Written by Arthur Miller
Directed by Nicholas Hytner
John Proctor: "Because it is my name! Because I cannot have another in my life! Because I lie and sign myself to lies! Because I am not worth the dust on the feet of them you have hanged! How may I live without my name? I have given you my soul; leave me my name!"
As we head into autumn, more horror themed film of old will crop up on this blog. Also, historical ones like this movie for example.
It's been on my list of films to watch for a while. Well, it's a second viewing as I saw it over twenty years ago when I was younger. Anyways, let's take a trip to Salem, shall we?
There's a group of young girls, with the emphasis being on the chicken blood drinking Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) and possible witch herself, Tituba (Charlayne Woodard). The dancing of the young girls would be spotted by Reverend Samuel Parris (Bruce Davison) that all hell would break loose.
His daughter Betty (Rachael Bella) became deathly ill and the town was quickly falling into the paranoia of witchcraft. In particular, Ann Putnam (Frances Conroy) assumed the worst and Tituba herself was subjected to harsh cruelty when her involvement in the opening scene was revealed.
Tituba got a small bit of focus before disappearing from the rest of the story. A huge emphasis was on landowner John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his wife, Elizabeth (Joan Allen) being accused of witchcraft themselves. Their servant, Mary Warren (Karron Graves) had been one of the afflicted girls and the Proctor accusations stemmed from a vengeful Abigail.
Reverend Hale (Rob Campbell) seemed to be the only one on the Proctors side and there was a moment where it seemed like both John and Elizabeth might have been dealt with excommunication. The ending of this film depicted the hangings of John Proctor, Rebecca Nurse (Elizabeth Lawrence), and Martha Corey (Mary Pat Gleason), ending the movie on a harrowing note.
- Arthur Miller wrote the play in 1953 and adapted the screenplay for this film.
- Daniel Day-Lewis met his wife, Rebecca Miller while making this film.
- Standout music: Shakmah Winddrum's The Yanvalou Chant.
- Chronology: 1692, Salem in Massachusetts.
The Crucible isn't an easy movie to get through. It's pretty tough in places, highlighting the depths of what paranoia can do to one small town and how quickly townspeople will turn on each other for a myriad of reasons. A great film, tackling this particular subject matter.
Rating: 8 out of 10
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