The Crucible
1996
***
Director: Nicholas Hytner
Cast: Daniel Day-Lewis, Winona Ryder, Joan Allen, Paul Schofield
In 1692 a group of girls play a foolish game which leads to a full-blown witchhunt in the town of Salem, Massachusetts. This gripping tale of paranoia is an adaptation of Arthur Miller's 1953 play, which was written as an allegory of McCarthyism. The film feels occasionally stagy but it is strongly acted, although Daniel Day-Lewis seems a bit miscast in the lead.
