The Scarlet Letter Movie (1995): Cast and Changes from the Book
Freely adapted, it said in the credits, and it meant it
The 1995 cast
| Character | Actor |
|---|---|
| Hester Prynne | Demi Moore |
| Arthur Dimmesdale | Gary Oldman |
| Roger Chillingworth (Roger Prynne) | Robert Duvall |
| Governor Bellingham | Edward Hardwicke |
| Harriet Hibbons | Joan Plowright |
| Mituba | Lisa Jolliff-Andoh |
How the film changes the story
The novel opens with Hester already on the scaffold. The film starts much earlier, showing Hester arriving in the colony, meeting Dimmesdale and falling in love with him, so that their relationship is shown rather than implied. Chillingworth becomes a far more violent villain, and the film adds conflict between the colonists and local Native American people as a dramatic backdrop.
The biggest change is the ending. In the book Dimmesdale confesses and dies, and Hester spends years alone. In the film an attack interrupts the hanging scene, Chillingworth's revenge ends in his own death, and Hester, Dimmesdale and Pearl ride away together to start a new life.
↑ Back to the topHow was it received?
Critics were harsh, especially about the new ending and the film's tone, and it was nominated for several Golden Raspberry awards, winning for worst remake. Hawthorne scholars were not impressed either. Some viewers still enjoy it as a lush period romance, as long as they do not expect the novel.
↑ Back to the topOther screen versions
The best-regarded film is the silent version of 1926, directed by Victor Sjöström, with Lillian Gish as a luminous Hester. A 1979 American television miniseries with Meg Foster stays much closer to the book. The 2010 teen comedy Easy A, starring Emma Stone, is a modern riff on the novel, in which a high-school student sews a red A onto her clothes.
↑ Back to the topWhich version is closest to the book?
The 1979 miniseries is the most faithful. For a striking piece of film history, the 1926 silent film is worth seeking out. The 1995 film is best seen as a different story using Hawthorne's characters.
↑ Back to the topThe Scarlet Letter (1995) was directed by Roland Joffé and stars Demi Moore as Hester Prynne, Gary Oldman as Arthur Dimmesdale and Robert Duvall as Roger Chillingworth. Its credits call it freely adapted from Hawthorne, and it changes the ending completely: Hester and Dimmesdale survive and leave Boston together.
It was a critical and commercial failure, earning about 10 million dollars in the United States on a budget of around 46 million.
More about The Scarlet Letter
Books Like The Scarlet Letter
The PearlJohn Steinbeck
All Quiet on the Western FrontErich Maria Remarque
Animal FarmGeorge Orwell
Catch-22Joseph Heller
A Handful of DustEvelyn Waugh
The Day of the LocustNathanael West
The Picture of Dorian GrayOscar Wilde
Wuthering HeightsEmily BrontëThis guide discusses the whole plot, including the ending.