The Scarlet Letter (1934 film)

The Scarlet Letter
Lobby card
Directed by	Robert G. Vignola
Written by	Leonard Fields David Silverstein
Based on	The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne
Produced by	Larry Darmour
Starring	Colleen Moore Hardie Albright Henry B. Walthall Alan Hale
Cinematography	James S. Brown Jr.
Edited by	Charles Harris
Music by	Abe Meyer
Production company	Darmour Productions
Distributed by	Majestic Pictures
Release date	September 18, 1934 (1934-09-18)
Running time	69 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Scarlet Letter is a 1934 American film directed by Robert G. Vignola and based on the 1850 novel of the same name by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

It was shot in Sherman Oaks, California. It was the only film Colleen Moore ever said she made for the money. She was reportedly preparing to take her dollhouse on tour for charity, and saw the film as an opportunity to make a last film with friends.

Henry B. Walthall played Roger Chillingworth in both this and the 1926 silent version.

The film has been preserved by the UCLA Film & Television Archive.

Plot summary

Hester Prynne has a child out of wedlock and refuses to name the father (who is a respected citizen). For this, she is sentenced to wear a red letter "A" (for adultery). Her husband is long missing and presumed dead. When the husband returns and finds his wife with another man's child, he sets out to torture them. At last, the father reveals himself, with a letter "A" carved in his chest.

Cast

• Colleen Moore as Hester Prynne
• Hardie Albright as Arthur Dimmesdale
• Henry B. Walthall as Roger Chillingworth
• Cora Sue Collins as Pearl
• Alan Hale as Bartholomew Hockings
• Virginia Howell as Abigail Crakstone
• William Kent as Sampson Goodfellow
• William Farnum as Gov. Bellingham
• Betty Blythe as Innkeeper
• Al O. Henderson as Master Wilson
• Jules Cowles as Beadle
• Mickey Rentschler as Digerie Crakstone
• Shirley Jean Rickert as Humility Crakstone
• Flora Finch as Faith Bartle, the Gossip
• Tommy Bupp as Marching Boy (uncredited)
• Iron Eyes Cody as Native American (uncredited)

Reception

National Board of Review gave a negative review, criticizing the script and "Vignola's static, uninspired direction", but appreciated Moore's performance, considered "the only good thing in the picture".

Bibliography

• Jeff Codori (2012), Colleen Moore; A Biography of the Silent Film Star, McFarland Publishing,(Print ISBN 978-0-7864-4969-9, EBook ISBN 978-0-7864-8899-5).

References

• Colleen Moore research/history project page

External links

• The Scarlet Letter at IMDb
• The Scarlet Letter is available for free viewing and download at the Internet Archive