5.9 | / 10 |
Users | 3.0 | |
Reviewer | 3.0 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Oppressed, independent-minded Lizzie Borden experiences a sexual awakening when a pretty new maid is hired and the two develop an intimate relationship. But Lizzie explodes in rage and violence when her domineering parents try to control her desires. Based on the infamous 1892 murders of the Borden family.
Starring: Chloë Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, Jamey Sheridan, Fiona Shaw, Kim DickensPsychological thriller | Insignificant |
Crime | Insignificant |
Drama | Insignificant |
Biography | Insignificant |
Mystery | Insignificant |
Video codec: MPEG-4 AVC
Video resolution: 1080p
Aspect ratio: 2.39:1
Original aspect ratio: 2.39:1
English: DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1
English SDH, Spanish
Blu-ray Disc
Single disc (1 BD)
Digital copy
Slipcover in original pressing
Region A (C untested)
Movie | 3.0 | |
Video | 4.0 | |
Audio | 4.0 | |
Extras | 0.5 | |
Overall | 3.0 |
Lizzie Borden took an axe
And gave her mother forty whacks.
When she saw what she had done,
She gave her father forty-one.
Did she or didn’t she? That’s what the “legend of Lizzie Borden” basically boils down to when you get right to it, and in that regard, Lizzie
may pretend to play its revelations
close to its veritable vest, for a while at least, before going for the gusto in a viscerally disturbing murder sequence (note I’m not saying
who the murderer is — though spoiler-phobes had best not read much further). While according to the sole supplement included on this
Blu-ray release as a bonus feature star and executive producer Chloë
Sevigny has evidently been developing this property for years, and hired her personal friend Bryce Kass to write the screenplay, the film offers a
hypothesis that in doing some background research for this review sounds pretty much identical to one mystery writer Ed McBain proffered several
years ago in a book bearing exactly the same name as this film,
but which is not given any sort of credit in the film. That said, there have been a number of hypotheses presented over the years for what
happened that unusually hot day of August 4, 1892, and Lizzie
Borden's claim to infamy has of course been treated in various screen adaptations previously, not to mention a number of other kind of intriguing
media like ballet and opera.
Lizzie is presented on Blu-ray courtesy of Lionsgate Films with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 2.39:1. The closing credits crawl helpfully offer Arri and Alexa logos, a technical aspect the IMDb confirms, while also stating that everything was finished at a 2K DI. Stylistically this is kind of an interesting looking film, though the fact that (as is mentioned overtly in the film) Andrew Borden eschewed "modern" luxuries like indoor plumbing and (most saliently) electric lighting mean that large portions of this film are (supposedly) naturally lit, and as a result fine detail levels are somewhat variable. There's also a tendency to offer what I assume is kind of intentionally skewed contrast, leading to hazy overlays in several moments (see screenshots 12 and 18 for just two examples). The palette is somewhat desaturated for the most part, with only one or two passing moments offering colors that really pop vividly.
Lizzie's sound design really doesn't offer a ton of immersive possibilities, and as such surround activity tends to come in fits and starts, often due to Jeff Russo's plaintive score or background noises in scenes like the trial sequences. Dialogue is always rendered cleanly and clearly on this track, and there's fine fidelity throughout, but there's simply not a lot of what I'd term "wow" factor in this audio presentation, as competent as it is in all regards.
So, did she or didn't she? Lizzie purports to have the answer, but the film is curiously distant from its seemingly inherently visceral subject matter. Performances are riveting for the most part, and the film is rather nicely handsome from a production standpoint, but there's little to no emotional impact. Technical merits are fine for those considering a purchase.
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