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      The Scarlet Letter

      Released Aug 9, 1926 1h 20m Drama List
      Reviews 79% 100+ Ratings Audience Score In Puritan New England, Hester Prynne (Lillian Gish) marries Roger Chillingsworth (Henry B. Walthall) at the behest of her father. When Roger is away, Hester forms a bond with the sensitive Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale (Lars Hanson). Later, when Hester gives birth to a daughter, people in the village suspect that Roger is not the father and force Hester to wear a letter A for adultery until she reveals the father of her child. Arthur, meanwhile, is overcome by guilt and decides to take action. Read More Read Less

      Audience Reviews

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      Andre G Movie is kind of boring and takes forever to get to the point. Way back then it was a crime to commit adultery. Which is punishable by death. Since she's pregnant the make her wear an A for adulterer so everyone knows she a slut basically. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/15/23 Full Review Audience Member The best romance movie ever made! With the best movie character ever portrayed: Lillian Gish as Hester Prynne! Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review andrey k This dark and somber tale is beautifully adapted for the screen and expertly directed by Victor Sjostrom, a genius of early cinema. In fact it's one of the best adaptations I've ever seen. Just the right changes were made into the story to make the story of the movie interesting per se as a standalone piece: like, for example, enhancing the story by adding a beginning to it. The cast performed very well, but Lilian Gish is THE Hester Prynne - she is so perfect in this role with her passionate and yet reserved approach to her role, a groundbreaking performance. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 03/31/23 Full Review Audience Member Absolutely love this version. I think it is the best version of all the makes of this movie. Rated 5 out of 5 stars 01/28/23 Full Review Audience Member "Vanity is an evil disease." This was an interesting interpretation of the book by Nathaniel Hawthorne. I was amazed how complete and faithful the film was able to retell the story even without the use of speech. All the plot twist and turns was there. All the anguish, joy, humiliation, wrath-- every single emotion was faithfully conveyed through the use of exaggerated physical movements and emotional facial expressions, especially Miss Gish's beautiful doe eyes. Every gaze she made spoke volumes, especially when she looked at Arthur Dimmesdale while she was being asked the name of her lover. The many way she implored him to remain silent just with her eyes. She was absolutely amazing. Lars Hanson (who played Arthur Dimmesdale) was good but wasn't as convincing as Miss Gish, he had one expression: surprised! He just seems to make his eyes bulge out of his head as his singular response to every event. Henry B. Walthall's Roger Chillingworth was also a one-note character and he sneered like the token villain and kind of reminds me of Edward G. Robinson. Overall, this movie was really good, and the lack of spoken dialogue wasn't a problem at all. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/18/23 Full Review Audience Member Granted, I wasn't a fan of the book when I read it, but I was curious to see this silent film version because I heard it was a great film, though I also saw it because it starred the late great Lillian Gish. Needless to say, I wasn't disappointed by it because I think it is an excellent romance film and a wonderful silent classic waiting to get the proper treatment it deserves, because this film has never received an official DVD release or even so much as VHS release, which is shameful, considering the awful 1995 version will be allowed to live on for generations to come. If you enjoy silent films, you must see The Scarlet Letter because it is a wonderful film...and avoid the 1995 version at all costs. Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 02/26/23 Full Review Read all reviews Post a rating

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      The Scarlet Letter

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      Critics Reviews

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      Carl Sandburg Chicago Daily News Hawthorne wrote a daring story. Seastrom turned it into a picture that dares to be poignant and poetic in the midst of sensational happenings such as branding, desertions, seductions, public confessions of sin and moral accusations. Dec 14, 2021 Full Review Robert E. Sherwood LIFE [Lillian Gish] adds several cubits to her artistic stature in The Scarlet Letter. This, it seems to me, is her finest performance. Oct 2, 2021 Full Review Read all reviews

      Movie Info

      Synopsis In Puritan New England, Hester Prynne (Lillian Gish) marries Roger Chillingsworth (Henry B. Walthall) at the behest of her father. When Roger is away, Hester forms a bond with the sensitive Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale (Lars Hanson). Later, when Hester gives birth to a daughter, people in the village suspect that Roger is not the father and force Hester to wear a letter A for adultery until she reveals the father of her child. Arthur, meanwhile, is overcome by guilt and decides to take action.
      Director
      Victor Sjöström
      Screenwriter
      Frances Marion
      Distributor
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Production Co
      Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer
      Genre
      Drama
      Release Date (Theaters)
      Aug 9, 1926, Original
      Runtime
      1h 20m