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The Crucible (Dual-layered DVD)

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$8.39 List: $9.98Save: $1.59 (16%)

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Description

    When Arthur Miller's play The Crucible was first staged in 1953, it was widely acclaimed as a metaphor for the recklessness of Joseph McCarthy and his spurious crusade against communism. In its 1996 screen adaptation (scripted by Miller), the tone has been adjusted somewhat and plays as a warning against the dangers of political and religious extremism of all kinds. After a group of young women is accused of witchcraft in the Puritan community of Salem, Mass. in 1692, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder) is held in suspicion of practicing magic. Abigail in turn levels charges against John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) and his wife Elizabeth (Joan Allen). Abigail has a private grudge against the Proctors; while working as their servant, she had an affair with John, and when John ended the relationship and returned to his wife, Abigail was fired. Now the Reverend Parris (Bruce Davison) is hearing accusations and counter-accusations of misdeeds from all sides of the community in the wake of Abigail's charges, so he brings in Judge Danforth (Paul Scofield) to determine who is guilty or innocent. However, given the moral climate of the time, it seems someone has to be found guilty of witchcraft, even though firm evidence of wrongdoing is becoming hard to come by. This was the second screen version of The Crucible, though it was the first one in English; the previous version, filmed in France in 1956, starred Simone Signoret and Yves Montand. Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Features

Awards

    Nominations: Academy Awards (2)
    Nominee: Academy Awards Best Supporting Actress 1996, Joan Allen

Additional Information

  • DPCI: 246-00-7548
  • ASIN: B002I8UCUU
  • Catalog #: 11334412
  • Item can not be gift wrapped.

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Aided by Arthur Miller's script, an adaptation of his own play, Nicholas Hytner's The Crucible captures a palpable sense of the hysteria and circular logic that damned 19 residents of Salem who refused to confess to witchcraft. The film sustains its tension for upwards of two hours, with top-notch acting by such heavy hitters as Daniel Day-Lewis, Joan Allen, and Paul Scofield. But it's Miller's dialogue, memorable for its lyrical precision, that perfectly distills the hopelessness of evading the accusations that spread through that small Massachusetts community. While the film surely condemns the alarmist reactions of the church and courts, it nonetheless outlines the systematic process that led the leaders to their conclusions. Alarmist they may have been, but believe it they did, and they acted on what they felt was the truth, after much internal debate. The film stirs up religious conundrums that are fascinating to contemplate, even for the spiritually disinclined. Scofield is powerful as the dispassionate magistrate whose word could send an accused witch to the gallows. Allen's crumbling stoicism in the role of Elizabeth Proctor earned her a well-deserved Oscar nomination, and Day-Lewis turns in his usual soulful performance, burning silently until a richly emotional denouement. Winona Ryder is a little too showy as the morally compromised Abigail Williams, but the rest of the supporting cast paints a true picture of a town torn asunder. The gorgeous cinematography supports the weighty issues at its core, making The Crucible a profound examination of one of the more disquieting and regrettable periods in American history. Derek Armstrong, All Movie Guide