LIZZIE BORDEN TOOK AN AXE and Got Away with Murder

The legend of Lizzie Borden is one that has been told and retold time and again for television. We’ve told the story at slumber parties to frighten each other into sleepless night’s. Children jump rope to the rhyme:

Lizzie Borden took an axe

And gave her mother forty whacks.

When she saw what she had done,

She gave her father forty-one.

Lizzie was tried and acquitted for the double homicide of her father, Andrew, and step-mother, Abby. To this day the mystery remains unsolved.

Lizzie Borden

Christina Ricci takes on the role of Lizzie in a new Lifetime original movie, “Lizzie Borden Took an Ax”. Ricci is brilliant in portraying the dark, mysterious young woman who by all outward appearances, is an upright citizen of Fall River, Massachusetts. She is a Sunday school teacher on Sundays, dutiful daughter the rest of the time – or is she? This film shows Lizzie as a manipulative, disobedient daughter to her father, with hints at an unnatural relationship, just for spice. Since the movie focuses more on the trial than the relationships, we aren’t shown much of Lizzie’s relationship with her step-mother.

Lizzie has a sister, Emma (Clea DuVall), who looks like she’s devoted to her little sister, but she’s afraid of her and grows more suspicious of her as the trial rolls  on. When put on the stand however, she shows unwavering devotion to Lizzie.

Defending Lizzie is the family lawyer, Andrew Jennings, played by Billy Campbell. Jennings manages to show reasonable doubt when the prosecutor cannot produce any physical evidence against Lizzie. He also played up the fact that such a brutal, feral crime could not possibly have been committed by this innocent and fragile woman.

There has never been a telling of this story where it wasn’t already assumed that Lizzie Borden took that ax and murdered her parents.  This movie is no different, although Lifetime will make things interesting if you tweet while watching. Viewers can either use the hashtag #LizzieIsInnocent or #LizzieIsGuilty to defend their ‘team’. Since this movie doesn’t go into all the other theories floating around as to who could have killed the Bordens, I can’t imagine there will be a lot of Team Innocent members out there, but I could be wrong.

All in all, I thoroughly enjoyed this movie. I’ve always been fascinated by the story and Christina Ricci makes a very spooky Lizzie. They recreated the family home very well, and even the  photos of the crime scenes were almost exactly like the originals that are on file. Eerie! The only con I had, and I really hope this is just because I watched a screener, but the music chosen for the movie just didn’t fit at all. I’m not a fan of contemporary pop music in period films and I didn’t like it here. I hope that changes. For that alone I give this movie 4 1/2 out of 5 az bloody ax heads.

Lizzie Borden Took an Axe premieres Saturday, January 25 at 8/7c on Lifetime. Repeats will air Sun., Jan 26 at 12AM/11PMc and at 9/8c; and Mon., Jan 27, at 1AM/12AMc.