The Crucible (B+ or 3.5/4 stars)
Based on an Arthur Miller play, 'The Crucible', directed by Nicholas Hytner, tells the terrifying story of a 17th century Salem, Massachusetts woman who accuses her ex-lover's wife of witchery. The movie opens with what seems to be an innocent event. Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder), Mary Warren (Karron Graves) & several other village girls attend a secret ritualistic dance - deep in the woods. Tituba (Charlayne Woodard), a local slave from Barbados, oversees this ceremony; which involves drinking chicken blood, dancing nude, & conjuring love potions to woo boys in their direction. But when the local preacher, Reverend Parris (Bruce Davison), comes upon the ritualistic proceedings & 2 of the naked girls fall into coma-like states ... witchcraft is immediately suspected. The next day, every effort is put in to aid the girls. But an expert in the field of witchcraft, Rev. Hale (Rob Campbell), is brought into town to investigate the occurrence.
To save themselves from the noose (the penalty for a 'witch' who does not admit to dealing with the Devil), Abigail & her band of female friends plead desperately for their lives. However, mayhem breaks out when the girls not only confess to performing witchcraft, but they name other specific townsfolk as servants of the Devil! With the arrival of the formidable Judge Danforth (Paul Scofield), the girls, now expunged (by accepting the way of God), are regarded as exonerated witnesses. Those whom they name/condemn are arrested, & the innocent who refuse to confess to working with the Devil ... are hanged. Abigail's real (and mischievous) reason for starting this charade is to eliminate Elizabeth Proctor (Joan Allen), the wife of John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis), her one-time lover. But John will not abandon his innocent wife for his former mistress, & his strong defense of Elizabeth places him in jeopardy with Judge Danforth. Not only are the Proctors susceptible to the witchcraft insinuation, but he is also called upon for another mortal sin: adultery. Chaos & melodrama ensue.
Arthur Miller wrote this play in the 50's as a reaction to the Congressional Communist witch hunts led by Senator Joe McCarthy. Those who did not disclose names of people they knew (to be communists) were doomed to torture, & those who demanded their innocence were executed. Justice was nil. It was quite an era. Obviously, history repeats itself as this is eerily what happened back circa 1692. In reality, the Puritan town of Salem was plagued by the witch hunts. 19 people were hung, 4 died in jail, 1 was "pressed" to death (as depicted in the movie, as well). 'The Crucible' offers dense themes: perversion (adultery, the dance in the woods), power (Abigail playing God, pulling all the strings), greed (the Reverends), moral imperativeness (the Judge), manipulation, the nature of Truth, etc..
And yet, everyone in the town, while not full-on protagonists, aren't inherently evil, either. Everyone has something about them that isn't 100% virtuous. There are no blacks & whites here; all grays. It's fascinating to watch. The acting is brilliant, throughout. Winona Ryder does an excellent job fleshing out a character whose motivations are more love-oriented, and not essentially evil. And late in the game, she woefully knows the ramifications of everything she's done. But we loathe her anyway. LOATHE. Karron Graves is gut-wrenching as the deeply disturbed Mary Warren; one of Abigail's cohorts. Joan Allen is absolutely superb as Elizabeth Proctor; stoic; devoted to her husband, even though she knows the scandalous whirlwind swirling around their family.
And Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing {when isn't he?} as John Proctor; an adulterer whose own noble actions indirectly leads to certain tragedy. He has faults, but you feel for him the most. On the technical front, 'The Crucible' is stellar, as well. The production values are impressive (interesting cinematography that sweeps in & out of both the countryside AND the interiors, detailed art direction, & period costumes). And the musical score is so rattling that I felt like resorting to nail-biting at any moment. A story about hysteria, wrongful persecution, & social injustice, 'The Crucible' makes for a compelling, intelligent, & emotional film. If only it weren't so sad. And I mean Sad. The film is very powerful, I recommend it, but have little desire to see it again for quite a while.
To save themselves from the noose (the penalty for a 'witch' who does not admit to dealing with the Devil), Abigail & her band of female friends plead desperately for their lives. However, mayhem breaks out when the girls not only confess to performing witchcraft, but they name other specific townsfolk as servants of the Devil! With the arrival of the formidable Judge Danforth (Paul Scofield), the girls, now expunged (by accepting the way of God), are regarded as exonerated witnesses. Those whom they name/condemn are arrested, & the innocent who refuse to confess to working with the Devil ... are hanged. Abigail's real (and mischievous) reason for starting this charade is to eliminate Elizabeth Proctor (Joan Allen), the wife of John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis), her one-time lover. But John will not abandon his innocent wife for his former mistress, & his strong defense of Elizabeth places him in jeopardy with Judge Danforth. Not only are the Proctors susceptible to the witchcraft insinuation, but he is also called upon for another mortal sin: adultery. Chaos & melodrama ensue.
Arthur Miller wrote this play in the 50's as a reaction to the Congressional Communist witch hunts led by Senator Joe McCarthy. Those who did not disclose names of people they knew (to be communists) were doomed to torture, & those who demanded their innocence were executed. Justice was nil. It was quite an era. Obviously, history repeats itself as this is eerily what happened back circa 1692. In reality, the Puritan town of Salem was plagued by the witch hunts. 19 people were hung, 4 died in jail, 1 was "pressed" to death (as depicted in the movie, as well). 'The Crucible' offers dense themes: perversion (adultery, the dance in the woods), power (Abigail playing God, pulling all the strings), greed (the Reverends), moral imperativeness (the Judge), manipulation, the nature of Truth, etc..
And yet, everyone in the town, while not full-on protagonists, aren't inherently evil, either. Everyone has something about them that isn't 100% virtuous. There are no blacks & whites here; all grays. It's fascinating to watch. The acting is brilliant, throughout. Winona Ryder does an excellent job fleshing out a character whose motivations are more love-oriented, and not essentially evil. And late in the game, she woefully knows the ramifications of everything she's done. But we loathe her anyway. LOATHE. Karron Graves is gut-wrenching as the deeply disturbed Mary Warren; one of Abigail's cohorts. Joan Allen is absolutely superb as Elizabeth Proctor; stoic; devoted to her husband, even though she knows the scandalous whirlwind swirling around their family.
And Daniel Day-Lewis is amazing {when isn't he?} as John Proctor; an adulterer whose own noble actions indirectly leads to certain tragedy. He has faults, but you feel for him the most. On the technical front, 'The Crucible' is stellar, as well. The production values are impressive (interesting cinematography that sweeps in & out of both the countryside AND the interiors, detailed art direction, & period costumes). And the musical score is so rattling that I felt like resorting to nail-biting at any moment. A story about hysteria, wrongful persecution, & social injustice, 'The Crucible' makes for a compelling, intelligent, & emotional film. If only it weren't so sad. And I mean Sad. The film is very powerful, I recommend it, but have little desire to see it again for quite a while.