Three Sovereigns for Sarah

I really loved and appreciated this film when I saw it, and was so glad to have the incomparable Vanessa Redgrave playing my Great (x10) Aunt, Sarah Bridges-Cloyce, whose maiden name was Towne and who was sister to Rebecca Towne Nourse (of "The Crucible" fame) who was actually born in England (as were all but two of Joanna Blessing Towne's children), before the family's voyage, and to Mary Towne Eastey, whose letter to the Court is available to be read in Salem (I have a copy, and it is heart-wrenching in its quiet assertion of innocence and in Mary's faith in her God). These three sisters, two of whom were hanged, were amongst the first of the Towne women to grow up in the New World. All three of them fought back in their own ways, and after the deaths of Rebecca and Mary, both elderly and pillars of the community, the Towne family broke Sarah out of her prison cell (which was merely an old back shed in someone's yard--by this time the jail was full and the accused were being housed by all sorts of greedy people who were paid to house them); they took her back to her childhood home in Topsfield, which was out of the jurisdiction of Salem Village. (This bit of the story is only known in our family--it is not documented, as far as I know, even in the Village Museum. In this film, she's rescued only after the trials have ended, when in fact she was snuck out before-hand; now you know this bit of family history, too.)As has been mentioned by another reviewer, "The Crucible," for all its brilliance, is not terribly accurte (Abigail was only 11 and there was no sexual relationship between her and any of the men in the village). Miller used sexual freedom vs. repression to represent the stultifying atmosphere of the entire colony. "Three Sovereigns" is the only accurate play/film to show how some of the people, particularly the women, did not all just accept their fates in stoical silence. I believe, however, that only Sarah fought for restitution in her lifetime; three sisters, one sovereign for each, three weeks after her appearance before the magistrates, she died. Lots of threes... Her descendents went on to found Oxford, Framingham, and other towns in Massachusetts: the last of our particular family branch with the surname Towne was my great-uncle Charles Towne, who was Editor-in-Chief of the Hartford Courant (one of New England's first newspapers) for decades. Unlike the Quakers out of Philadelphia, Puritans in New England, like our family, were not moneyed, merely dedicated, and I am proud to be a Towne woman, doing my best to follow the tradition of strength Sarah and her sisters began (ironically, on the other side of my family I represent one of the Natives the Townes and other settlers unsettled and eventually waged war on--I guess that makes my sister and me rather too extremely "American"!)I have always wanted to contact Ms. Redgrave to tell her how much I appreciated her portrayal of this brave woman. Sarah's outrage and lawsuit used to be just proud family history, so it was a great joy to see her strength so well-written and acted.I gratefully and whole-heartedly recommend this film, particularly for people who can show it in a classroom or otherwise use it to teach kids.--Tracy Elizabeth Towne Hodson

I am planning a trip to Salem, MA, this fall. I saw The Crucible on Broadway this summer starring Saoirse Ronan and it sparked more interest in the Salem Witch Trials and executions. A couple of years ago, one of my neighbors threw out an excellent 1971 booklet entitled The Witchcraft Hysteria of 1692 by Leo Bonfanti (PPI #2726, New England Historical Series, Pride Publications, Inc., Wakefield, MA) that I was lucky enough to grab before it got recycled and it has been the best source of information I have found on the subject. After seeing The Crucible and reading this booklet, the next logical step was finding some films and/or documentaries on the subject and I came across this. Despite the fact that this was filmed in the 1980s for PBS, it really holds up over time and does an excellent job of telling the story through facts and through historical documentation, transcripts etc. It isn't everyone's story as it covers mainly Rebecca Nurse and Mary Eastey and their sister, the narrator - Sarah Cloyce - played beautifully by Vanessa Redgrave. There are some peripheral stories going on and the narration covers the hysteria and its far-reaching implications. It is based on a 1974 book by Paul Boyer and Stephen Nissenbaum entitled Salem Possessed, which I have not read. But, from what I have read of this book, the gist of what happened in 1692 had more to do with land and political position than with witchcraft. There were a number of land disputes and other acrimonious events that preceded the arrests, trials and executions. This becomes apparent by the end of the film. The people who were faring better than others were the accused. You can do the math on that. On some level, this is still a problem facing mankind.Some of the buildings currently part of the Rebecca Nurse Homestead in Danvers, MA (formerly Salem Village), were recreated to exacting standards and are part of a set of buildings that include original and replicated structures used during the filming of the series. This is one of the places I am excited to visit later this fall.This American Playhouse mini-series (three hours) is available on DVD or on Amazon Prime (I only paid $3.99 for a digital download, which is much cheaper than the DVD).Definitely recommend.

I remember watching the whole series years ago and loved the story then as I do today - so glad I find it again on Amazon . I never tire of watching this film .

If you're interested in the Salem witch trials this three parter gives a mass of detail in a short space of time. It has been carefully researched and stayed true to events. The three woman playing the Towne sisters are fabulous, and just the way I imagined. Wigs and costumes tend to be over clean (just fresh from wardrobe department?) but this is nit-picking. An authentic, well-researched depiction of the Salem tragedy, with terrific lead performances.

We already have the crucible, so this is very much along these lines, sad but very good watch

The Salem Witch Trials have been an interest of mine for quite a while and it feels as though I have read and/or seen just about everything ever produced on the subject.I was thrilled to discover that, somehow, I never even knew that this DVD was around! I immediately purchased it and I have to say that this is an amazing. I believe this was originally shown on American television which would explain why I never saw it (unfortunately, we do not have the opportunity of getting all US channels on cable).First off, the acting was wonderful. Although I supposed this would be considered a period piece (something I don't normally enjoy) the storyline, taking straight from the transcripts that exist of the event flowed and made me feel as though I was right in the time period, experiencing everything.I am by no means an expert on cinematography, etc, but the lighting, the mood, the acting - it all worked beautifully to convey a sense of dread.Wonderful.

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