One year after Lizzie Borden's parents were brutally murdered, reporter Nell Cutts tries to interview Lizzie and her younger sister Emma about the killingsOne year after Lizzie Borden's parents were brutally murdered, reporter Nell Cutts tries to interview Lizzie and her younger sister Emma about the killingsOne year after Lizzie Borden's parents were brutally murdered, reporter Nell Cutts tries to interview Lizzie and her younger sister Emma about the killings
- Margaret
- (as Pat Hitchcock)
- Little Child
- (as Wendy Winkleman)
- Director
- Writers
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaAlthough she played the titular older sister Emma Borden (who was nine years Lizzie's senior), Joan Lorring was fifteen years younger than Carmen Mathews (Lizzie) in real life.
- Quotes
[first lines]
Alfred Hitchcock - Host: [holding an ax] This is an axe. I say this for the information of those of you whose television tubes may have burnt out. I wish to reach the widest possible audience. Tonight we have a story based on one of our most celebrated murder cases. One that rocked Fall River, Massachusetts, and the entire country late in the last century. The crime was and still is a shocking one. But since it actually happened and is a matter of record, we felt it unwise to pretty up the details to make them palatable for the squeamish. Tonight's theme song will be that familiar little ditty everybody knows. "Lizzie Borden took an axe / And gave her mother forty whacks / And when she saw what she had done / She gave her father forty-one." I venture that by this time you can see we are not presenting a romantic comedy tonight. However, we shall not re-enact the crime. We had intended to but casting difficulties interfered. Oh, we had no trouble casting the mother and father, but we kept losing them in rehearsals. So, instead, we shall show you a slightly different interpretation of the Lizzie Borden story. It begins just one year from the time of the murder.
- ConnectionsFeatured in Ouija: Origin of Evil (2016)
- SoundtracksFuneral March of a Marionette
Written by Charles Gounod
Luckily, "The Older Sister" on the most part was a case of having a promising concept on paper and being mostly lived up to in execution. Wasn't crazy about everything and one aspect did rub me up the wrong way. There are many fine things about "The Older Sister", that vastly outweigh the not so good, and the best aspects are truly excellent. It is not one of Stevens' best or one of the high points of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents', but it was very interesting, well executed and is very underrated here.
For me, the character of the reporter Nell Cutts is very annoying and represents everything that is bad about journalism, she just comes over as too aggressive, too over-zealous and too pushy, which the writing takes to extremes, and Polly Rowles overdoes it in the role.
Other episodes of 'Alfred Hitchcock Presents' have a consistently tighter pace, with it being a slight slow starter, and more suspense perhaps.
However, so much is good here. It is well made visually, especially the beautifully framed and suitably eerie photography. Stevens directs with ease and control as well as tautness when the things gets going. Its hauntingly scored and the main theme for the series fits so well and is effectively creepy, one of the greatest pre-existing classical music choices chosen as main themes for television. Hitchcock's dry drollness is great.
Also have no issues with the non-overwrought (easy to do with this type of story) and suitably tense script. The story starts slow but the tension does build to quite creepy effect and parts are also surprisingly poignant. The pace is lively on the whole. Apart from Rowles, the acting is very good. With a chillingly icy Carmen Matthews contrasting beautifully with a very touching Joan Lorring, their characters are also very well written and interesting psychologically. Likewise with their chemistry.
Concluding, very well done. 8/10.
- TheLittleSongbird
- Feb 23, 2022
Details
- Runtime30 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.33 : 1