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The Crucible; underestimated and underrated
By Jon
State High Student
I must be honest in that I had never heard of the movie The Crucible until a few weeks ago when my English teacher had us watch it for a unit we were currently doing on witchcraft. Figuring it was some teachers educational video, I was not very thrilled.
My opinion changed abruptly as the movie began with several mischievous girls sneaking out one dark, eerie night in the 1600s. The setting seemed to put me there with the bright, full moon shinning over the calm lake and the cool, misty air seeming to hang in the air like ghosts.
The girls ran, looking nervously over their shoulders as if they were committing a deadly crime, into the daunting woods. There they met a mysterious black woman around a fire, and they began screaming the names of those they were infatuated with and requested a spell to be cast on them, which would make them, love them.
Everything turned serious as Abigail Williams, one of the girls, smashed a live chicken to pieces and smeared its blood on her face as if possessed. The girls ran from the woods in a frightened terror as a curious witness put the pieces together.
The following morning, two of the little girls, one of them being Abigails little sister, were in a wakeless sleep. The witness explained what he saw; consequently, witchcraft was quickly suspected which the girls knew would sentence them to life if they were convicted.
That was a quick recap of only the first five minutes of this intense thriller. For the first time in my life I actually looked forward to English class in order to watch the next forty-five exciting minutes of The Crucible.
In my many trips to Hollywood Video to catch the new releases with the good reviews and the best actors, I never even considered exploring the old sections of movies. I have learned not to judge movies on what I hear or the year it was made or what other peoples opinions are of that film, but rather explore old films, which are new to me.
Aside from the never-ending action and suspense of this film, it also made history come alive. The costumes, the backgrounds, the accents, the way of life made you feel like you were living with the actors back in the 1600s.
The movie was also very educational. It showed the paranoia and stress that a normal, innocent person had to live with for fear that someone would accuse them of witchcraft. Opposing the charges would lead to death, and only confession led to forgiveness.
This heart-throbbing, non-stop thriller is a must see for everyone.
Rent it tonight.
Word Count: 458
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