"the Legend of Lizzie Borden" is possibly one of the best TV movies ever made! I DO NOT say this lightly! The filmakers have taken such care to recreate the tone and atmosphere of New England in the 1890s.It puts theatrical productions to shame!From the flawless photography,authentic props and scenery,masterful costume and hairstyles,and the documentary feel of the cool,muted visual design of the film.The viewer gets a rare look into the case of Lizzie Borden from both HER viewpoint and the viewpoint of the legend itself! The case story is by now well known (however legally"unsolved") Lizzie Borden is accused of a brutal double-murder of her father and step-mother.The trial and legal proceedings are taken (almost exactly) from the transcripts of 1893.The filmakers have introduced one of the theories of how Lizzie could have committed the murders without actually bringing it out in the courtroom(which it never was) This is done quite effectively through use of flashbacks and "daydreaming" and would not have been possible without the performance of Elizabeth Montgomery.She is alternatingly cold,fierce,manipulative,and above all believable as Lizzie ( the real Lizzie was heavier,shorter and not very pretty) Miss Montgomery makes one realize that there really WAS some magic behind that "witch twitch" we all knew from TV.
