Lizzie Borden Took an Ax: A Legend Reborn
On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts with the following investigation of their murder placing Lizzie Borden as the prime suspect. “There have been more than a dozen retellings in popular culture of the Lizzie Borden trial” (Borden). What makes the biopic Lizzie Borden Took an Axe stand out from the rest? For starters, the story itself is appealing in the mystery surrounding the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. It is a film that says all it needs to in its name to provide the audience with an idea of what they will see – Lizzie Borden taking an ax to kill her parents. The film merges fact and fiction to present Lizzie in appearance and character …show more content…
It was directed by Nick Gomez, who also directed the comedic mystery Drowning Mona back in 2000, and written by Stephen Kay. The film falls under the category of bio-pics, which, according to Ellen Cheshire, are films where “the filmmakers have made a conscious choice to tell the story of a known person, and where audiences arriving at the cinema would have previous knowledge or expectation of what they are likely to see” (6). Lizzie Borden Took an Ax presents itself as a biopic through focusing on the year of Lizzie Borden’s life when her parents were murdered and she went to trial, which is a popular story audiences are likely familiar with. As is common for bio-pics to do, this film manipulates the facts to fit its intent, which is to entertain the audience with a story of murder and …show more content…
The appeal increases with the casting of Christina Ricci, who “was born to play a 19th-century ax murderer, as it turns out” (Borden). The added Twitter debates also boosted the film’s appeal to the modern audience while keeping true to the division of opinions during the time period after the announcement of the acquittal. As pointed out by historian Leonard Rebello, the film doesn’t present Lizzie’s story in a completely factual manner, instead "‘it leaves myths and legends for a new generation.’" (Allard). The film’s goal wasn’t to be factually accurate, it was to be entertaining. With over 4 million viewers, Lizzie Borden Took an Ax provided the audience with plenty of entertainment to keep them arguing over the innocence of the real Lizzie Borden while leaving them with no doubt as to the guilt of Christina Ricci’s Lizzie
On August 4, 1892, Andrew and Abby Borden were murdered in their home in Fall River, Massachusetts with the following investigation of their murder placing Lizzie Borden as the prime suspect. “There have been more than a dozen retellings in popular culture of the Lizzie Borden trial” (Borden). What makes the biopic Lizzie Borden Took an Axe stand out from the rest? For starters, the story itself is appealing in the mystery surrounding the murders of Andrew and Abby Borden. It is a film that says all it needs to in its name to provide the audience with an idea of what they will see – Lizzie Borden taking an ax to kill her parents. The film merges fact and fiction to present Lizzie in appearance and character …show more content…
It was directed by Nick Gomez, who also directed the comedic mystery Drowning Mona back in 2000, and written by Stephen Kay. The film falls under the category of bio-pics, which, according to Ellen Cheshire, are films where “the filmmakers have made a conscious choice to tell the story of a known person, and where audiences arriving at the cinema would have previous knowledge or expectation of what they are likely to see” (6). Lizzie Borden Took an Ax presents itself as a biopic through focusing on the year of Lizzie Borden’s life when her parents were murdered and she went to trial, which is a popular story audiences are likely familiar with. As is common for bio-pics to do, this film manipulates the facts to fit its intent, which is to entertain the audience with a story of murder and …show more content…
The appeal increases with the casting of Christina Ricci, who “was born to play a 19th-century ax murderer, as it turns out” (Borden). The added Twitter debates also boosted the film’s appeal to the modern audience while keeping true to the division of opinions during the time period after the announcement of the acquittal. As pointed out by historian Leonard Rebello, the film doesn’t present Lizzie’s story in a completely factual manner, instead "‘it leaves myths and legends for a new generation.’" (Allard). The film’s goal wasn’t to be factually accurate, it was to be entertaining. With over 4 million viewers, Lizzie Borden Took an Ax provided the audience with plenty of entertainment to keep them arguing over the innocence of the real Lizzie Borden while leaving them with no doubt as to the guilt of Christina Ricci’s Lizzie