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The Crucible

Play trailer Poster for The Crucible PG-13 Released Nov 27, 1996 2h 3m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
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71% Tomatometer 65 Reviews 66% Popcornmeter 25,000+ Ratings
After married man John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) decides to break off his affair with his young lover, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder), she leads other local girls in an occult rite to wish death upon his wife, Elizabeth (Joan Allen). When the ritual is discovered, the girls are brought to trial. Accusations begin to fly, and a literal witch hunt gets underway. Before long, Elizabeth is suspected of witchcraft, and John's attempt to defend her only makes matters worse.
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The Crucible

The Crucible

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Critics Consensus

This staid adaptation of The Crucible dutifully renders Arthur Miller's landmark play on the screen with handsome production design and sturdy performances, if not with the political anger and thematic depth that earned the drama its reputation.

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Critics Reviews

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Ryan Gilbey Independent (UK) Perhaps understanding the distance that these fictional interpretations have created, The Crucible seems to invite a moral and emotional, rather then political reading. Dec 7, 2018 Full Review Joe Morgenstern Wall Street Journal Then there's always Mr. Scofield, bringing an almost unbearable, yet entirely believable, lightness of spirit to his loathsome character. It's a bold stroke by a great actor, making zealotry and evil seem positively beneficent. May 17, 2013 Full Review David Ansen Newsweek I recommend Hytner's movie highly, but a part of me resists a work that makes the audience feel as noble in our moral certainty as the characters it invites us to deplore. Some part of its power seems borrowed from the thing it hates. May 17, 2013 Full Review David Nusair Reel Film Reviews The Crucible benefits from an increasingly compelling midsection and second half focused on Day-Lewis’ commanding figure... Rated: 3/4 Nov 2, 2024 Full Review Dennis Harvey 48 Hills Raymond Rouleau’s French-East German coproduction should provide something of a revelation... Nov 30, 2023 Full Review Michael Atkinson Spin Finally transformed into a chilling and expressive film by Nicholas Hytner, director of The Madness of King George, Miller's script remains a razor-sharp interrogation of religious dread, mob rule, and, most of all, sexual hysteria. Dec 27, 2022 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Audience Member When first watched The Crucible I must admit that it really did scared me more than the horror movies do. It was both quiet and energetic at the same time that I can’t really find the word to describe it. It’s a minimalist looking movie and really makes you feel like in it. The acting was on its point! It was so good and especially Winona Ryder! She was amazing!!!! The whole cast it self is so good and performances are phenomenal. But I have to warn you it’s a bit stressful and if you haven’t read the play you don’t know what’s coming next. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 05/15/25 Full Review Blu B A Lewis & Ryder Classic. It's solidly made all around. Really good costume design, great camerawork, direction, and score. Love Ryder but I HATE her in this in a good way lol. Paul Scofield is really good in this and is arguably the best thing. I think the biggest problem here is there is so many people involved in this "conspiracy"/trial that outside of John & Abigail & the Justices there really isn't that much in the way of character development. All the girls blend in together for the most part and with so many other people accused it's hard to remember all of them, differentiate them, and sympathize on a individual level. John sort of becomes the embodiement of all the accused but it focuses a third of the time on the others. The best part is when he confesses to the affair and they bring his wife in. It's a shame the final 20 minutes after can't really sustain the momentum of that moment. The trial itself is the strongest moments compared to the drama with John. It can also be a little dull to look at because of the grey overcast constantly but never lifeless to it's credit. Also, the acting can be a bit over the top and theater like at times. To it's credit the dialouge is a modern style old english that makes perfect sense 90% of the time which I appreciated too. It's overall a really good fictional take on how the trials could've happened but has trouble giving character to so many people involved. Anyone who is a fan of any actors in this, the director, the source material, or wants to learn about the Trials should check this out. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 12/25/24 Full Review helder f This movie is a bit of a headache, but worth a watch.. It’s is a succession of unfair and cruel events without any sort of reprieve. There’s too much shouting and screaming! And it is nerve wrecking… There’re surely many ways of telling a story and we can imagine a far more soothing movie. But the story is unfortunately believable. A good reminder of human’s cruelty. Not any kind of cruelty but a specific kind of cruelty, coming under disguise of goodness and purity. - something that Americans tend to be especially prone to, A good reminder of betrayal trauma, where places that are expected to protect us, fail us. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 10/12/24 Full Review Ian W Solid film. Great acting from Danial Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. Although written as an allegory about communist persecution (McArthyism) - this is not explicit and if you weren't aware of that historical context, it wouldn't take too much away from the film. Definitely worth a watch. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 01/29/24 Full Review Jason C I watched this in school and also we read about the book that the movie was based on and it's amazing. I loved the characters and the story line, the acting was also really good. I usually really dislike old movies, but this one has my heart and I even cried and teared up at the end. I recommend this movie to anyone who has not watched it yet. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/20/23 Full Review Rami A The opening scene is enough to introduce you to what kind of movie you're getting yourself into. Rated 2 out of 5 stars 02/08/24 Full Review Read all reviews
The Crucible

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Movie Info

Synopsis After married man John Proctor (Daniel Day-Lewis) decides to break off his affair with his young lover, Abigail Williams (Winona Ryder), she leads other local girls in an occult rite to wish death upon his wife, Elizabeth (Joan Allen). When the ritual is discovered, the girls are brought to trial. Accusations begin to fly, and a literal witch hunt gets underway. Before long, Elizabeth is suspected of witchcraft, and John's attempt to defend her only makes matters worse.
Director
Nicholas Hytner
Producer
Robert A. Miller, David V. Picker
Screenwriter
Arthur Miller
Distributor
20th Century Fox
Production Co
Twentieth Century Fox
Rating
PG-13
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Nov 27, 1996, Original
Release Date (Streaming)
Nov 1, 2014
Box Office (Gross USA)
$7.3M
Runtime
2h 3m
Sound Mix
Surround
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