Top Qs
Timeline
Chat
Perspective
The Crucible (1996 film)
1996 American historical drama film From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Remove ads
The Crucible is a 1996 American historical drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner and written by Arthur Miller, based on his 1953 play. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, Paul Scofield as Judge Thomas Danforth, Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor, Karron Graves as Mary Warren, and Bruce Davison as Reverend Samuel Parris. Set in 1692, during the Salem witch trials, the film follows a group of teenage girls who, after getting caught performing a ritual in the woods, band together and falsely accuse several of the townspeople of witchcraft.
_poster.jpg)
Principal photography began in Massachusetts and Nova Scotia on September 11, 1995, and concluded on November 18. The Crucible was theatrically released in the United States on November 27, 1996, and was a commercial failure, grossing only $7.3 million against its $25 million budget. Despite this, it received positive reviews from critics, with Day-Lewis, Ryder, Scofield, and Allen earning widespread acclaim for their performances.
The Crucible was screened at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear. At the 54th Golden Globe Awards, Scofield and Allen were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively, while Allen received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 69th Academy Awards, and Scofield won Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 50th British Academy Film Awards. Arthur Miller received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Remove ads
Plot
Summarize
Perspective
In Salem, Massachusetts, in 1692, a group of village girls meet in the woods with slave Tituba, attempting to conjure love spells. Abigail Williams kills a chicken and drinks its blood, wishing for John Proctor's wife Elizabeth to die. When Abigail's uncle, Reverend Samuel Parris, discovers them, the girls run away, but his daughter Betty collapses unconscious.
Betty will not awaken, nor will Thomas and Ann Putnam's daughter Ruth, who was also conjuring. Giles Corey, who suspects that the children are just acting out, and John Proctor, with whom Abigail had an affair, visit the Parris household. Believing Betty and Ruth to be demonically possessed, Parris and the Putnams call Reverend John Hale from nearby Beverly to examine Betty. To save herself and the other girls from punishment, Abigail accuses Tituba of witchcraft. After being whipped, Tituba confesses to seeing the devil and is saved from being hanged. Struck by their new power, the girls begin naming numerous other women, including Elizabeth, whom they "saw" with the devil.
John wants to forget about his affair with Abigail and get back with Elizabeth. He decides to stop Abigail's accusations, telling his servant, Mary Warren, who is one of the "afflicted" girls, to testify at the trial that the witchcraft was faked. In court, Francis Nurse gives a list of people vouching for the accused; the judges order that all on the list be arrested and brought in for questioning. Giles insists that when Ruth accused Rebecca Nurse, Mr. Putnam was heard to tell Ruth that she had won him a "fine gift of land". Giles refuses to identify who heard this remark, and the judges order his arrest. Mary Warren insists she only thought she saw spirits but the other girls later cow her into recanting. Elizabeth says she is pregnant and will be spared from death until the baby is born, but John insists that the girls be charged with false witness.
The girls are called in and asked if they were lying about the witchcraft, but they start screaming that Mary Warren is bewitching them. To demonstrate Abigail's complicity, John confesses to having sex with her, claiming that she accused Elizabeth in order to get rid of her so that she could marry him. Abigail denies the affair, so Elizabeth is called in to verify it. Unaware that John confessed and wanting to save his reputation, she lies. As Reverend Hale tries to persuade the court of John's honesty, the girls turn the court further against the Proctors by screaming that Mary Warren is attacking them as a "yellow bird". John repeats his accusation that the girls are merely pretending, but they run outside from the "bird" into a nearby lake. To save herself from being hanged, Mary Warren accuses John of witchcraft. When asked if he will return to God, John despairingly yells "I say God is dead!" and is arrested as a witch.
On the day before John is to be hanged, Reverend Hale confronts Abigail at the now-abandoned homes of the victims whom she testified against. Because Hale was the lone official in the court to doubt her claims, Abigail attempts to convince the court that Hale's wife is also a witch; however, this backfires as the judges doubt her, as they consider a minister's wife to be pure. Eventually, the girls become outcasts and Abigail steals Parris' money to flee to Barbados, but not before asking John to go with her, telling him she never wished any of this on him. He refuses, stating "It's not on a ship we'll meet again, but in Hell".
Parris fears that John's hanging will cause riots directed at him, so he allows Elizabeth to meet with John to convince him to "confess" and save his life. John agrees and writes the confession. The judges insist that he sign the confession and publicly display it to prove his guilt and to convince others to confess, but John, determined to keep his name pure for his sons, angrily shouts "Leave me my name!", and tears it up. On the gallows, John, Rebecca Nurse and Martha Corey's recitation of the Lord's Prayer is cut short when they are hanged.
Later, nineteen people are executed after refusing to save themselves by giving false confessions. The Salem Witch Trials are brought to an end after this.
Remove ads
Cast
- Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor
- Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams
- Paul Scofield as Judge Thomas Danforth
- Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor
- Bruce Davison as Reverend Samuel Parris
- Rob Campbell as Reverend John Hale
- Jeffrey Jones as Thomas Putnam
- Peter Vaughan as Giles Corey
- Karron Graves as Mary Warren
- Charlayne Woodard as Tituba
- Kali Rocha as Mercy Lewis
- Rachael Bella as Betty Parris
- Frances Conroy as Ann Putnam
- Ashley Peldon as Ruth Putnam
- Elizabeth Lawrence as Rebecca Nurse
- Tom McDermott as Francis Nurse
- George Gaynes as Judge Samuel Sewall
- Mary Pat Gleason as Martha Corey
- Robert Breuler as Judge John Hathorne
- Michael Gaston as Marshal George Herrick
- Ruth Maleczech as Goody Osbourne
- William Preston as George Jacobs, Sr.
Remove ads
Background
Summarize
Perspective
In 1952, Arthur Miller's close friend, director Elia Kazan, testified before the House Un-American Activities Committee (HUAC), naming several individuals as members of the Communist Party. This act deeply affected Miller, leading to a rift between the two. In response to the political climate and the HUAC proceedings, Miller traveled to Salem, Massachusetts, to research the 1692 witch trials. This research culminated in the creation of The Crucible, which premiered on Broadway at the Beck Theatre on January 22, 1953. The play served as an allegory for McCarthyism, drawing parallels between the witch hunts of the 17th century and the anti-Communist hysteria of the 1950s.[2]
Following the play's debut, Miller himself came under scrutiny by the HUAC. He was denied a passport to attend the London opening of The Crucible in 1954. Later, he was convicted of contempt of Congress for refusing to name individuals involved in alleged Communist activities, resulting in a $500 fine and a 30-day suspended sentence. This conviction was eventually overturned on appeal.[2]
Despite its initial lukewarm reception, The Crucible has become one of Miller's most enduring works, frequently produced worldwide. In 1962, it was adapted into an opera by Robert Ward, which won the Pulitzer Prize for Music.[2]
Historical accuracy
The film kept many of the play's documented inaccuracies; various characters' ages were changed, including making Abigail Williams older and John Proctor younger when, in reality, they were approximately 12 and 60 years old, respectively. As in the play, the film fabricates a relationship between the two. Characters and events were also conflated, such as featuring Thomas Danforth presiding over the trials (when he was not documented as having done so in reality) and combining the trials and sentences of John Proctor, Martha Corey, and Rebecca Nurse.[3]
Reception
Summarize
Perspective
The Crucible was not a box office success, earning $7.3 million in the United States against its production budget.[4][5]
Critical reception
On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds an approval rating of 71% based on 65 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The site's critical consensus reads: "This staid adaptation of The Crucible dutifully renders Arthur Miller's landmark play on the screen with handsome production design and sturdy performances, if not with the political anger and thematic depth that earned the drama its reputation."[6] On Metacritic, the film has a weighted score of 68 out of 100, based on 24 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".[7]
Entertainment Weekly's Owen Gleiberman gave the film a grade of "A," calling it "joltingly powerful" and highlighting the "spectacularly"-acted performances of Daniel Day-Lewis, Paul Scofield, and Joan Allen.[8] Empire's Philip Thomas awarded the film 5 out of 5 stars, describing it as an "almost perfect screen adaptation."[9]
In contrast, Roger Ebert gave the film 2 out of 4 stars, writing that "the story has all the right moves and all the correct attitudes, but there is something lacking at its core; I think it needs less frenzy and more human nature."[10] Variety noted that while the adaptation was faithful, it was sometimes "too reverential" and "a bit static," though it praised the ensemble cast and visual production values.[11]
The New York Times' Victor Navasky commented on the film's allegorical weight, noting it was "thought impossible to make during the McCarthy years" but ultimately "destined for Hollywood all along."[12] Time Out praised the direction by Nicholas Hytner and the cast's delivery of Miller's dialogue, calling the film a "compelling, pertinent account of human fear, frailty, and cold ambition."[13]
Common Sense Media gave the film 4 out of 5 stars, commending its historical relevance and educational value for older teens and adults, but cautioning younger viewers about intense scenes and themes.[14] The Austin Chronicle highlighted the film's "emotional clarity" and "literary faithfulness," while Rolling Stone lauded its "timely resonance" in the wake of contemporary political climates.[15][16]
Awards and nominations
The film is recognized by American Film Institute in these lists:
- 2008: AFI's 10 Top 10:
- Nominated: Courtroom Drama Film[30]
Remove ads
Notes
- Tied with Piper Laurie for The Grass Harp.
References
External links
Wikiwand - on
Seamless Wikipedia browsing. On steroids.
Remove ads