1996 American historical drama film
The Crucible is a 1996 American historical drama film directed by Nicholas Hytner and written by Arthur Miller, based on his 1953 play. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis as John Proctor, Winona Ryder as Abigail Williams, Paul Scofield in his final live-action film role as Judge Thomas Danforth, Joan Allen as Elizabeth Proctor, and Bruce Davison as Reverend Samuel Parris. Set in 1692, during the Salem witch trials, the film follows a group of teenage girls who, after getting caught performing a ritual in the woods, band together and falsely accuse several of the townspeople of witchcraft.
Principal photography began in Massachusetts and Nova Scotia on September 11, 1995, and concluded on November 18. The Crucible was theatrically released in the United States by 20th Century Fox on November 27, 1996, and was a commercial failure, grossing only $7.3 million against its $25 million budget. Despite this, it received positive reviews from critics, with Day-Lewis, Ryder, Scofield, and Allen earning widespread acclaim for their performances.
The Crucible was screened at the 47th Berlin International Film Festival, where it competed for the Golden Bear. At the 54th Golden Globe Awards, Scofield and Allen were nominated for Best Supporting Actor and Best Supporting Actress respectively, while Allen received a Best Supporting Actress nomination at the 69th Academy Awards, and Scofield won Best Actor in a Supporting Role at the 50th British Academy Film Awards. Arthur Miller received nominations for the Academy Award for Best Adapted Screenplay and the BAFTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay.
Plot summary adapted from Wikipedia, licensed under CC BY-SA 4.0.