Arthur Miller's play, The Crucible, and the movie of the same name have many differences but also many similarities, all of which contribute to the individual effectiveness of each in conveying their central message. Arthur Miller, who wrote both the play and the movie script, added several things to the play in order to get the desired effect for the movie-going audiences. From plot, to missing scenes and characters, to moods, many things were included in the movie that were never seen in the original play.
There were many scenes missing in the play, which were found in the movie. The main reason for this is that movie making provides much more freedom when it comes to creating special effects, or shooting on different locations, tasks which are very hard when putting on a play. The first one that crosses one's mind is the introduction scene of the movie where the girls are dancing in the woods performing what was known back then as witchery. This scene is never found in the play, we only hear of it through a dialogue in Act 1. .
Another significant change from the play that was implemented into the movie is in the character portrayal. In the play, Parris appeared to be overly egocentric and self-conscious. He still retains these qualities in his character in the movie, but they stand out more than in the play. Putnam, also, seems to have a personality change. In the play, his personality is not so domineering as in the movie, where he is bordering on psychotic. His role seems to be made larger and more significant in the movie, which presumably accounts for the change in character representation.
First, the large group of "stricken" girls, including Abigail, which indeed had a greater number than .
did the group in the play, left the church meeting at the beginning of the movie to see about Betty's condition. Betty seemed to be much more violent in the movie and she tried to jump out of the window, which did not occur in the play.
