Review of The Scarlet Letter (1995) by Jules W — 27 Dec 2008

I have not read the book and that is a good thing. I have been told that this movie has the same characters, the same plotline, but severe differences- including in who lives and who dies. Thanks to my obsession with Gary Oldman in long hair, I enjoyed this.

Demi I could take or leave behind- she's always playing the strong/tortured woman. Duvall is just plain crazy (he does that well) and in a movie centering around puritan America and what they consider 'sin', it's frustrating to see so many hypocrites on their high horses (as the characters keep pointing out).

It seemed to me the only reason the Algonquin were put in there was a plot device- for Mr. Prynne to go crazy and the near end massacre that provided a convenient escape from the gallows. This is best taken for what it is- a period romance.

I would liken it to Sommersby.