| Field | Details |
|---|---|
| Movie Name | The Crucible (1996) |
| Director | Nicholas Hytner |
| Writer | Arthur Miller (screenplay), based on his play |
| Lead Actor | Daniel Day-Lewis |
| Cast | Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Paul Scofield, Joan Allen, Bruce Davison |
| Genre | Drama, History |
| Release Date | November 27, 1996 (United States) |
| Duration | 2h 4m |
| Budget | $25 million |
| Language | English |
| IMDb Rating | 6.8/10 |
This is based on one of the “dark nights” in Christian religious history. Eventually, in God’s name, 19 persons were hanged and another pressed to death. The specific here was a loose charge of Satanism at a time when very personal belief in the Evil One was common.
As the movie makes painfully clear, unleashing Satan is a particularly dangerous game. He can be perceived as using all disguises and serving on all sides. When the “hanging” Judge
Danforth (Paul Scofield) says, “The devil is loose in Salem,” he means one thing but we’re looking straight into his burning, fanatical eyes.
In Miller’s updated version, the real villains are a group of hysterical adolescent girls who start things by trying to save themselves from punishment for a foolish midnight escapade in the woods. They’re led by the vindictive Abigail (Winona Ryder), who is angry at the Proctors (Daniel Day Lewis, Joan Allen). They have expelled her from their house, seeing her wisely as a sexual threat to their marriage.
But this tale of revenge and fanaticism is also a story of religious heroism. All any of the accused must do to save themselves is to lie convincingly and confess. Ultimately, those who refused to lie and thus accepted death brought the nasty business to its shameful end.
The finale, in which a group led by Proctor recites the Our Father before being hanged in front of a stricken audience of townsfolk, is one of the more moving examples of martyrdom in film history. This cast is exceptional, and director Nicholas Hytner (The Madness of King George) brings this early colonial period to vivid life.
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