MovieChat Forums > The Legend of Lizzie Borden (1975) Discussion > A Post-Murders film about Lizzie and Emm...

A Post-Murders film about Lizzie and Emma


As I was rewatching The Legend of Lizzie Borden, it occurred to me no one's ever done anything focussed on the period after her acquittal.

Easy to understand why, as the murders still remain unsolved, and murders are more dramatic.

But I'd be interested in seeing a film, or even better a mini-series, provided it was well-researched and based on as many facts as possible. There was still a lot of drama in their lives after the murders, and up until their deaths.

What I'd like to know, or see, is what was their relationship like after the acquittal, and up to the point where Emma left the house they purchased together on the hill?

WHY did Emma leave? Whatever the reason, it must have been something huge, as she left hurriedly and they never spoke again. Or even wrote one another. Was it because, as some have speculated, Lizzie had a relationship with Nance O'Neil? Was it because she came to realise Lizzie did commit the murders? Did Lizzie confess it to her in the heat of an argument?

How uncomfortable was it for them, the rest of their lives, living in Fall River? Why did they stay?

What was Lizzie's life like when she was going to New York, out on the town, when she met Nance? Those would be fun scenes.

Then there was the scandal about Lizzie's shoplifting two paintings, where she was supposedly forced to sign a confession in exchange for keeping it hushed up.

Would you be interested in seeing this? Any things you'd like to see in it, questions speculated upon, scenes you think would be interesting?

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The 2014 film "Lizzie Borden Took an Ax" with Christina Ricci addresses your questions at the end. Don't listen to the dullards who say this is a bad movie because of the anachronistic music or whatever. Here's what I say about it in my review:

I just watched this version and 1975's "The Legend of Lizzie Borden" with Elizabeth Montgomery back-to-back and I give this one the edge. It's a little more compelling and has an excellent edgy soundtrack, albeit anachronistic. People complain about the music, but it's not like it's anything new to apply rockin' soundtracks to historical movies; "Marie Antoinette" did it in 2006 and Spag Westerns did it decades prior in the early 70s. Besides, the soundtrack's not all rockin'; it's diverse, creative and thoroughly entertaining. In any case, I recommend seeing both versions to compare the data and understand what was going on behind the scenes at the Borden abode.

While it's impossible to defend Lizzie's gruesome actions, both movies help you see why she felt she had to do what she did (with 99.9% certainty). Her father was rich, a struggling mortician turned businessman and property developer, but he refused to update their house (they still had a pit latrine instead of flush toilets) or move to a more affluent neighborhood. Lizzie just turned 32 while Emma was 9 years older and marriage was less and less likely of a potential escape. The stepmother, Abby, was short & fat and pressuring Andrew to change his will for her benefit. The Borden house itself was curiously structured in that there were no hallways and thus one room linked to another, which hindered privacy. In short, the household was a ticking Victorian time bomb with mounting hostilities waiting to explode.

Here's a link: https://www.imdb.com/title/tt3118958/?ref_=tt_urv

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But does it continue even after the trial? I started watching the one with Christina Ricci. It wasn't bad, but I had to stop because of other things going on at my house, and I just sort of forgot about it. I may continue watching if it goes on to dramatize the move to the big house on the hill.
I have always wanted to see a movie dealing with life in Fall River after the trial. The OP brings up many interesting points. I have read many books and I have seen a number of documentaries. All deal with life up to the murders, so I understand what led up to it and even a few theorys on what may have led up to the whole thing.

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As I remember, just little bit, but that's more than what the Montgomery version gave us (which was nothing). There's a scene in the modern house in The Hill neighborhood that the Borden sisters moved into after the trial, which I'm assuming would be 1905, because that's when Emma moved out after some kind of an argument and they never saw each other again. It's a well done sequence and probably close to what really happened.

So I encourage you to finish the movie because I think it's more compelling & stylized than the Montgomery version and includes that effective end piece, but -- from what you say -- it ain't gonna tell you anything you don't already know or suspect.

Concerning the OP's negative view of the movie, if you haven't already check out the interesting discussions on this thread: https://moviechat.org/tt3118958/Lizzie-Borden-Took-an-Ax/5b1b498df53637001422675c/This-is-very-poorly-done

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Thank you Wuchak. I will definitely check it out.
I do like the 1975 version because it was actually the first truly good version and quite shockingly frank for television then. I also think that the acting was quite good too.
I did enjoy what I saw of the Ricci version. It was different and interesting. The musical soundtrack was a nice contrast to the period.
I don't think that the OP was being negative about the more recent version. I just think that like me, she was thinking that it would be interesting to see a movie of the years after the trial. In this version and the countless documentaries, they always give you a written epilogue across the screen, telling us in a few paragraphs about the last years of Lizzie's and Emma's life. I personally think it would be interesting to hear more about the people of Fall River and their attitudes toward Lizzie. A movie about Lizzie and Emma would be interesting. Nobody has ever done that. Not to my knowledge... and I'm assuming, not to the OP's.

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