The Scarlet Letter (1995 film)
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| The Scarlet Letter | |
|---|---|
 When intimacy is forbidden and passion is a sin, love is the most defiant crime of all. |
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| Directed by | Roland Joffé |
| Produced by | Robert Colesberr Jonathan Cornick Dodi Fayed Roland Joffé Tova Laiter Andrew G. Vajna |
| Written by | Douglas Day Stewart based on the novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne |
| Starring | Demi Moore Gary Oldman Robert Duvall Amy Wright |
| Music by | John Barry |
| Cinematography | Alex Thomson |
| Editing by | Thom Noble |
| Distributed by | Hollywood Pictures Cinergi Pictures |
| Release date(s) | October 13, 1995 |
| Running time | 135 minutes |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$50,000,000 |
| IMDb profile | |
The Scarlet Letter is the 1995 film version of the classic Nathaniel Hawthorne novel, The Scarlet Letter. It was directed by Roland Joffé and stars Gary Oldman and Demi Moore. This version was "freely adapted" from Hawthorne (according to the opening credits) and deviated from the original story with the addition of Mituba, a character based on Tituba from The Crucible, and a happy ending. The film was a box office failure and was poorly received by critics.
Contents |
[edit] Cast
Demi Moore - Hester Prynne
Gary Oldman - Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale
Robert Duvall - Roger Chillingworth
Eric Schweig - Metacomet
Amy Wright - Goody Gotwick
Sheldon Peters Wolfchild - Moskeegee
Dana Ivey - Meredith Stonehall
Robert Prosky - Horace Stonehall
Tim Woodward - Brewster Stonehall
Kristin Fairlie - Faith Stonehall
Joan Plowright - Harriet Hibbons
[edit] Plot
In the Massachusetts Bay colony in 1666, there is an uneasy truce between Puritans and Algonquian. Seeking independence, Hester arrives overseas from England. As she awaits her husband, she finds independence; befriending Quakers and setting up a home. As time passes she falls for a young pastor, who feels the same way about her. When they hear the news that her husband has most likely been killed by Indians, they engage in a relationship. She has a child, and Hester is publicly humiliated by being forced to wear a scarlet "A" for adultery; for on the same day, her husband reappears, with indians, after a year's absence. Going by the name of "Chillingworth", he stirs fears of witchcraft, while seeking out Hester's love in order to extract his revenge.
[edit] Filming locations
The film was shot in British Columbia near Vancouver and in the Nova Scotia towns of Yarmouth and Shelburne in 1994. In Shelburne, the waterfront area was substantially altered to resemble a Puritan New England town in the mid 1600s. Some of the buildings on Dock Street retain the grey-tone paint finishes used for the film.
[edit] Score
Three original scores were written for this film. The first score was composed by Ennio Morricone and was quickly rejected. A second score was composed by Elmer Bernstein, but his music was set aside in lieu of the final score, composed by John Barry. Reportedly, star Demi Moore wanted a score by Barry from the start, so Morricone's and Bernsteins's music were not going to be accepted, regardless of quality.
Barry's score was released on CD by Sony Records upon the film's release in 1995. A CD of Bernstein's rejected score was released by Varese Sarabande in 2008. No recordings of Morricone's score has been released to the public.
[edit] Reception
The film was panned by critics.[1] It won the Golden Raspberry Award for worst remake or sequel and was nominated for worst actress (Moore), worst director, worst picture, worst screen couple (Moore and either Duvall or Oldman), worst screenplay and worst supporting actor (Duvall).[2] It was also a box office bomb, grossing only $10.3 million out of a $50 million budget.[3]
[edit] References
[edit] External links
- The Scarlet Letter at the Internet Movie Database
- San Francisco Chronicle review
- Reading Hawthorne in a gender-biased academy (refers to this film version)
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