The Scarlet Letter the Movie Essay example - 783 Words

The Scarlet Letter the Movie The Scarlet Letter is a highly sexual movie remake of Nathaniel Hawthornes classic novel. Starring Demi Moore as Hester Prynne, Gary Oldman as Arthur Dimmesdale and Robert Duvall as Roger Chillingworth. The movie is in a league of its own and thats not really a compliment. Literary purists should be aghast at some of the liberties taken with the original text, but the complaints have more to do with cinematic misjudgments and drastic change in plot than those in the book-to-screen translation. First and foremost the movie opens considerably in advance of the novels first scene, and the script by Douglas Day Stewart delves deeply into early events only hinted in Hawthornes tale.†¦show more content†¦This is around where Hawthorne starts his novel, when Hester is about to leave the prison to receive her punishment. When the young woman#8212; the mother of this child#8212; stood fully revealed before the crowd, it seemed to be her first impulse to clasp the infant closely to her bosom(50). This introduction leaves you wondering unlike the movie. You know that adultery has been committed but the father of the child is still unknown. The narrator manages to weave many verbal ironies around the identity of Dimmesdale. But you soon realize that the truth is tainted with infernal spite. The movie lacks this uncertainty. In both the novel and the movie you are introduced to the character of Roger Chillingworth, whos way of revenge is different and not as powerful in the movie. In the movie Roger Chillingworth goes to town portraying a man who was kidnapped by the Indians, and took to their ways with alarming enthusiasm. In fact, he becomes a little too spiritual for the Tribes taste, and when Roger starts dancing around the fire with a dead deer on his back, his captors hastily send him back to his own people. At this point, Roger has flipped out and is totally insane that the Indians are scared of hi m. Upon his release, Roger heads for the New England colony and finds Hester with her illegitimate child andShow MoreRelatedMovie Review : The Scarlet Letter 1794 Words   |  8 PagesSequel to The Scarlet Letter Once the recent mutiny came to a close, all the townspeople hoped that their quiet little Puritan town would return to the normality that they held so dearly. Now, of course, they missed their beloved reverend, Arthur Dimmesdale, but many believed that the sacrificing if his life was a fair payment to end the madness. His dramatic demise would never be forgotten in the town and he, even being the sinner that he is, would be gravely missed and hold a special place in theirRead More The Scarlet Letter: The Book vs. the Movie Essay1442 Words   |  6 PagesThe Scarlet Letter:   The Book vs. the Movie  Ã‚  Ã‚   Demi Moores portrayal of Hester in the movie The Scarlet Letter proved her worth as a feminist actress, which led her to other, more modern female empowerment roles ranging from Striptease to GI Jane.   But in the moviemakers attempt to give the story what they might think is a little modern flavor, they barbarously misconstrued the theme, and thus the importance, of a timeless story.   In the novel, there can be little doubt that Hester is aRead More Comparing and Contrasting the Novel and Movie Version of The Scarlet Letter3029 Words   |  13 PagesFilm of The Scarlet Letter nbsp; Films of this era are criticized for substituting violence and special effects for substance. Many believe that creating a movie script is a juvenile form of writing, a shrub to the oak of a novel. Upon reading both the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and viewing the film produced by Roland Joffe, one notices the tremendous effort put into both. This essay will explore the many differences and similarities between the book and movie. nbsp;Read MoreThe Scarlet Letter By Hugues Merle1580 Words   |  7 PagesThe Scarlet Letter (Figure 1) painted by Hugues Merle in 1861 depicts the novel The Scarlet Letter by Nathanial Hawthorne. Hester Prynne, an adulteress forced to wear the letter â€Å"A† upon her bosom forever, becomes an outcast from the community with her daughter, Pearl. Merle was often known for painting scenes of mothers and children. He illustrates the scene of Hester and Pearl sitting in the town square as part of her punishment. The townspeople walk by, pointing fingers and making shrewd remarksRead MoreThe Scarlet Letter Vs. Easy1473 Words   |  6 PagesThe Scarlet Letter vs. Easy A To begin with this essay, I will be focusing on two pieces of media. I had recently read a book named The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne and watched a movie called Easy A. People say that Easy A is a good portrayal of The Scarlet Letter. Don t get me wrong, the movie shares some of the same themes and the movie is influenced by the book, but in reality, Easy A is not a good portrayal of The Scarlet Letter. With my opinion aside, there are someRead MoreAn Analysis Of The Scarlet Letter 1022 Words   |  5 Pages Adultery in Easy A Based of a Novel â€Å"The Scarlet Letter† Saul Ibarra English IV South Texas Business Education Technology Academy In the movie Easy A a cinematic film directed by Will Gluck is a comedy about a girl in high school whose social life completely changes because of a small lie that dominates her image. This rumor connects to Nathaniel Hawthorne’s the scarlet letter due to the fact that themes are drawn such as sin and redemption. Emma stone plays the protagonistRead More Hawthornes Scarlet Letter vs Scralet Letter the Film Essay611 Words   |  3 PagesHawthornes Scarlet Letter vs Scralet Letter the Film Published in 1850, Nathaniel Hawthorne‘s The Scarlet Letter describes many details of the life of a woman in a Puritan community and her conflict with their beliefs. Immoral events committed were harshly treated in those times; today these situations are dealt with up-to-date solutions. A Hollywood version of the novel was created in 1995 to visually illustrate the story but left room for comparison. Both the book and movie contain similaritiesRead MoreLiterature Has Functioned Throughout History As A Means1266 Words   |  6 Pagesa means of social criticism that is accessible to the lay public. Classics like Brave New World by Aldous Huxley and Uncle Tom’s Cabin by Harriet Beecher Stowe leverage their plots to reveal alarming realities and comment on social issues. The Scarlet Letter by Nathaniel Hawthorne is one of the earliest examples of literary social criticism. Hawthorne uses the plight of the main character, Hester Prynne, a convicted adulterer in a soci ety that severely punishes sinners, to take a stand against PuritanismRead MoreSummary Of The Scarlet Letter 935 Words   |  4 PagesThe Scarlet Letter is about a woman, Hester Prynne, who has had an affair with a man who she would not name. During the affair Hester became pregnant, so the affair became known to the town. She had the child but would still not reveal who the father was she was then forced to wear a red A representing adulterer on her chest for the rest of her life. The movie Easy A is about Olive Pendergast is an average high school student who is not one of the super-popular girls, but not a loser eitherRead MoreThe Real Travesty Of The Scarlet Letter1301 Words   |  6 PagesThe Real Travesty of The Scarlet Letter â€Å"The real sin of this ‘Scarlet Letter’ [film] is that it doesn’t respect the concept of sin† (Ansen). Nathaniel Hawthorne’s The Scarlet Letter delves deeper into the explicitness of sin, shame, and guilt. Set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony during Puritan colonization, the characters have strong relationships with God and a sturdy foundation in their beliefs and church. Puritans rely on the concept of predestination, the belief that God has decided whether