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DVD The Crucible
The Salem witch hunts are given a new and nasty perspective when a vengeful teenage girl uses superstition and repression to her advantage, creating a killing machine that becomes a force unto itself. Pulsating with seductive energy, this provocative drama is as visually arresting as it is intellectually engrossing. Arthur Miller based his classic 1953 play on the actual Salem witch trials of 1692, creating what has since become a durable fixture of school drama courses. It may look like a historical drama, but Miller also meant the work as a parable for the misery created by the McCarthy anti-Communist hearings of the 1950s. This searing version of his drama delves into matters of conscience with concise accuracy and emotional honesty. Three passionate cheers for Miller, director Nicholas Hytner, and costars Daniel Day-Lewis and Winona Ryder. --Rochelle O'Gorman
I've never seen the play, so I can't really say if it was a faithful adaptation or not. But from what I saw, this was an excellent film. I've read a book about the Salem Witch trials before, and this seemed to be pretty much the same thing with the exact same events and characters. It's a very interesting case, really.
The Crucible: An Unsung Masterpiece
One of the most important things that happen in human history is the restoration of reason and rationality. There was a time in history where unsubstantiated things that ranges from witchcraft to divine superiority were never questioned and generally taken as facts. Even though "The Crucible" can be interpreted in a number of ways (Arthur Miller wrote this during the Mccarthy communist hunt), the movie allows us to see what happens when reason is superceded by passion.
The movie opens with a group of teenage girls participating in "devil's work" which was cut short by the discovery of a shocked Reverend. In order to escape the consequences of their actions, the girls masterminded by Abby (Winona Ryder) concocted a series of lies implicating a number of innocent men and women involving them in witchcraft. One of those accused is Goody Proctor (Joan Allen), who was targeted primarily by Abby so that she can finally be with the man she was in love with, Goody's husband John Proctor (Daniel Day Lewis) Of course the consequences of those events weren't confined in the lives of the major characters but actually affected the whole town as a witch hunt hysteria erupted.
Daniel Day Lewis gave a towering performance that further strengthens the fact that he is one of the best living actors today. It's an indelible performance that stays with you long after the movie is through. Winona Ryder also gave an ace performance. You have to admire the roles she chooses (at least at the peak of her career) because it is evident that she wanted to be taken seriously as an actress. Other actresses of her stature would probably gone way different career path that choose box office prospect over challenging roles. Joan Allen was equally impressive. Just by standing still and emoting with her eyes and face, she was able to say a lot of things. And she did that without the help of a "big scene" that both Day Lewis and Ryder had.
Personally, my only minor criticism in the movie is that we weren't given enough insights to why the girls subscribe to Abby's (we know her motivation for doing it) lies. A scene explaining the girl's unity in their lie would at least let the viewers understand their motivations for doing so. It was disturbing to see towards the end of the movie where the girls were rejoicing and all happy when those they accused were being publicly hanged, no sign of remorse or shame.
This movie really affected me and I consider this to be one of my favorite movies. This is truly an unforgettable movie.
Grade: A
"Crucible"
Excellent adaptation of the famous Miller play that was a scathing satire of the Senate "McCarthey Communist Witch Hunt" hearings of the early 1950's, at which Miller and many of his colleagues were subpoenaed to testify about their awareness of past and present members or sympathizers of the American Communist Party. Many, like Miller, refused to testify, but many others did name names which created a spiritual schism in the ranks of playwrights and screenwriters of that era which lingered for many years and ruined many careers. Daniel Day Lewis is perfectly cast as a man of independent principles who deeply mistrusts the strong hand that the clergy held over the puritan citizens of 1680's Salem, Mass. He freely admits his brief affair with Abigail, 17-year-old niece of the town pastor both to his wife and to the town council charged with investigating accusations by serveral of the local girls that Satan is at work in the village. The ensemble acting by the girls is chilling.
This adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, scripted by Francis Ford Coppola, puts costume design and art direction above the intricacies of character. It's certainly a handsome try, and perhaps no movie could capture The Great Gatsby in its entirety. Robert Redford is an interesting casting choice as Gatsby, the millionaire isolated in his mansion, still dreaming of the woman he lost. And Sam Waterston is perfect as the narrator, Nick, who brings the dream girl Daisy Buchanan back to Gatsby. No, the problem seems to be that director Jack Clayton fell in love with the flapper dresses and the party scenes and the Jazz Age tunes, ending up with a Classics Illustrated version of a great book rather than a fresh, organic take on the text. While Redford grows more quietly... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Robert Redford - Mia Farrow Director(s): Jack Clayton DVD Release Date: Released the 02 December 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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A strong argument favors Gary Sinise's 1992 Of Mice and Men over the classic 1939 version that critics have historically preferred. As adapted by the great playwright-screenwriter Horton Foote, John Steinbeck's Depression-era masterpiece comes alive with timeless simplicity, more candid in language and behavior, and therefore more honest in its embrace of Steinbeck's beloved pair of lowly dreamers George (Sinise) and his retarded cousin Lennie (John Malkovich). On the lam, they find work as farmhands, joining a close-knit crew and trying to avoid trouble stirred by the dangerously seductive wife (Sherilyn Fenn) of the boss's sadistic son (Casey Siemaszko). There's not a false note or bad performance in the entire film; as veterans of Chicago's acclaimed Steppenwolf Theater,... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Gary Sinise - John Malkovich Director(s): Gary Sinise DVD Release Date: Released the 04 March 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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Rick Houser's 4 hour...on 2 discs...epic rendering of Nathaniel Hawthorne's THE SCARLET LETTER is nothing short of superb.Rarely are literary classics (or any half-decent piece of literature) granted faithful cinematic adaptation. Demi Moore perVERSION of The Jaded Letter is Hollywood dreck Deconstruction at its most damnable. This PBS incarnation is both definitve and deserved CLASSIC in its own right. Stunningly beautiful, Meg Foster IS Hester Prynne played with consummate heroism and dignity. John Heard and Kevin Conway are fascinating as "star crossed" rivals ...[respectively the guilt-ridden,masochistic yet honorable Christian minister;contra the sinister, sadistic physician and "friend" living for vengeance]...arch-enemies:Dimmesdale and Chillingworth. Child actresses playing... More Info about this DVD Director(s): Rick Hauser DVD Release Date: Released the 04 March 2003 Usually ships in 24 hours
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In yet another example of Demi Moore's astonishing narcissism, this appalling adaptation of Nathaniel Hawthorne's Great American Novel becomes a teary, talk-show-worthy story of a woman rediscovering the erotic, of interrupted love, of a brave-but-beleaguered heroine's personal struggle against male stupidity. Never mind that this has little to do with Hawthorne's magnificent, protofeminist book, which is a million times more relevant today than this film could ever be. Director Roland Joffé (The Killing Fields) deserves to be horsewhipped for colluding with Moore's self-fascination, while Gary Oldman should be kicked in the pants for allowing the novel's main character to come off as an inconsequential ninny. Making matters worse, Robert Duvall can be seen ridiculously... More Info about this DVD Actor(s): Demi Moore - Gary Oldman Director(s): Roland Joffé DVD Release Date: Released the 04 June 2002 Usually ships in 24 hours
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