It occurred to me in viewing more of The Crucible cleansing scene pictures shared by RachelD yesterday of a bare chested John Proctor–portrayed by the exquisitely talented British actor Richard Armitage–that not all of his John characters are created equal, in their level of exposure.
So I propose to lay bare one common aspect of Richard Armitage’s John characters for our consideration. And in the spirit of acting awards season that is now upon us, why not create a new category?
Best use of Bareness in a Leading Role by an RA John Character
Let’s have a go, shall we? Below are Richard Armitage John character images as reminders:
a. John Standring b.John Thornton c. John Mulligan
d.John Porter e. John Bateman f. John Proctor
Levels of bareness for the scenes above range from just the neck to full upper body. Each image conveys something about the character and the context–be it sensual, emotional, relational, psychological, or various combinations. For example, Richard Armitage portrays health and vigor in his bareness in item “f” for Proctor that will serve as a counterpoint for him being scourged and withered toward the end of the play.
So, what do these images convey to you?
Something About Love (A) 
Jan. 26-27, 2015–Thanks for liking this post!
obscura, saraobsessed, nellindreams, Servetus, and jazzbaby1
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Love this post! I voted for Porter. This scene shows his vulnerability & his potential to regain his confidence.
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Hi Sara,
Thanks for your kind note! And Porter is a lovely choice! John Porter had faced rejection from his military colleagues, his best friend (who later turned out to be his betrayer), and his wife and daughter. He definitely needed a “shot in the arm”–or in this scene’s case, the acceptance and admiration of Dani.
What I particularly like about the John and Dani pairing is that they developed a relationship as lovers and friends throughout the series after this point.
Thanks for visiting and commenting! Cheers! Grati ;->
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I voted for John Thornton. I hope John Porter doesn’t view this as me being unfaithful, but his nakedness, even in the prison yard as he stood in that lineup, doesn’t cause the stirrings in my gut that I experience when I see Miss Hale (for the hundredth time) try not to look @ Mr. Thornton’s exposed neck. I can just hear what was going on in her mind, “Oh Sweet Neckage!”
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Oh my, Miss Kitty!
Your choosing Thornton over Porter is completely unexpected–your admiration for Porter is so deep.Yet, your reasons are completely sound.
In an era when everything was so repressed, John Thornton’s “dissheveled” appearance without his cravat–and showing a bit of neckage–would indeed be quite scandalous, and alluring. And Thornton’s relaxed attire was mirrored in his relaxed demeanor with Margaret.
It was Margaret who was on edge and tense–until John calmed her with his gentle touch of clasping her hand in his, moved by her sincere wish to aid him and his business. And then when she brought his hand to her lips to kiss him in reverence and devotion, the barriers between them fell–and John’s and Margaret’s mutual love joyously revealed itself in their amazing first kisses. Sighhh!
Thanks for visiting and commenting! Cheers! Grati ;->
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Jan. 26, 2015–With the votes continuing to come in, I wonder if the vote counts will follow a “bareness per inch” RAtio, or be inversely proportional? Hmmm. *wink*
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Jan. 26, 2015–Proctor is clearly winning this competition–and with good reason. The stark contrast between the strong & commanding virile Proctor versus the beaten and condemned Proctor is stunning!
Kudos to Richard Armitage for his character portrayal and to his makeup and costumers who so adroitly helped him convey a man on the edge of his own extinction:
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Jan. 28, 2015–I can’t say enough about the virile, vigorous, powerful and commanding Proctor conveyed by RA’s bare chest in the cleansing scene, then contrasted with the wasted, scourged, degraded, and shattered man Proctor on the edge of his own extinction in the later scenes as illustrated by the makeup test shots above. Richard Armitage as Proctor in production stills–and video clips–from the end of the play, is heart breaking.
I have not seen The Crucible play yet. But I know that when I do with the download, my own emotions will be in shreds as I witness the deconstruction and disintegration of Proctor the man–with Richard Armitage’s wonderful performance–and knowing that Proctor was a real man who was executed, as were the other innocents who were executed.
P.S. Albeit the somewhat composite nature of the various characters in Miller’s play.
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Jan. 26, 2015–And I found the above makeup test shots via this The Crucible images on Twitter page index:
https://twitter.com/search?q=%23TheCrucibleOnScreen&src=tyah&mode=photos
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