crucible

Essay by noarassinHigh School, 11th grade November 2014

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Noa Rassin

Mr. Stoner

APUSH

October 18, 2014

Movie Review: The Crucible

Directed by Jim Sheridan, "The Crucible" is a remake of the play by Arthur Miller. Taking place in Salem, Massachusetts in the year 1692 the movie follows the town as it is turned from peace to madness. The Salem witch trials were in a way influenced by the witch trials that occurred in Europe, targeting older women and outcasts in society.

The movie begins when a group of girls and a black slave woman named Tituba sneak out of Salem to make spells and dance in the woods, which is forbidden at that time. When Reverend Parris discovers them, many of the girls ran off to hide, except for his daughter Betty and his niece Abigail. The next morning Betty was unable to wake up, this created tension in town and rumors of witchcraft. When under pressure, Abigail accused Tituba of working with the devil.

At the first trial Tituba and the girls began to accuse other women in the village, if the innocent women confess to witchcraft they are sent to jail but not hanged. On the other hand, if a woman denies the accusation she is sentenced to death by hanging. When Elizabeth Proctor was accused of witchcraft, her husband John Proctor informs the court about his affair with Abigail in an attempt to save his wife - this did not work. When many of the accused were hanged, the townspeople cheered. Abigail vanished from Salem with stolen 31 pounds. The movie was ended with the tragic hanging of John Proctor.

The story of the Salem witch trials did not follow any character specifically; it chronologically showed how the town turned on itself. The music added to the seriousness of the movies topic. The music...