The Crucible (1957)

Salem, 1692. Industrious farmer, John Proctor, has twice made love to 17-year-old Abigail, a youth he and his wife have taken in. (His wife Elisabeth has rebuffed him for seven months; she ... See full summary »

Director:

Raymond Rouleau

Writers:

Arthur Miller (play), Jean-Paul Sartre (adaptation)

Stars:

Simone Signoret, Yves Montand, Jean Debucourt

Won 1 BAFTA Film Award. Another 2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Simone Signoret	...	Elisabeth Proctor
Yves Montand	...	John Proctor
Jean Debucourt	...	Reverend Parris
Alfred Adam	...	Thomas Putnam
Pierre Larquey	...	Francis Nurse
Mylène Demongeot	...	Abigail Williams
Jean Gaven	...	Peter Corey
Jeanne Fusier-Gir	...	Martha Corey
Françoise Lugagne	...	Jane Putnam
Coutan-Lambert	...	Rebecca Nurse
Aribert Grimmer	...	Gilles Corey (as A. Grimmer)
Pascale Petit	...	Mary Warren
Yves Brainville	...	Hale
Michel Piccoli	...	James Putnam
Alexandre Rignault	...	Willard

Storyline

Salem, 1692. Industrious farmer, John Proctor, has twice made love to 17-year-old Abigail, a youth he and his wife have taken in. (His wife Elisabeth has rebuffed him for seven months; she is puritanical and cold.) When she finds John and Abigail embracing, she sends the lass from her home and John, feeling damned, agrees. Abigail vows revenge. Her chance comes when she accuses Elisabeth of witchcraft and manipulates younger girls to support her claims of seeing spirits. The town's minister and politicians want a cause: ridding the town of witchcraft is the ideal repression. John too, is accused; Abigail offers him a way to avoid hanging. Elisabeth has her own confession.

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Plot Keywords:

minister | based on play | witchcraft | farmer | hanging | 

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Taglines:

The FIRE and FAGGOT for the Extorpation if Sin!

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Genres:

Drama | History

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Details

Country:

France East Germany

Language:

French

Release Date:

26 April 1957 (France)

Also Known As:

The Crucible

Filming Locations:

Paris, France

Company Credits

Production Co:

Films Borderie, Compagnie Industrielle et Commerciale Cinématographique (CICC), Pathé Consortium Cinéma

Technical Specs

Runtime:

145 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The film was almost impossible to find for nearly sixty years due to Arthur Miller blocking the film from being screened or released in any way. This was, according to different accounts, either so that the film didn't steal the spotlight from an English-language adaptation of his play he was working on, and which eventually came out as The Crucible (1996), or as an act of revenge on star Yves Montand, who had an affair with his wife Marilyn Monroe. Actress Mylène Demongeot begged Miller on several occasions to allow the film to be shown again, both before and after the newer adaptation came out and bombed at the box office, but in vain. French company Pathé finally acquired the rights and restored the film in 2016 and released it on Blu-ray and DVD on March 29th 2017, twelve years after Miller's death.

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Connections

Featured in Mémoires pour Simone (1986)

User Reviews

A hanged man does not bleed

Everybody knows Arthur Miller's "the crucible" ;few people outside France know that,long before the excellent version starring Daniel Day-Lewis,the play was filmed in France.One should note that it was first performed on stage ,featuring roughly the same actors,directed by Raymond Rouleau ,a man who was primarily a theatre man (and also a good actor :"Falbalas" "L'Assassinat du Père Noel") So "Les Sorcières de Salem " was the French title (= Salem Witches).Critics were divided on the Montand /Signoret's performance;historian Jean Tulard goes as far as to write that it was their fault if the film was not successful.But Jean Tulard is a right-wing writer whereas Signoret and Montand were at this time securely under the influence of communism.This film was for them a political gesture.

But Miller's play was so strong it survived the dated events it actually depicted (McCarthyism).It has become the symbol of personal freedom,freedom of thought.Informing and signing papers abound along the drama and could not fool the audience about what Miller was actually saying.

Yves Montand's performance was somewhat dwarfed by Day-Lewis ' sensational portrayal of Proctor.But on the other hand,Mylene Demongeot is dazzlingly talented as Abigail .Sensual,maleficent,she steals every scene she is in;she should have become one of the greatest French actresses but it was not to be :she got lost in mediocrities such as OSS 117 or Fantomas.Too bad .

As the precedent user has pointed out,Rouleau's directing was influenced by Dreyer and particularly "Dies Irae".Rouleau plays the part of judge Danforth.