PREMIÈRE · UPPER SECONDARY · B1+ towards B2

Film analysis

Watch the film at home

The Crucible (1996), directed by Nicholas Hytner. In France, the film is called La Chasse aux sorcières.

  1. Where to watch: see the list of streaming and rental options on JustWatch France.
  2. DVD: ask at your local library or médiathèque.
  3. Official trailer: on the Apple TV page of the film.
  4. Scenes to watch: Act I: the girls dance in the forest at night (the opening of the film). Act II: the officers arrest Elizabeth at home. Act III: in court, the girls turn against Mary Warren. Act IV: Proctor tears his confession and walks to the gallows.

Watch with English subtitles if you can.

Film: The Crucible (1996), directed by Nicholas Hytner, screenplay by Arthur Miller, with Daniel Day-Lewis (John Proctor), Winona Ryder (Abigail Williams), Joan Allen (Elizabeth Proctor) and Paul Scofield (Judge Danforth). Easy to find on streaming platforms and DVD.

One key scene per act

Scene 1 (Act I)

The film opens with the girls dancing in the forest at night, a scene that is only reported in the play.

Question: What do the music, the darkness and the fire suggest?

My notes: setting / camera / sound / acting

Scene 2 (Act II)

Cheever and the officers come to the Proctors' house and find the poppet with a needle.

Question: How do the camera and the actors show the violence of the arrest?

My notes: setting / camera / sound / acting

Scene 3 (Act III)

In court, Abigail and the girls turn against Mary Warren and repeat everything she says.

Question: How does the film show mass hysteria? Look at the crowd and the sound.

My notes: setting / camera / sound / acting

Scene 4 (Act IV)

Proctor tears his confession and walks to the gallows.

Question: How does the film end compared with the play?

My notes: setting / camera / sound / acting

Film versus play

The play (1953)The film (1996)
The forest dancereported onlyshown on screen
Placesfour interior setsthe village, the sea, the fields, the court
The endingoffstage, with drumsshown at the gallows
My opinion...
Sentence starters

Links reminder