Soon enough, dozens of adults are interrogated by cleric judges brought in from out of town. Most memorable among these are Rob Campbell, who naively believes that justice can be accomplished, and Paul Scofield, a humorless elderly man who takes charge and has no qualms about hanging people that won't confess to dealings with the devil.
Eventually, the accused extend to outspoken non-conformist farmer Daniel Day-Lewis and his unhappy wife Joan Allen. Allen is targeted by Ryder because the latter wants the former out of the way so that Ryder can have Day-Lewis all to herself. The two had an affair that Day-Lewis broke off after they were caught by Allen.
How I felt about it, Part I. Arthur Miller became the most celebrated American playwright after his 1949 play "Death of a Salesman" won both the Tony Award and Pulitzer Prize. "The Crucible" (1953) was written as a historical parallel (and thus, a condemnation) of the McCarthy Communist witch hunts, then in full force. Miller himself faced the notorious House Un-American Committee, where he refused to name names and was found guilty of contempt.
Within the play/movie, Winona Ryder is Sen. McCarthy, Paul Scofield is Congress, and Day-Lewis, etc., are artists whose livelihoods are at stake unless they name names. Returning to real life, it is amazing to the present writer that a dozen-plus people were willing to face imprisonment and hanging rather than get set free simply by "repenting" and accusing each other of association with Satan. People nearly invariably do what is practical instead of what is right.
How others will see it. The Crucible was a box office dud, considering that Day-Lewis, Ryder, and venerable Scofield led the cast. The movie nonetheless received numerous award nominations, particularly for Joan Allen and Paul Scofield. Allen and Miller received Oscar nominations.
At imdb.com, the user ratings are fairly high at 6.9 out of 10. They are also very consistent, except from viewers under 18, who think little of it, probably because the Ryder character is such a malicious brat. The young are regarded poorly here.
How I felt about it, Part II. I can see why Day-Lewis made this movie. He chooses projects carefully, but this is based on a Miller play, has a Miller screenplay, and a theme of injustice, a Day-Lewis specialty. In addition, the director was hot off a big Indie success with The Madness of King George (1994). The present film has Oscar potential all over it for Day-Lewis, although it didn't work out that way.
There's a reason for that. The movie can be summarized in one word: overwrought. For this, we don't blame Miller or the cast, not even Ryder, who has the most difficult and thankless role and doesn't appear quite up to it. No, we blame the director, Nicholas Hytner, who has no conception of subtlety. Joan Allen gives the only measured performance. Everybody else is all bluster, including Scofield, who is reduced to threatening, shouting at, and even shaking witnesses.