THE CRUCIBLE

France, 1957, 145 minutes, Black and white.
Simone Signoret, Yves Montand, Mylene Demongeot, Michel Piccoli, Raymond Rouleau.
Directed by Raymond Rouleau.

Les Sorcieres de Salem was filmed several years after the first Broadway production of Arthur Miller’s The Crucible. The play attained notoriety in its time, specially seen as an attack on the Mc Carthy era and the witch-hunting of the Un American House activities. However, the play was so strong that it has survived the decades and has become an American classic.

This film version was written by playwright Jean- Paul Sartre. It had been produced on stage with the same cast and directed by the same director (who also appears as Judge Danforth).

The film recreates the period of Salem, Massachusetts in the 1690s and the witch-hunts. The focus is on John Proctor, played by Yves Montand, and his wife Elizabeth, played by Montand’s wife, Simone Signoret. The catalyst for the witch- hunt is a young girl, Abigail Williams, played by Mylene Demongeot. The cast won a number of acting awards. Simone Signoret won a BAFTA award as best actress. Two years later she was to win a number of awards, including the Oscar, for her role in Room at the Top.

The film follows the play closely, has an edge given Jean- Paul Sartre’s rather pessimistic existentialism in his interpretation of Miller’s play.

There was a television version in the UK in 1970s, directed by Don Taylor, with Michael Harber as John Proctor and character actors Eric Porter, Daniel Massey, Dennis Quilley and Peter Vaughn in the supporting cast.

There was a very strong version in 1996 with Daniel Day Lewis as John Proctor, Joan Allen as his wife, Winona Ryder as Abigail and Paul Scofield as Judge Danforth, directed by theatre director, Nicholas Hytner.

This is an interesting film version, with its 1950s French perspective on Arthur Miller’s play as well as political situations in the United States.

1. The reputation of this play, Arthur Miller's reputation? Its status in the fifties? The fact that it could not be filmed in America in the fifties? The French version, Jean Paul Sartre and his adaptation of the play?

2. The use of French locations for North America, black and white photography, the atmosphere of the countryside and the town?

3. Was it evident that the film was based on a play? The focus on characters, situations and places, the strength of the dialogue? The exploration of themes? Was the film in any way theatrical?

4. The background of North America in the 17th century? The explanation of religious protest, the founding of a new colony, the isolation and the pressures, the background for religious hysteria mixed with Calvinistic longings for wealth and power? Miller was making 20th century parallels with this American society and issues. Was this evident in the French version?

5. The presentation of Salem, the countryside of Massachusetts, the town, the sea, the farms, the people within this rather primitive setting, working and trying to build up a society on religious beliefs?

6. How sympathetic and interesting were the people of Salem? The nature of their beliefs, especially religion? Their capacity for survival, their attitudes towards community and pressurising people to conform? The Puritan spirituality and repression?

7. What did the Proctors represent within this society? Marriage and its strengths and weaknesses? Religion? Conformism and a sense of duty, for example John's not wanting to go to church but finally going? The sense of duty and doing what one should at home and in the community? The dominant interest of the church? The question of personal sinfulness especially in John's lust and his relationship with Abigail? Elizabeth's jealousy and not confronting John? The Proctors in the eyes of their friends? The leadership that they were expected to exercise? What kind of characters were they in themselves? The strengths and weaknesses of their characters? Their relationship of love, John's erring in lust? Elizabeth's hardness?

8. What kind of person was Abigail in herself? Young, feminine, possessive, lustful, her evil? Her influence and her meanness? Seeing her in the background of the Proctors and within their household? Her seductions of John? His repentance and her playing with his sense of guilt? Her despising of Elizabeth? How strongly drawn was the character of Abigail? As a basis for the wider issues of the film?

9. The presentation of superstition with the Voodoo background within this puritanical community? The introduction of witchcraft by Tituba? Her leading the young girls out into the woods? The hysteria? The vindictiveness and Abigail’s use of this kind of witchcraft? Her hard scepticism and her using people and issues? The importance of John Proctor discovering this in the woods?

10. The presentation of the Elders, the parents? The impact of this cauldron of witchcraft and hysteria of them? Their inability to cops. their religious and social interpretations?

11. The film's presentation of the girls in their hysteria? How credible, the performances in themselves, the Court sequences? Showing where this kind of hysteria could lead when others were involved?

12. How clearly did the film present the horror of accusation, projections of guilt, the imposition on people. the trials, the frenzy, the way people behaved in the Court?

13. The jealousy behind the accusation of Elizabeth and John? Their being brought into prison and Court? The central sequence where John Proctor in order to vindicate his innocence asks for his wife's testimony? The dramatic importance of Elizabeth Proctor's lit?

14. The possibility of reprieve in Mary? Commonsense possibly prevailing? The pressures on her to lie? The malevolent influence of Abigail and the girls? Her trying to put herself into a frenzy? The hysteria when she finally went into frenzy?

15. Comment on the authority figures presented in the film: Danforth and the conducting of the trial, the strengths and weaknesses of his character, authority within this kind of background and the inability to cope? The varying town officials and their pressures?

16. How well did the film show that this kind of hysteria can spread, false accusations, false information, malevolent attitudes towards innocent people?

17. The film stressed the social background of the times. the uprising against the authorities in Salem, coinciding this with the executions?

18. The final sequences between John and Elizabeth? How well were they reconciled? Their mutual understanding? John Proctor as hero coming through this crucible of suffering to some kind of human stance to be admired? Did the same happen to Elizabeth? This as background to the executions? The picturing of the executions, the safeguards that the authorities took? Those in uproar discovering the dead people?

19. How was the theme of Salem society presented, with something rotten within the fabric of this society? What was wrong? Why did it manifest itself in this way? What could be done about it? Issues of human nature, society, religion? Good in human nature, the potential and capacity for evil?

20. What was left when this uproar and upheaval in society had subsided? The significance of the title?