The Scarlet Letter (1934 film)

The Scarlet Letter
File:Scarlet Letter lobby card.jpg Lobby card
Directed by	Robert G. Vignola
Produced by	Larry Darmour (producer)
Written by	Nathaniel Hawthorne (novel The Scarlet Letter) Leonard Fields (writer) David Silverstein (writer)
Starring	Colleen Moore
Cinematography	James S. Brown Jr.
Edited by	Charles Harris
Production company	Darmour Productions
Distributed by	Capitol Film Exchanges
Release dates	September 18, 1934 (1934-09-18)
Running time	69 minutes
Country	United States
Language	English

The Scarlet Letter (1934) is an American film directed by Robert G. Vignola.

It was shot in Salem's Pioneer Village and Sherman Oaks, California. This 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.

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.

Differences from novel

In the film, the character Bartholomew Hockings, played by Alan Hale, Sr., is not in the original novel by Nathaniel Hawthorne.

Cast

• Colleen Moore as Hester Prynne
• Hardie Albright as Arthur Dimmesdale
• Henry B. Walthall as Roger Chillingworth
• Cora Sue Collins as Pearl
• Alan Hale, Sr. as Bartholomew Hockings
• Virginia Howell as Abigail Crakstone
• William Kent as Sampson Goodfellow
• William Farnum as Gov. Bellingham
• Betty Blythe as Innkeeper
• Mickey Rentschler as Digerie Crakstone
• Shirley Jean Rickert as Humility Crakstone
• Iron Eyes Cody as Native American (uncredited)

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 download at the Internet Archive