Customer Reviews

Salem Witch Trials [Blu-ray]

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(2)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

"Salem Witch Trials" is a compelling 2003 CBS mini-series that featured many familiar and veteran actors and for the most part, stayed true to the historical events that came to be known as the Salem Witch Trials.

The mini-series begins on a rather odd note - it is right in the middle of a trial where the afflicted girls [who are the ones accusing people of witchcraft]go into hysterics and start wailing and screaming, then the accused start transforming into 'demons' [with rather striking make-up and 'flying' special effects]. Thankfully, this only lasts a couple of minutes [the production could have done without it], and viewers are taken back via flashback to six months prior where the events began.

The story focuses on the Puritans residing in the village of Salem, Massachusetts, and the year is 1691. There is no charter from England and hence, the Puritans basically govern themselves without any written law. Those who commit crimes or sins are publicly humiliated [there is a scene where women deemed guilty of sinful conduct are paraded naked whilst tied to a wagon]. The family that is the focal point in this series is the Putnam family - Ann Putnam [Kirstie Alley] gives birth to a stillborn child and is full of grief. Her husband Thomas Putnam [Jay O Sanders] is a bitter man, having lost a lot of his land and wealth to others who are more entrepreneurial. They have a son and daughter and young Annie Putnam [Katie Boland] senses the tension between her parents and finds herself being neglected, hence her desire to act out as a means of gaining attention.

Things are not helped by the Reverend Parris [Henry Czerny] who in his desperate desire to maintain his standing amongst members of his congregation, convinces them that all the social unrest and calamities befalling villagers are the work of diabolical forces.

Soon, a group of girls, including Parris' own daughter and niece start crying out and acting strangely, convulsing and going into trances, and finally accusing innocent townspeople of witchcraft.Amongst the earliest accused are Sarah Good, a poor woman who begs for a living, and Tituba [Gloria Reuben] who is a slave working in the Parris household. The number of accused increases as the girls find themselves getting more attention and begin to gain a sense of power. The production convincingly portrays the social restrictions of the time and of the harsh living conditions of the Puritans, and posits several plausible theories as to the cause of the 'madness' that beset Salem village at that time - the repressed social lives of the Puritans, the lack of freedom, not much in terms of passing one's time, the desperate need for attention amongst the young, and also the politics of life in a community where villagers frequently argued and even brought lawsuits against one another over property and business.

The storyline is riveting and moves along at a steady but sure pace, building momentum as the horror unfolds - the acting is also solid and credible - Kirstie Alley's Ann Putnam is a conflicted and tortured soul. Her grief over her dead child causes her to turn to a village medicine woman, Bridgitte Bishop who is later accused as a witch, and this in turn causes her immense guilt [for turning 'away' from God]. She is by turns horrified and self-righteous at the situation in Salem. This is one of Alley's best dramatic performances to date. Henry Czerny's Rev Parris is credibly done, acting out the part of a so-called man of God who decries against self-interest whilst shamelessly practising it for self-preservation. Then there is young Katie Boland as Annie Putnam who incites revulsion for her performance as the misguided accuser.Rebecca de Mornay plays Rev Parris' wife who is mortified by the events in Salem and finally leaves her husband.

There are also veteran actors who have done an incredible job with their roles here - Shirley Maclaine plays the ill-fated Rebecca Nurse, one of the accused who also happens to be a pillar in society, a devout mother and elderly woman who maintains her faith and sense of humor in the bleakest of times. Peter Ustinov plays the Magistrate William Stoughton, a man so absorbed in proving the accused guilty that he never once questions his judgements. And there is Alan Bates playing Gvernor Sir William Phips, who initially acts the dandy and seems disinterested but who eventually realises something is seriously wrong in Salem.

The sets and costumes lend an authentic feel to the story, making the Salem of 1691-'92 come alive onscreen. All in all, this is a first-class production and will appeal to history buffs, educators [though with some nudity I'm not sure if it would be appropriate for classroom viewing] and period & historical drama fans.Highly recommended!

Ok, I have just finished watching this movie and let me tell you, it was worth the 3 hrs of run time from beginning to end. The cast was superb and the acting was magnificent. The well played out plot was as close as a movie can come to dipicting a real life event. The movie kept much to the real story of the Salem Witch trials, or as close to as the historians have written about. This movie is worth every cent I sent on it and I recommend it very highly.

This was wonderfuly done! More than just entertainment. This is a must see for those who enjoy history and drama. It is rather long but with not one wasted moment.
The actors, costume design and sets are all top notch. This is an emotional story that had me feeling anger, sadness, pitty and satisfaction.
This was very much worth watching.

Filmed in Canada, Salem Witch Trials (2001) is a 3 hour and 11 minute TV movie that I think accurately depicts what happened in Salem, Massachusetts in 1692. This movie has such stars as Kirstie Alley, Rebecca De Mornay, Shirley MacLaine, Gloria Reuben, Alan Bates, Kristin Booth, and Peter Ustinov. The musical score is by Jonathan Goldsmith.

For anyone looking for a movie with the subject matter of the Salem Witch Trials, this is one of the best. The movie is very well shot, quite atmospheric at times, and quite dramatic.

Is this movie a little on the dull side? Yes, but how much excitement can one expect from a movie that shows Puritan Massachusetts? Even with its dull moments, the movie frequently picks up steam from time to time, especially during the actual trial scenes and the hangings. There is some nudity sprinkled throughout the movie. The acting is good overall. It's a very talky movie, so there's never a shortage of dialogue.

Overall, I definitely recommend this movie for anyone fascinated with the Salem Witch Trials. I also recommend it for anyone who doesn't mind movies that are 3 + hours long. I also recommend it because it's dirt cheap. I got mine for $1.97 at FYE.

SALEM WITCH TRIALS takes hyper-religiosity / pompous, self-righteousness, and mixes it w/ mass hysteria, paranoia, and ignorance. Toss in huge amounts of superstition and gossip, and you've got a lethal combination! This film shows quite vividly how religion, ANY religion, can never be used as a substitute for government. Like the Taliban today, the Salem Puritans utilized "religious authority" to enable them to destroy those they considered "unclean" or "wicked" (or simply didn't like), while calling their own homicidal insanity, "the will of God". SWT is an excellent portrayal of religion-gone-mad, using one of America's most shameful events as a template. This is a cautionary tale of historic horror. Though a dramatization about what occurred in the early 1690s, it's message certainly resonates in this or any other age. Watch and learn...

A good movie about the Witch trials in Salem Mass. The evolution of blame and hysteria into virtual murder for land, pay back for anything real or imagined, and abuse of political power is well depicted. The feeding of the hysteria on itself until no one was safe and until the governor stopped it after his wife was accused is shown and by analogy has been carried into modern times with the accusers trnsformed into the equivalent of rock stars. The ending is a little weak but overall a good picture.

I rented this movie and I now bought it here form Amazon. The acting in this move was very impressive. The detail of the characters was awesome. It was so sad the way the towns people was so intimidated by the church. This movie is a part of American history, it is very well worth the money and time to watch this movie.

This was a good movie to watch if not for just the excellent acting performances of Kristie Alley & Shirley McClain. I am totally impressed by how much these two actress have grown as actresses and should be role models or mentors for other younger actresses to follow. Youth is great fun but when I saw this, I realized that it is the substance will carry you into old age gracefully.

Two power-mongering blood-lines in 1692 who as founding families of Salem, Massachusetts, crave dominance over each other, using thinly veiled hammers of religion, law, and politics; eventually impacting the children who join in as they discover opportunity for their own fame and influence among the foray. Puritanism in extreme application plays a powerful part of this drama, where man decides what is and what isn't God's will, as man commands obedience in over-the-top threatening yells, shouts, and hollering, demanding adherence to the one-sided words of men as they thump upon their holy books of ritual, prayer, and hymn. Made me homesick. Precious memories, how they linger. I give this movie 4 stars, the producer gave the movie several stars, among them, Kirstie Alley, Henry Czerny, Gloria Reuben, Jay O. Sanders, Kristin Booth, Katie Boland, Alan Bates, Rebecca De Morney, Peter Ustinov, Shirley MacLaine, Shannon Lawson and several others in this 2-part epic TV production, filmed in Canada. The original version in USA runs 4 hours, this DVD has been trimmed down to 3 hours and 11 minutes. Pay no attention to the cover art of this DVD. The movie is unrated, and was on TV, not meant to be entertainment as a main reason for viewing "Salem Witch Trials" - you need to want to see a Hollywood re-enactment loosely based upon sketchy history. In which case you will want to see / own "Three Sovereigns For Sarah" with Vanessa Redgrave.

This Canadian made-for-TV movie is a bit slow going and chaotic in the first half but definitely improves in the second. The infamous Salem Witch Trials as dramatized in the film bares an uncanny resemblance to the Reign of Terror during the French Revolution, with the Reverend Parris (well-played by Henry Czerny) very much the Robespierre analog - intelligent, serious, aggressive, but inwardly insecure and misguided. I also very much liked how the hidden agendas behind the trials were made clear in the film. The great Alan Bates shines in a supporting role as Governor Phipps, though he is something of a deus ex machina at the end. Maybe not the most pleasant and entertaining film I've ever seen, but it was a very enlightening study of this serious miscarriage of justice and one of those films that makes you want to read a book on the subject.