The Scarlet Letter
Short description
Set in the Massachusetts Bay Colony, this drama centres on Hester Prynne, a seamstress who arrives from England to wait for her husband. She falls in love with the Reverend Arthur Dimmesdale, a respected minister, and bears his child. Because the community considers her married, she is publicly condemned and made to wear a scarlet letter as a mark of adultery. She refuses to name the father, and her husband, believed lost, reappears.
The film is adapted from Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel and was directed by Roland Joffé, whose earlier work includes The Killing Fields and The Mission; it was the fourth of ten features he directed. Douglas Day Stewart wrote the screenplay, and Demi Moore stars as Hester, with Gary Oldman as Dimmesdale and Robert Duvall as Roger Chillingworth. Lisa Andoh, Edward Hardwicke and Robert Prosky appear in supporting roles, and the production credits 43 cast members and 58 crew members.
Released on 13 October 1995, the film runs 135 minutes. Made for about 50 million dollars, it returned roughly 10 million worldwide, a poor result against its cost. On IMDb it holds 5.4 out of 10 from around 17,000 votes, and on TMDB 6.1 out of 10 from 538 votes. A critics' rating of 3.5 out of 10 from 38 reviews is lower than both audience scores.
What's left behind the scenes
- The ending of Nathaniel Hawthorne's novel, on which the film is based, is completely different from the film's conclusion. Commenting on this fact, Demi Moore once admitted that, in her opinion, the happy ending in the film is fully justified, especially since few people have read Hawthorne's book.
- Filming took place from August 7 to November 21, 1994, in Canada, in British Columbia (near Vancouver) and Nova Scotia (the towns of Yarmouth and Shelburne). The part of the small town of Shelburne adjacent to the port was significantly altered for filming, and some of the houses still retain the grey paint color corresponding to the era depicted in the film.
- The roles of the little girls in the film were played by Demi Moore's daughters – Scout LaRue Willis and Tallulah Belle Willis.
- Ennio Morricone, Elmer Bernstein, and John Barry worked on the film's music. However, the works composed by the first two composers were ultimately rejected.
- Anthony Hopkins, Daniel Day-Lewis, and Richard Gere were also considered as prime candidates for the lead male role.
- Meg Ryan persistently campaigned for the lead female role in the film, but all her efforts were in vain.
Auditions in India
Casting calls in USA
Castingi w Polsce
Кастинги в Україні
