The Legend of Lizzie Borden
Encyclopedia
The Legend of Lizzie Borden is a 1975 American television movie
. It premiered on ABC
on February 10, 1975.
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.
. 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.
Television movie
A television film is a feature film that is a television program produced for and originally distributed by a television network, in contrast to...
. It premiered on ABC
American Broadcasting Company
The American Broadcasting Company is an American commercial broadcasting television network. Created in 1943 from the former NBC Blue radio network, ABC is owned by The Walt Disney Company and is part of Disney-ABC Television Group. Its first broadcast on television was in 1948...
on February 10, 1975.
Plot
The film, although based on fact, is a stylish retelling of the events of August 4, 1892 when the parents of New EnglandNew England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
spinster Lizzie Andrew Borden were found brutally murdered in their Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River, Massachusetts
Fall River is a city in Bristol County, Massachusetts, in the United States. It is located about south of Boston, southeast of Providence, Rhode Island, and west of New Bedford and south of Taunton. The city's population was 88,857 during the 2010 census, making it the tenth largest city in...
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.
Cast
- Elizabeth MontgomeryElizabeth MontgomeryElizabeth Victoria Montgomery was an American film and television actress whose career spanned five decades. She is perhaps best remembered for her roles as Samantha Stephens in Bewitched, as Ellen Harrod in A Case of Rape and as Lizzie Borden in The Legend of Lizzie Borden.-Early life:Born in Los...
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."
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 BewitchedBewitched
Bewitched is an American situation comedy originally broadcast for eight seasons on ABC from 1964 to 1972, starring Elizabeth Montgomery, Dick York and Dick Sargent , Agnes Moorehead, and David White. The show is about a witch who marries a mortal and tries to lead the life of a typical suburban...
. 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.