Real vs. Reel

    The Crucible by Nicholas Hytner is a film based off of the play written by Arthur Miller. The movie and play help give a general understanding of the nightmare that had taken place in 1692 in Salem, Massachusetts during what is now known as the Salem Witch Trials. I got to learn a little about the Salem Witch Trials prior to seeing the movie, by reading The Devil in Salem by Peggy Robins, but The Crucible really brought the events to life in a way that images and story can’t. The film is not all historically accurate, in both the film and the play, like in most films, directors have to throw in some aspects to pull the audience in, and that is exactly what Nicholas Hytner did. From girls dancing naked in the woods to the relentless John Proctor fighting the court, Hytner kept us drawn into the captivating film.

In the movie The Crucible Nicholas Hytner added in the role of the afflicted teenage girls for the purpose of drama. One example is the opening scene of the film where the group of girls lead by Tituba were dancing in the woods. In the movie, Reverend Parris found the girls dancing, some naked, around a cauldron with herbs cooking inside. But there was never any documents or evidence or anything that said this had ever occurred in real life. Another example of this is, all of the “afflicted” girls acting as if they saw a bunch of people with the devil. History never mentioned all of the “afflicted” girls of the town being in contact with the devil and seeing him with those witches in Salem. But in the movie these girls would be in the trial and pretend to faint every time they “saw” Lucifer with the person on trial for witchcraft. The actual afflicted group of Salem pretended to see the devil with whom was on trial, but they never fainted in groups or ran around the courtroom pointing at empty spaces. History also says that the afflicted group in Salem included people of all ages, both male and female. But the afflicted in the film consisted of only teenage girls. Nicholas Hytner used the afflicted girls for the purpose of the movie and a more sensible storyline to follow along with.

In The Crucible John Proctor was portrayed as a vigilante who kept fighting till the very end. Which was very true, but John Proctor was never released from jail to be given one last chance to admit to being a witch. But the movie showed him and Elizabeth being released the day planned for Johns hanging to admit to Johns sins by having him sign a piece of paper. In fact the movie said, that if he signed the paper him and his wife could go back to their home and live their lives. When in reality when they were thrown in jail the sheriff emptied out their house completely of all belongings, so they wouldn’t have been able to anyways. Instead of all that movie drama, John Proctor was hanged on August 19 after being in jail for 14 days for accusations of witchcraft. Elizabeth Proctor was able to elude death because the witch trials were over by the time she was ready to deliver her baby. Hytner showed in the film that John Proctor in his mid thirties and Abigail Williams at age seventeen had an affair. But in 1692 John Proctor was sixty years old and Abigail Williams was eleven years old, at these ages and the great space between them, it was highly unlikely a affair would have taken place. Nicholas Hytner portrayed this affair to create a storyline and a reason for Elizabeth Proctor to be accused of witchcraft by Abigail.

Although the movie and play weren’t all historically factual, The Crucible by Nicholas Hytner and the play by Arthur Miller are very insightful and and truley help you learn the basics of what had taken place in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. Both Miller and Hytner added in some false aspects of the history of the trials for the purpose of the show, which most authors and directors tend to do. All in all, The Crucible did bring to life what my textbooks and articles couldn’t and that really helped me grasp a better understanding of the knowledge I had just gained. I do suggest watching this movie to anyone looking to learn about the Salem Witch Trials because although not all accurate it is very informational and entertaining.