A Theoretical Approach
A play is simply dialogue with a few, skimpy stage directions and is usually produced live. A movie is a work of fiction brought to life and is usually filmed. Thus, the play needs to be adapted into the form of a movie to bring out the essence of a movie.
In the play, most actions are never seen. Instead, they are heard from conversations between characters. For example, we only hear from Mary what happens in the courtrooms. As such, this can be compensated in the movie by acting out these scenes, which increases the drama of the Salem witch trials.
In the play, there are mainly four scenes: Parris’ house, Proctors’ house, the courtroom, and the jail as a play cannot have too many scenes. However, the benefits of a movie lie in the fact that there can be numerous scenes that are well interwoven. Hence, more scenes can be added for the buildup of the plot.
Furthermore, without the limitations of the written word, the movie is allowed more drama. These dramatic scenes will definitely enhance the plot and characterization. Against the backdrop of these observations, our group will attempt to interpret the key scenes in the movie and analyze the modifications we have made.
1st scene
1. An additional scene showing the girls dancing in the woods can be acted out before the first scene of the play.
2. Tituba should also be whipped into confession.
2nd scene
3. An additional scene showing Abigail plucking out a 2-inch needle from her stomach and complaining to the authorities about it can be added somewhere before the second scene of the play.
4. An additional scene showing what happened in the courtroom can be added before the second scene of the play.
5. When Elizabeth is arrested, her children can be made to wail.
Justifications
1. Achieves the effect of foreshadowing and dramatization
2. Shows the amount of pressure that Tituba was under to implicate others
3. Dramatization since it is only known through conversations between characters
4. Dramatization since it is not shown and left to the audience to speculate
5. Makes the scene sentimental and emphasize how devastating these witch-hunts are to families
6. Addresses her sudden disappearance in the play and shows her guilt towards John Proctor for all that she has caused (the fact that Abigail loves John Proctor but ended up inflicting harm upon him is rather conflicting)
3rd scene
6. Using modern technology, visuals can be inserted to portray the apparitions which the girls claim to see during the trials.
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4th scene
7. A scene showing Abigail talking to John Proctor after he was jailed can be inserted before the before the fourth scene.
8. A short extract showing Abigail stealing money from Parris can be inserted before the before the fourth scene.
9. A dramatic scene showing Giles Corey crushed to death by stones can be inserted before the fourth scene.
10. The execution scene can be shown after the fourth scene for dramatic effect.
Overall conclusion
The core of The Crucible lies in the story of individuals trapped in a universal tragedy. In the modern day context, the Crucible is much more than all the historical parallelisms that it can be related to, for it continues to be a mirror for people in any time and place to be cognizant of the devil within all of us which is capable of manifesting itself in the form of Tiananmen Square uprising, the torture of prisoners in Abu Graib, Nazism etc. This is best presented through the dramatization of the plot coupled with vivid characterization which reinforces the message that The Crucible wishes to convey.
Our group has focused on these elements (plot and characterization) precisely because we want this effect to be achieved.