1926 Directed by Victor Sjöström
In Puritan Boston, seamstress Hester Prynne and kindly Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale fall in love. After Dimmesdale must go away for a time to England, he returns to discover that Hester has given birth to their child and is the focus of local censure.
La Lettre écarlate, La lettera rossa, 주홍글씨, Алая буква, 红字
USA
New York City, New York
USA
USA
I’m the guy who went around calling people “wood pussy” and “cockroach” and “nincompoop” just to start drama.
very interested in:
—how the frontality of silent cinema (and, to some degree, cinema in general, with its one perspective) exposes the theatrical mechanisms of the puritans' shaming; the stocks are a kind of stage where repressed social elements are made visible and a certain response is taught, coached
—how the minister's self-flagellating guilt is both a heartfelt regret and understanding for the harm he has inflicted via his careless (in this context) love—and inevitably self-indulgent, even narcissistic. his shame is not unique, but in centering it he cuts himself (and hester) off from potential avenues of happiness and social innovation, expansion, compassion. hester is haunted by the same guilt (in the form of her returning husband) but does not let it kill her or dampen her imagination
—how to pearl, the letter, the bonnet, the mud are all just objects, stripped of meaning. hence her hopeful presence. her playful mind experiences the sensual world without shame
Who better to play Hester Pryne than the symbol of virtue, Lillian Gish, teamed with Lars Hanson, whom she would work with again in 1928's "The Wind. Like that later film, it is also directed by Victor Sjostrom and screenwritten by Francis Marion. It is an adaptation, so we get backstory on Dimmesdale and Pryne, some characters to add a bit of humor, and a general tone of ill-fated love story as opposed to Hawthorne's story, which begins with Hester already wearing the scarlet A. The main theme of Hester's very public shame, and Dimmesdale's private agony are still here, but the book never details how they met, and how Hester came to be pregnant. The ending is also a bit different, but mainly this is a showcase for Gish, while much of the novel describes the agonies of Dimmesdale, so Marion does a nice job making this more cinema friendly and more Gish friendly.
Sjöström's vision of Hawthorne's novel is a stunning piece of sheer beauty. It is also probably the best screen adaptation of the book among the many that have been made.
Victor Sjöström, one of the greatest directors of all time and the man who inspired Ingmar Bergman, is a visual artist plain and simple. This is extremely apparent in 'The Scarlet Letter'. Each scene crafted with a hand of talent. This is the first film collaboration between Lillian Gish and Sjöström but it would not be their last. They would again re-team about 2 years later for 'The Wind' which would also reunite Gish with her on-screen love interest in both films in Lars Hanson.
Another impeccable trait Victor Sjöström…
Perasaan Lillian Gish dapet peran yang tersiksa mulu ya!
Dari sutradara He Who Gets Slapped, Victor Sjostrom yang juga pernah membintangi film Ingmar Bergman, Wild Strawberries (1957). Scarlet Letter adalah sebuah film bisu pada tahun 1926 yang dibintangi Lillian Gish sebagai Hester Prynne.
Pernah nonton gitu Easy A, dimana Emma Batu disitu jadi tokoh yang rela dihina oleh orang lain untuk kebaikan orang. Emma Batu lalu memakai tanda 'A' sebagai tanda ia seorang pezinah. Mungkin Terinspirasi oleh film ini, karena ceritanya agak mirip, cuma mungkin Easy A versi komedinya.
Menceritakan seorang Hester Prynne, seorang wanita dituduh berzinah. Ia dihukum oleh masyarakat dan di paksa menyebut nama si lelaki yang berzinah dengannya, namun ia enggan mengungkapkan nya. Ia pun memakai tanda huruf 'A' sebagai tanda ia seorang pezina.
Sjöström's mastery of silent cinema lends itself well to this early rendition of the revered Nathaniel Hawthorne novel and coupled with another captivating Lillian Gish performance, there may never be one quite as brilliant as this grand MGM production.
Sjöström, Gish and costar Lars Hanson would all go on to make The Wind together a few years later, which is arguably the best film that any of them were ever involved in, but this earlier collaboration is certainly shouldn't be forgotten. Exploring themes of guilt, sin and passionate love under the crushing repression of 17th century Puritan Boston, Gish is perfectly cast as a young woman who has a child out of wedlock leading her to be shunned by society.…
Here's one benefit of this 17th century story being adapted into a silent movie: this way, you don't have to hear a cast of latter-day actors straining to make all those "thee"s and "thou"s sound unaffected. You can read the dialogue off of title cards instead. Then you can lavish your attention on Lillian Gish, on all the fear and heartbreak and rage against Puritan hypocrisy that she concentrates in her pursed lips.
82/100
Wood-pussy!
Lillian Gish is quite possibly the greatest silent film performer.
