Scarlet Letter, The (film) A retelling of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s timeless classic. Set in puritanical 17th-century Boston, this romantic drama follows the sensational life of a bright and beautiful woman who becomes a social outcast when she bears the child of a respected reverend and refuses to divulge the name of the father. Shunned by the townspeople for her indiscretion and threatened with the loss of her child, she bravely bears the mark of disgrace—a scarlet “A”—until an Indian attack unites the Puritans and causes them to re-evaluate their attitudes and laws. Directed by Roland Joffe. A Hollywood Pictures film. Released on October 13, 1995. Stars Demi Moore (Hester Prynne), Gary Oldman (Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale), Robert Duvall (Roger Prynne). 135 min. The production was filmed on Vancouver Island, British Columbia, and in Shelburne, Nova Scotia, where a small maritime fishing village was turned into a replica of 17th-century New England. Filmed in CinemaScope. Released on video in 1996.
