The performances are great all around (DD-L's phenomenal as always, Winona's full of gusto and Joan Allen's subtle) and the camera work is at times quite impressive, but with a plot so repetitive, the narrative becomes rather redundant and the pacing suffers (especially during the beginning)
Miller's play holding a mirror to the hideous face of the blacklisting paranoia of the 50s had weight to it. However, transferring it to the silver screen (especially in the 90s) takes away the hugely important context of the source material. The Crucible boils down to a straightforward adaptation. Still it's a poignant meditation on corruption, group mentality and peer pressure with a powerful ending. So, much like Giles Corey, all I can say is that The Crucible needed "more... weight."
Also, the mentality that the "witches" (almost all female characters tbh) of Salem did it all to attract men is... problematic to say the least.
Miller's play holding a mirror to the hideous face of the blacklisting paranoia of the 50s had weight to it. However, transferring it to the silver screen (especially in the 90s) takes away the hugely important context of the source material. The Crucible boils down to a straightforward adaptation. Still it's a poignant meditation on corruption, group mentality and peer pressure with a powerful ending. So, much like Giles Corey, all I can say is that The Crucible needed "more... weight."
Also, the mentality that the "witches" (almost all female characters tbh) of Salem did it all to attract men is... problematic to say the least.