Nicholas Hytner may have chosen to open the film with the scene of Tituba and the girls dancing in the forest to provide context for the coming events in the story. By showing this scene, the audience can infer that Betty decides to fake her illness in order to evade punishment from her father, Reverend Parris, who walks in on the girls’ nighttime activity in the forest. This opening scene also provides a clue about Abigail’s infatuation with John Proctor, since the other girls in the scene make requests concerning boys to Tituba, and also say to her, “Get her [Abigail] John Proctor, Tituba!”. Additionally, the inclusion of this scene in the movie provides a visual for proof of later references, such as when whether Parris saw someone naked
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On Abigail’s part, this shows how strong willed and stubborn she is, since John is trying to tell her that she has no hope for a continuation of their affair, but she kisses him anyway. Additionally, a very altered version of the omitted scene from Act Two of the play seems to be included in the movie. In the omitted scene from the play, Abigail and John talk in the woods at night, and John describes his visit to her as “friendly” (P. 139). However, the scene in the movie is quite the opposite; it contains none of the initial small talk that the scene in the play has, and is instead more hostile, since the first thing John sternly says to Abigail is, “I come to tell you to think on what to do to save yourself.” Overall in their conversation, their tones are stern and threatening, unlike the initially and slightly affable tones used in the play. This scene in the movie makes John seem more adamant about ending his affair with Abigail compared to the scene from the play, since his tone is harsher making him seem more desperate about saving his wife. In the movie, another scene between Abigail and John is added (closer to the end), where Abigail visits John in his cell and offers to buy the silence of the jail guard so that John can escape; in this scene, she expresses her regret for John’s circumstances, saying that she “never dreamed any of this” for him. John, however, seems to express his regret for the affair when he replies to Abigail’s offer by saying, “It is not on a ship we will meet again, Abigail, but in hell.” This scene again shows that Abigail is still considerably desperate to have John (further seen when she tells him, “I wanted you was all,”), while John severely regrets the
On Abigail’s part, this shows how strong willed and stubborn she is, since John is trying to tell her that she has no hope for a continuation of their affair, but she kisses him anyway. Additionally, a very altered version of the omitted scene from Act Two of the play seems to be included in the movie. In the omitted scene from the play, Abigail and John talk in the woods at night, and John describes his visit to her as “friendly” (P. 139). However, the scene in the movie is quite the opposite; it contains none of the initial small talk that the scene in the play has, and is instead more hostile, since the first thing John sternly says to Abigail is, “I come to tell you to think on what to do to save yourself.” Overall in their conversation, their tones are stern and threatening, unlike the initially and slightly affable tones used in the play. This scene in the movie makes John seem more adamant about ending his affair with Abigail compared to the scene from the play, since his tone is harsher making him seem more desperate about saving his wife. In the movie, another scene between Abigail and John is added (closer to the end), where Abigail visits John in his cell and offers to buy the silence of the jail guard so that John can escape; in this scene, she expresses her regret for John’s circumstances, saying that she “never dreamed any of this” for him. John, however, seems to express his regret for the affair when he replies to Abigail’s offer by saying, “It is not on a ship we will meet again, Abigail, but in hell.” This scene again shows that Abigail is still considerably desperate to have John (further seen when she tells him, “I wanted you was all,”), while John severely regrets the