Differences Between The Crucible Book And Movie

Many pieces of literature that undergo the book to movie transitions will face minor and major alterations for the better or worse. The Crucible ,written by Arthur Miller and published in 1953, is no exception to this. The Crucible, a play based on the true events that occurred in Salem, Massachusetts, follows the story of the Salem Witch Trials that tuned neighbor on neighbor and tore apart the community in 1692. In the movie adaptation, which was released in 1996, there were many differences between the movie and the text which took many different forms. One of the most noteworthy changes was the director's decision to add a new scene, not present in the book, to the closing scene in the movie. This scene consists of the emotional execution

The director starts with a shot of the whole proceeding with the townspeople and the nooses, and then slowly zooms in to a close up of John. After this the camera remains on a close up of John Proctor's face. The use of a close up to John Proctor's face and the inability to see what else is happening, draws all attention to John. These cinematographic techniques are significant since the increased focus on John, builds up to his death in a more dramatic way for the audience. Along with this, there is a point of view shot from John Proctor's view at the noose. Through this, the gloom of the crowd and the armed guards backs are shown, ensuring to the audience that Proctor’s death is final and imminent. All of these shots increase the overall dramatic effect of the scene as a whole, and make the scene a positive addition to the

In the closing moments Rebecca Nurse, followed by Martha and eventually John Proctor, all recite the lord's prayer in synchronization. This prayer is a addition of evidence by the producer, which would have meant that none of the three people condemned to hang under witchcraft could in fact be witches, since it is said that a witch would not be able to recite the lord's prayer. This additional evidence adds to the underlying message of the obscurity that a handful of teenage girls could wrongfully accuse and lead to the deaths of such respected members of society. The director then adds some irony since he has John pushed to his death before saying amen which some believe makes the prayer null and void. This ties into the entirety of the book and summarises the treatment of evidence through the book since even though the evidence was strong, it would be cast out by the court. In proving the obscurity of the deaths and a symbol to how the courts proceed, the author effectively integrates these points into the audience rendering the additional scene an improvement upon the