portrayed by The Stand’s Jamey Sheridan). There also appears to be a certain degree of emotional manipulation as well as evidenced in a scene involving the slaughtering of pigeons which are subsequently fed to the family at dinner.
Sheridan gives his role the right amount of decadent smarminess and subtle cruelty. It becomes readily apparent why his actions would have led to his bloody and horrifying murder. As the saying goes, “the end justifies the means.”
Even in 2018 we still ponder did Lizzie Borden kill her father and her stepmother? Who knows if that question will ever be answered? Lizzie is due in theaters Sept. 14.
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