An affair between a young woman and a pastor has disastrous consequences.
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Title: The Scarlet Letter (1995)
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1 win & 10 nominations.
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Cast
| Cast overview, first billed only: | |||
| Demi Moore | ... | Hester Prynne | |
| Gary Oldman | ... | Rev. Arthur Dimmesdale | |
| Robert Duvall | ... | Roger Chillingworth | |
 |
Lisa Andoh | ... | Mituba (as Lisa Joliffe-Andoh) |
| Edward Hardwicke | ... | Gov. John Bellingham | |
| Robert Prosky | ... | Horace Stonehall | |
| Roy Dotrice | ... | Rev. Thomas Cheever | |
| Joan Plowright | ... | Harriet Hibbons | |
| Malcolm Storry | ... | Maj. Dunsmuir | |
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James Bearden | ... | Goodman Mortimer (as Jim Bearden) |
| Larissa Laskin | ... | Goody Mortimer | |
| Amy Wright | ... | Goody Gotwick | |
| George Aguilar | ... | Johnny Sassamon | |
| Tim Woodward | ... | Brewster Stonehall | |
| Joan Gregson | ... | Elizabeth Cheever | |
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Plot Summary
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Storyline
In 1666 in the Massachusetts Bay colony, Puritans and the Algonquian have an uneasy truce. Hester Prynne (Demi Moore) arrives from England, seeking independence. Awaiting her husband, she establishes independence, fixing up a house, befriending Quakers and other outsiders. Passion draws her to the young pastor, Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale (Gary Oldman). He feels the same; when they learn her husband has probably died at the hands of Indians, they consummate their love. A child is born, and on the day Hester is publicly humiliated and made to wear a scarlet letter, her husband appears after a year with Indians. Calling himself Chillingworth (Robert Duvall), he seeks revenge, searching out Hester's lover and stirring fears of witchcraft. Will his murderous plot succeed? Written by <jhailey@hotmail.com>
Taglines:
When intimacy is forbidden and passion is a sin, love is the most defiant crime of all.Parents Guide:
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(Based on Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings")
Performed by Robert Shaw and the Robert Shaw Festival Singers
(Adm. by G. Schirmen Inc. (ASCAP))
Courtesy of Telarc International Corporation
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Did You Know?
Trivia
Three original scores were written for this movie. The ones by Ennio Morricone and Elmer Bernstein were rejected. The one used was by John Barry. See more »Goofs
Nicholas Rice is credited as playing the clerk, but the role was actually played by someone else. See more »Soundtracks
Agnus Dei(Based on Samuel Barber's "Adagio for Strings")
Performed by Robert Shaw and the Robert Shaw Festival Singers
(Adm. by G. Schirmen Inc. (ASCAP))
Courtesy of Telarc International Corporation
See more »
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Details
Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishRelease Date:
13 October 1995 (USA) See more »Also Known As:
The Scarlet Letter See more »Edit
Box Office
Budget:
$46,000,000 (estimated)Opening Weekend USA:
$4,119,086, 15 October 1995Gross USA:
$10,382,407Cumulative Worldwide Gross:
$10,382,407Company Credits
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Indians?! Excuse me? Did the person who adapted the screenplay even check out Cliffnotes to see what Hawthorne meant the plot to be?
I wouldn't mind as much if the movie had been titled differently. It's just plain disrespectful to use the name of a classic if you mean to change the whole point of the story. Moore was many things Hester shouldn't have been. Hester is a beautiful woman, a romantic, who loves but also knows, deep down, that her sin hurts herself as much as anyone else. Moore lacks any of the depth that Hester Prynne ought to have. And the ending? Pfft. Don't watch this. Read Hawthorne's book, it'll do you some good.