Nutcracker: Money, Madness & Murder (3-Disc)

Nouveau New York socialite Frances Schreuder has her heart's desire: a seat on the board of the New York City Ballet. And all it took was murder. Lee Remick gives an electrifying performance as the real-life sociopath who schemed her way far from her Salt Lake City roots to conquer the Big Apple. The scheme: goad her 17-year-old son into killing his grandfather (and her father), a miserly multimillionaire, and inherit a fortune. Flashing between Frances' murder trial and the chilling events that led to it, this riveting crime thriller - nominated for nine Emmy® Awards including Outstanding Miniseries and Lead Actress (Remick) - brilliantly explores the unbelievable-if-it-weren't-true consequences of one enraged and twisted mind.

The 1986-87 TV season was graced by two "dueling" biopics of Frances Bradshaw, the socialite convicted of coercing her own son into murdering Frances' millionaire father Frank. The first was the four-hour AT MOTHER'S REQUEST, starring Stefanie Powers as Frances. The second, and superior adaptation was the three-part miniseries NUTCRACKER: MONEY, MADNESS AND MURDER, adapted by playwright William Hanley from Shana Alexander's bestselling book. With an extra two hours' playing time at its disposal, NUTCRACKER was able to explore the personal history of Frances Bradshaw, from her privileged entry into Bryn Mawr in 1958, through her gradual, twenty-year descent into homicidal insanity--culminating in the murder of her father in 1978. The miniseries was structured in flashback form, continually cutting back to the trial of Frances and her son (Tate Donovan). At the risk of offending the many fans of Stefanie Powers, it must be noted that the performance of NUTCRACKER star Lee Remick is so powerfully persuasive that it's virtually impossible to envision anyone else in the role of Frances Bradshaw.