The Scarlet Letter
From Nathaniel Hawthorne's greatest novel.
One of the classic films of the 1930s, this sumptuous production is available for the first time in a high-quality version. Specifically restored from the 35mm nitrate original camera negative, this film comes to new life in brilliant black and white and digital sound.
The heartbreaking Colleen Moore stars as Hester Prynne living in Puritan New England in the era of torture and "witch" burnings. She is convicted of adultery after giving birth to a daughter out of wedlock and condemned to wear a scarlet letter "A" on her chest for the rest of her life. Henry B. Walthall memorably portrays Chillingworth, Hester's long-lost husband who goes mad when he learns of his wife's infidelity and becomes obsessed with seeking revenge on her secret lover.
Member Reviews
A Somewhat "Old" Feeling In A Sometimes "Bland" Movie But It's Passable - revsdd
I have to confess that - aside from the broad brushstrokes - I'm largely unfamiliar with the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and so am not able to speak to the faithfulness of this movie to that story. Judged on its merits as a movie, this wasn't bad. The struggle against sin and hypocrisy was fairly well represented, the judgmentalism of the early Puritan community in which its set is clearly portrayed. Having said that, it's rather bland and unemotional at times (which, admittedly, fits the stereotype of an early Puritan community) although in the few scenes in which there is emotion (I think particularly of the closing scene with Dimmesdale's public confession) that emotion is well portrayed. The settings here seemed wrong. In particular I thought the homes that were shown looked far too comfortable for the 1640's. Some of the performances (especially I thought that of Hardie Albright as Dimmesdale, with the exception of that closing scene) seemed a bit forced, although I appreciated the attempt to mix some humour into a movie that could have been very heavy, as Alan Hale and William Kent portray the attempts of Hockings to help Goodfellow court the widow Crakstone, although in some ways (again, I haven't read the novel) that seemed unconnected to the overall story. In the lead role, Colleen Moore was good as Hester Prynne, although she didn't dominate the movie in the way you would expect the lead to do. In terms of the overall quality of the movie compared to others of the era, I find the 1930's a strange decade. Some of its films seem quite modern, while others seem very old. This version of "The Scarlet Letter" seems to fit into the latter group.
Member Reviews
Read All...
A Somewhat "Old" Feeling In A Sometimes "Bland" Movie But It's Passable - revsdd
I have to confess that - aside from the broad brushstrokes - I'm largely unfamiliar with the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne, and so am not able to speak to the faithfulness of this movie to that story. Judged on its merits as a movie, this wasn't bad. The struggle ...