The Crucible Movie Review Essay

The Crucible Film Review

The Crucible written by Arthur Miller, was just recently made into a movie directed by Nicholas Hytner and is a must see. The opening scene gives the viewers a sneak peak of whats to come with the thrills and horrors of witchcraft in Salem. In the opening scene, teenage girls are casting spells and there is a cauldron which automatically causes one to think of witchery and magic. Not only is the audience captivated from the opening scene, but they are hooked throughout the entire movie as well. The Crucible is a captivating film due to the casting of actors and the added characters and scenes used to exaggerate the movie.

The film The Crucible was directed by Nicholas Hytner in 1996 and is rated a 6.8 out of 10 on IMDB. The main character of the movie, John Proctor, was casted by Daniel Day Lewis, a method actor who built the house he lived in as John Proctor for the

movie. Abigail Williams, played by Winona Ryder has been nominated for two Oscars during her acting career. Paul Scofield, who played the character Judge Thomas Danforth, a brash man worried about his reputation, has acted in over thirty movies. Joan Allen, the actress who portrayed Elizabeth Putnam was not originally supposed to be casted as the actress, instead Emma Thompson was originally the chosen actress. The last main character in The Crucible is Reverend Parris, casted by Bruce Davison, whom was nominated for an Oscar and won two Golden Globe Awards. Together all of these actors and actresses make up the cast of the movie The Crucible. In The Crucible, Abigail Williams, wants to rekindle her love with recent admirer, John Proctor, by getting rid of his wife, Elizabeth. Abigail’s desire for John creates havoc in the town of Salem. The village shows its true colors when friends and family members turn on each other to protect themselves from hanging in the towns square, due to false accusations of witchery.
The casting of actors in The Crucible was exceptional and they capture the viewers attention immediately from the opening scene. In the scene where Hale, played by Rob Campbell, yells at the afflicted girls to try and figure out if they are lying or not, shows how Hale is more aggressive in the movie than in the film. However, this is important because it was a tough time in Salem, which brought about a lot of tension and pressure to the people in this once peaceful town. Another important scene is when Judge Danforth, played by Paul Scofield, is harsh and disrespectful to John and his wife, when he confesses to lechery and Elizabeth lies to protect him; however, it is obvious that John was originally telling the truth. Danforth’s cruelty is of great importance because throughout the movie, Danforth talks about the need for equality between the accused and the dead, and how they should be treated the same. Paul Scofield did a phenomenal acting job, capturing the real emotion behind Danforth’s character and the brutality that comes with the part.
In the movie The Crucible there were a couple added scenes and characters that were not originally in the book, which thickened the plot.

One added scene was when Abigail kisses John Proctor at the back of the house during their secret meeting. While they did have a secret meeting in the book, this added kiss sends a message to the readers that Abigail is more in love with John than he realizes. It shows that while she is not over him, she still believes she has a chance of being with him again. Another added scene is when Abigail accuses Reverend Hale’s wife of witchcraft and Danforth starts to realize that Abigail’s accusations are becoming preposterous. This added scene is important because it shows how Abigail won’t get away with her false accusations anymore, and no one believes her. An added character that helped the plot increase is Judge Sewall, who is important because he acts as an extra voice and a mediator between the village and the court. All of these extra scenes and characters are important because they add to the movie and increase the action that

occurs.
This movie deserves a four star rating because while the movie was good, some scenes were overly exaggerated. Abigail Williams seems more psychotic and revengeful in the movie than in the book and it makes the viewer feel uncomfortable. This could be improved by fixing the opening scene and having Abigail taste test the chicken blood instead of smearing it all over her face and into her mouth. This scene adds to Abigail's craziness and is disturbing to watch. However, other than Abigail’s overly dramatic scenes, The Crucible deserves a thumbs up rating. The Crucible would generally attract teenagers, anyone who has read the book, or someone interested in the Salem witch trials. The Crucible film causes viewers to stay engaged, while learning about history and how suspicions caused the Salem village to run wild.