The Papin Sisters

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Wed Dec 07, 2005 11:14 pm

For some reason, the crime committed by these two sisters always reminds me of the stories about Bridget and Lizzie being lovers:

http://www.lacan.com/papin.htm

There was a French movie (Murderous Maids was the English title) about this crime

http://cc.msnscache.com/cache.aspx?q=27 ... FORM=CVRE3
(Note: this page may not load on 1st try)

and a BBC version from 1994 based on the same incident with Joely Richardson called Sister, My Sister which sometimes plays on cable. This version is both lurid and fascinating. The key fascination for years has been the fact that it was a crime on women committed by women. This plays to the theory that Abby discovered something going on "upstairs" and was the primary victim (with Andrew killed to cover her murder).

Mostly, it is about a trivial incident which brings forth hidden, violent rage from 2 people who are isolated and obsessed with each other.

stuartwsa · Post by **stuartwsa** » Thu Dec 08, 2005 9:38 pm

I saw that movie several years ago and found it spellbinding. I have to say, though, that the part where the mother had her eyeballs goudged out really freaked me out--especially because the story was TRUE!

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 5:37 pm

stuartwsa--I agree. The eye gouging was a bit much.

I guess they were the classic case of folie a deux. While it is not the theory to which I subscribe, I can see how some people could see an affair between Lizzie and Bridget escalating to incredible violence.

stuartwsa · Post by **stuartwsa** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 8:27 pm

I suspected that the eye gouging was in there because it was part of the real story. I'm not sure where the story for the movie was taken from--court records and newspapers, maybe?

nbcatlover · Post by **nbcatlover** » Mon Dec 12, 2005 9:49 pm

I just think it is so curious that this case is virtually unknown when Jean Paul Sartre, Simone de Beauvoir, and Margaret Atwood (all well-known writers) all supposedly wrote books about this case.

It was so upstairs/downstairs. It was almost like Cinderella, instead of marrying the prince, comes home and chops up her stepmother and stepsisters.

I knew nothing about the case when I first saw "Sister, My Sister". Somehow I thought they would be rescued, and it would have a happy ending like Sara Crewe in "A Little Princess". Instead, it was like watching a train wreck. I remember being stunned and wondering who thought this stuff up, then I found out it was "real".

augusta · Post by **augusta** » Fri Dec 16, 2005 5:27 am

I saw that a few years back on cable. The way they filmed it, it felt like you were really watching someone back in time. I didn't know the story was real. It was unusual and pretty good. I wonder if there's a DVD out on it?

Thanks for posting the links. They were very good!