The Scarlet Letter│Film Masters
Courtesy of Film Masters
by CHAD KENNERK
This Thanksgiving-timed release from Film Masters delivers a pristine print of Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Puritan tale The Scarlet Letter. It’s hard to believe that this 1934 production was already the seventh film version of the story, albeit the first with spoken dialogue. Though the silent 1926 film with Lillian Gish is often hailed as best, this is the version of the cautionary tale that many former high schoolers in the US are likely to remember–for better or worse. I, for one, relished the opportunity to watch any movie in class, especially a classic. Unlike the well-worn VHS tape that once proliferated public schools, Film Masters’ first-rate restoration is worthy of an A.
Using a 4K scan from a 35mm preservation print made from the original camera negative, The Scarlet Letter was restored by Janice Allen at Cinema Arts in conjunction with the UCLA Library Film & Television Archives. Producer Sam Sherman acquired the rights to the film, along with the 35mm negative, some 60 years ago. He details the print’s fascinating origins in one of the disc’s many special features. Given the six previous versions of the story on film, even critics in 1934 called out The Scarlet Letter as an outdated, old-fashioned melodrama. Nathaniel Hawthorne's classic American tale of sin and redemption stars Colleen Moore as the widow Hester Prynne, who is forced to wear the scarlet letter ‘A’ for adultery embroidered on her clothes after bearing an illegitimate child.
Image courtesy of Film Masters
The film from poverty row production company Majestic Films (which eventually became a part of Republic Pictures), was the first independent film from any studio to receive the motion picture code approval from the Hays office, the self-imposed set of industry guidelines that ran in the US from 1934 to 1968. That squarely keeps the film centred on the character’s moral failings, taking away much of Hawthorne’s ambiguity and leaving a rather flat presentation of his characters. The adaptation adds some forced comedy for Depression-era audiences, but wasn’t afraid of leaving on a dour note. The film was directed by Robert G. Vignola, with cinematography by James S. Brown Jr. The most memorable shot is a view of the church congregation’s muskets collected in the aisle during the service and pointing up toward Reverend Dimmesdale’s pulpit. There’s also something to be said for the depiction of the lost art of the courting trumpet.
The most impressive bonus feature is the disc’s commentary with professor and author Jason A. Ney, which includes recollections from a 96-year-old Cora Sue Collins, who played Hester’s young daughter Pearl in the film. Her Hollywood story is something of a Lana Turner Schwab's legend. A car apparently came screeching to a halt and whisked young Collins and her mother off to Universal, where they emerged hours later with a contract. Collins eventually went to MGM, but would leave the industry as a teenager (at age 15 she was propositioned by screenwriter Harry Ruskin, who was forty years her senior.) There is also an insightful essay by Ney about the life and career of Colleen Moore in the accompanying booklet. Her extraordinary dollhouse, which helped raise money for children’s charities, is still on display today at Chicago’s Museum of Science and Industry.
Additional features include the Ballyhoo Motion Pictures documentary A Sin of Passion: Hawthorne in Film, which details the unlikely 1960s re-release of The Scarlet Letter, along with the Vincent Price anthology film Twice-Told Tales, which loosely adapted three Hawthorne stories. There’s also the vintage documentary Salem and the Scarlet Letter, narrated by John Carradine, and a new interview with producer Sam Sherman. The Scarlet Letter is presented in its original theatrical aspect ratio of 1:33:1 on a region-free disc and includes English SDH with DTS-HD and Dolby AC3s audio options. From the superlative presentation to the comprehensive features, The Scarlet Letter marks Film Masters’ best release to date.
The Scarlet Letter releases on Blu-ray 21 November from Film Masters.
Pre-order now at: https://www.filmmasters.com/the-scarlet-letter
FILM MASTERS is a consortium of historians and enthusiasts who seek to celebrate the preservation and restoration of films. As archivists, Film Masters is committed to storing film elements for future generations and reviving films that have been sitting dormant for decades. By scanning in 2K and 4K, they give these lesser-known films the red-carpet treatment they deserve. Leveraging modern means of distribution to release forgotten films back into the world, Film Masters also produces original bonus materials—including feature-length documentaries, audio commentaries and historic articles—to contextualise and celebrate these works of art as they were meant to be.
