If you haven't seen Maid of Salem, then you haven't seen a good motion picture. Simple as that.
It's not because the story has never been done before-- stories about witches have been done countless times by Hollywood over the years. Nor is it going to challenge the average viewer very much-- though it does cause one to stop and consider what happens when a community of people act like an angry mob and try to cling to superstitious beliefs that defy logic.
Rather, it is because of the powerful performance at the center of this film. Claudette Colbert, as the title character, infuses the story with heart and conviction. Check out the courtroom scene near the end of this picture to see what I mean.
The only real drawback is that Fred MacMurray seems slightly miscast here, and the film may have been stronger with Fredric March or someone else in the male lead. But Colbert and MacMurray's chemistry more than makes up for any deficiency.
It is a very chilling account of a woman denied her own basic rights and suspected of the worst in human nature. Don't miss it.
It's not because the story has never been done before-- stories about witches have been done countless times by Hollywood over the years. Nor is it going to challenge the average viewer very much-- though it does cause one to stop and consider what happens when a community of people act like an angry mob and try to cling to superstitious beliefs that defy logic.
Rather, it is because of the powerful performance at the center of this film. Claudette Colbert, as the title character, infuses the story with heart and conviction. Check out the courtroom scene near the end of this picture to see what I mean.
The only real drawback is that Fred MacMurray seems slightly miscast here, and the film may have been stronger with Fredric March or someone else in the male lead. But Colbert and MacMurray's chemistry more than makes up for any deficiency.
It is a very chilling account of a woman denied her own basic rights and suspected of the worst in human nature. Don't miss it.