The Crucible

The Crucible
by Nicholas Hytner

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DVD Cover Information

Actor: Bruce Davison, Daniel Day-Lewis, Joan Allen, Paul Scofield, Winona Ryder
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Brand: DAY-LEWIS/RYDER/SCOFIELD/ALLEN
Cinematographer: Andrew Dunn
Editor: Tariq Anwar
Producer: David V. Picker
Producer: Diana Pokorny
Producer: Mitchell Levin
Producer: Robert A. Miller
Writer: Arthur Miller
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Original Language)
Format: Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Picture Format: 1.85:1
Running Time: 124 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2004-06-01
Audience Rating: PG-13 (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: 20th Century Fox

Movie Reviews of The Crucible

Movie Review: Thou Shalt Not Bear False Witness
Summary: 4 Stars

The film shows young girls going to a secret meeting at night. [No dogs barking?] They each throw something in the fire. "It's the minister!" They scatter off. Is this the work of the devil? Betty is sick. The doctor is called but it is beyond his art. Are they bewitched? The turmoil in the village leads to a meeting. The Reverend Hale is coming to hunt for witches. Who is to blame? Will a romantic triangle create a jealous woman? Betty is examined for marks of the devil. The latest scientific information is used. Dancing around a fire at night? They blame Tituba! The third degree is applied to get a confession. Will she name names? Yes. The girls become a chorus in revealing names, like a chant.

Many more are jailed and threatened with hanging. John and Elizabeth Proctor have a problem. A judge arrives with armed men. Some women are brought to court, others are arrested. They are threatened with hanging if they don't confess. Would a rich landowner buy up the property of those condemned whose property was forfeited? Are the judges fooled by these young girls and their spectral evidence? The devil is loose in Salem, where is he hiding? John Proctor threatens Abigail Williams. The arrested are brought into court for trial. Do they believe in witches? Are the young girls frauds? Those who protest will be arrested and examined for guilt. Giles Corey accuses Putnam of charging people so he can buy their lands. Witchcraft is an invisible crime and only the victim can testify; their actions are their corroborations. [Was this all a form of mass hysteria?]

There is a showdown in court when Elizabeth Proctor is summoned to testify. Later the girls run into a stream [swimming?] and Mary Warren accuses John Proctor. The condemned are excommunicated and hanged. The crowd cheers at this gala festival! Giles Corey refuses to testify and is pressed to death (this saves his property from forfeiture). Abigail accuses the wife of the minister. Then she runs off with a large sum of money. [A comment on professional witnesses?] Will John Proctor confess to save his life and tell the court what it wants to hear? There is dramatic scene that is drawn out. The drama is heightened when things don't work out as expected. And so Justice is done to those who are in league with the devil.

The film says "The Salem witch hunt came to an end when people refused to save themselves by making a false confession". The historical record says people were disgusted by the accusations made against good honest people who were above suspicion. This is such an excellent drama that you know it is not historically accurate. These trials show the importance of cross-examining witnesses and the need for corroboration. One strange part of this story is the lack of young men to match the many young girls in this drama. Some kind of a hidden message? The DVD has a conversation by Arthur Miller where he talks about 17th century Salem. Did this happen only in Salem? Witchcraft trials were in fashion during the 16th and 17th century Europe; they did not happen in Medieval Times. Popular hysteria and delusions are not limited to 17th century Salem. Was this drama an allegory for the witch hunts of the 1940s and 1950s? Or the Stalinist purges of the same era? Your library may have a history book about these trials.

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Summary of The Crucible

The Salem witch trials of 1692 are brought vividly to life in this compelling adaptation of Arthur Miller's play, directed by Nicholas Hytner ("The Madness of King George"). A group of teenage girls meet in the woods at midnight for a secret love-conjuring ceremony. While the other girls attempt to cast love spells, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) wishes for the death of her former lover's (Daniel Day-Lewis) wife. When their ceremony is witnessed by the town minister, the girls suddenly find themselves accused of witchcraft. Soon the entire village is consumed by cries of witchcraft, and as the hysteria grows, blameless victims are torn from their homes, leading to a devastating climax.

The Salem witch hunts are given a new and nasty perspective when a vengeful teenage girl uses superstition and repression to her advantage, creating a killing machine that becomes a force unto itself. Pulsating with seductive energy, this provocative drama is as visually arresting as it is intellectually engrossing. Arthur Miller based his classic 1953 play on the actual Salem witch trials of 1692, creating what has since become a durable fixture of school drama courses. It may look like a historical drama, but Miller also meant the work as a parable for the misery created by the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s. This searing version of his drama delves into matters of conscience with concise accuracy and emotional honesty. Three passionate cheers for Miller, director Nicholas Hytner, and costars Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. --Rochelle O'Gorman

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