March 15, 1994
THE SCARLET LETTER
Screenplay by Douglas Day Stewart
Synopsis by Brian Aldrich
In the 17th century Massachusetts wilderness, Indian METACOMET (KING PHILIP) is waging war against the English settlers. Puritan REVEREND ARTHUR DIMMESDALE, 30, is friendly with the Indians, having converted several to Christianity and arduously working on an Indian translation of the Bible. MRS. HESTER PRYNNE arrives from England in advance of her husband ROGER to set up a home and farm. She is not comfortable in the serious and austere environment of the American Puritans, so she hangs out with a few of the non-conformist women, doing her best to put her life together in this male dominated society. She settles into a cottage at her farm with her slave maid MITUBA and two indentured servants. Hester was a child bride when she married her husband and the arranged marriage is far from passionate. Dimmesdale and Hester are attracted to one another. When news arrives that Roger and everyone on his ship was murdered by Indians, Dimmesdale and Hester fall in love and begin a torrid sexual affair. Hester gets pregnant. Rather than submit to the raging accusations of GOVERNOR BELLINGHAM, REVEREND CHEEVER and REVEREND STONEHALL, Hester refuses to identify Dimmesdale as the father. She is imprisoned for seven months, then released to wear a scarlet letter "A" (for Adultery) on her clothing.
Hester wears the letter proudly, refusing to renounce her love affair or her child PEARL. Meanwhile, Dimmesdale is consummed with guilt. Roger Prynne survives captivity with the Indians and comes to town. After learning of Hester's situation, he keeps his identity a secret. Alone at the cottage, he confronts Hester who rejects him. Roger calls himself CHILLINGSWORTH and moves into the rooming house next door to Dimmesdale, befriending Arthur and the powerful men in the community. He is eager to identify Hester's lover and ruin their lives.
Roger quickly finds out Arthur is Hester's lover. He gets Bellingham and others to believe Satan is in their midst. He bribes Mituba to give false evidence accusing malcontent HARRIET HIBBONS of witchcraft. After, he murders Mituba. Arthur and Hester try to run away, but Roger warns the militia. The evil BREWSTER, son of powerful man, tries to rape Hester, but she chases him off. Roger calls Pearl's birthmark a sign of the devil. Roger kills Brewster, thinking he is Arthur. When he learns the truth, he hangs himself. Hibbons is about to be hanged as a witch when Arthur confesses his sin with Hester and places himself in the noose. Indians attack, killing many, scattering the crowd and freeing Arthur. Arthur, Hester, and Pearl leave together for the wilderness.
Summary Criticism: This script successfully integrates King Philip's War, the Salem witch hysteria, and Hawthorne's romance to completely portray the period as well as the tensions of the novel.
The Scarlet Letter (1995) - imdb
The Scarlet Letter (1995) - wiki
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