The Burning Bed

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Audience Member The bed burns at one point or another in a marriage Based on the 1980 novel by Faith McNaulty starring the late Farrah Fawcett and Paul Lee Mat Mickey and Francine Hughes met in 1964 and fell in love After they moved into a new house in Dansville, Michigan things start to change Mickey becomes aggressively more abusive and violent towards Francine The more it happens the more ignored it is by her husbands relatives and Francine has to build up the courage to defend herself and protect her kids 13 years later Francine sets fire to her husbands bed in 1977 in order to escape resulting in his death The entirety of the film is told via flashback from Francine while she’s being interrogated by the police The last half of the film is a giant courtroom drama recounting the events that lead up to this woman finally striking back at her husband For a woman is it better to stand by her spouse no matter what?, do you have to stay stuck in a violent relationship?, there’s a lot of toxicity and gaslighting some are not fully aware of, should a parent let alone the abuser be entitled to see his kids even in a divorce? This is very hard to watch at times and scary given the subject matter Domestic violence is unfortunately still an ongoing problem today Some of the music in this could be scaled back a bit and the ending could use more than just a freeze frame describing the aftermath Yet this is a powerful story of a woman trying at every turn to escape her tormentor not only for herself but for her kids Nobody can just sit back and continue to suffer the pain the story has to change Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/12/24 Full Review Melissa H This is one of my all-time favorite movies. I couldn't tell you how many times that I've seen this movie in my life. I watch it any time that I can. I wished that I could find it on DVD to buy. I grew up in a abusive home, where my dad was an alcoholic and extremely abusive to my mom. (He was a Vietnam vet and suffered from untreated PTSD...he was a POW twice and received the purple heart) And this is the first & really the only movie I've seen that hits so close to home about what it's like to grow up in a situation like that..and what it's like to be an abused wife. I know what my mom went through and this movie is so accurate it's not funny. The actors and actresses did an amazing job at playing the characters and hitting their marks. The writer of this movie did an amazing job and so did the producer. I think all the main stars, the writer, and producer should have (if they didn't) received some kind of rewards/trophy's, recognition for this movie. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 03/29/24 Full Review Wayne K Farrah Fawcett is an actress I've seen pop up in various things, such as Logan's Run & The Cannonball Run, but I'd never seen her really demonstrate her acting chops until I seen her in The Burning Bed. A TV movie with far more substance and relevance than you'd expect, it's based on a stomach churning real life case, and the film doesn't shy away from the ugly details of it. Fawcett plays the young carefree lovebird and the jaded, abused housewife, effortlessly moving between the 2 depending on what part of the story we're currently in. What's great about her character is that she's never portrayed as a wet blanket. She's beaten down, physically and emotionally, but she still puts up a fight, still stands up for herself and still does what she can to protect her children. The fact that it had an effect on the treatment of domestic abuse victims in the legal system speaks volumes about the severity of the case, and how much light the film sheds on it. It's full of performers you likely recognise from a number of other projects, and there's not too many characters that you forget who everyone is. It's a tough sit, but a richly rewarding experience. If you thought Fawcett was nothing more than a pretty face, then this TV film will definitely change your mind. Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/16/24 Full Review Jerod S Fawcett is an abused mom. The 80s were such a different time for the allowance of violence in the home. It's mostly one color throughout, but you do want justice for Fawcett and there are a few scenes that are very realistically uncomfortable. Rated 3/5 Stars •  Rated 3 out of 5 stars 10/17/23 Full Review Kensi B Tour de force performance from Farrah Fawcett. The telemovie is much more nuanced and multilayered than I expected from the medium (television) and the era, though Hughes was portrayed as "the perfect victim." (The real-life Hughes is much more complex.) Rated 4/5 Stars •  Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/09/21 Full Review Joel C A look into an abusive household and the people who know it's going on. It's hard to sympathize with people who continue going back to an abusive relationship and ignore the warning from friends or family, especially those who openly say "I prefer bad boys". I have great respect for those who don't stand for it. In this case it's a sweet woman who, ignoring warnings, plays into the hands of an abusive man. It always starts with small things, seeing how much they can get away with, and when the abused partner continues allowing themselves to be treated horribly the abuser keeps kicking it up a notch, and so on, until either side takes it too far. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 03/30/21 Full Review Read all reviews

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