20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
HER DAUGHTERS' PAIN..., January 18, 2004
This review is from: Our Mother's Murder [VHS] (VHS Tape)
Based upon a true murder that took place in the privileged, toney town of Bronxville in Westchester county in January 1994, this film, told through the eyes of the victim's beloved daughters, recounts the events that lead to the murder of wealthy Anne Scripps Douglas, heiress to the Scripps newspaper dynasty and fortune.
Ms. Douglas, played with great charm and sensitivity by Roxanne Hart, was the divorced mother of two college age daughters, Alexandra and Anne, when she met Scot Douglas, a self-employed house painter. Divorced after a marriage of eighteen years, Anne was interested in having a relationship, as she was lonely. So, when she met Scot, her daughters were initially happy for her. Shortly after they met him, however, their opinion changed.
Scot Douglas was nearly ten years their mother's junior. He, unfortunately, was also an insecure man with a violent temper and a drinking problem that would trigger bouts of violence. Despite warnings from her daughters, Anne married Scot. Theirs would prove to be a rocky marriage, marked by bouts of domestic violence.
There was also hostility between Anne's daughters and Scott, who would eventually force Alexandra, placed with steely eyed toughness by Holly Marie Combs, to move out of the family home. The more malleable daughter, Anne, played with trusting complacency by Sarah Chalke, remained at home, keeping a quietly watchful eye on their mother, for fear that Scot would hurt her. Out of Scot and Anne's union, however, a daughter, Victoria, was born. She would be the cudgel that Scot would wield whenever Anne would think of leaving him, promising that she would never see their daughter again if she were to leave him.
Notwithstanding her wealth, Anne would lead a life typical of many battered women, as it would follow a familiar cycle of violence. Despite the entreaties of her daughters, Anne and Alexandra, she did not get a court order excluding Scot from the family home. His presence in the family home would culminate in an act of violence sometime late New Years Eve 1993 or very early New Years Day 1994. It would be an act that would leave Anne Scripps Douglas unconscious on her bed, bleeding from a head wound that would soon prove to be mortal.
This is an atypical film about a battered woman in that the woman is well-educated, has many resources, and a familial support system. Still, it is the same sad story. It just proves what experts have posited all along: that domestic violence crosses all socio-economic boundaries and no one, despite the trappings of privilege, is immune to its reach. It is a well-acted film with excellent production values. It is, however, just another film about a battered woman, only in this one the victim happens to be wealthy. Otherwise her story is just like those of her less well-heeled sisters in pain. Still, it is a film that is worth a rental, as it is better than most other films in this genre.
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8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
a amazing film, October 5, 2002
This review is from: Our Mother's Murder [VHS] (VHS Tape)
I've only seen this film twice and I was weeping at the end, when (mom)Anne was laying their in the hospital bed,lifeless.And knowing that she wouldn't live.It made me aware how men can sweet talk you all the way and then you're married, they abuse you,kill you or steal your money.I recomend this film 100%.it's a film that touches your heart and even though it's a true story i felt like I WAS one of the sister's going through the moments were the mom was beaten and the happy moments with the baby sister Tory.
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